Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, and I finally did it. I remade a Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Yeah, you heard that right. That fancy, expensive watch that’s usually way out of my league, I went ahead and tried to recreate it. I figured, why not, it’s a fun project to try.
First off, I started by gathering all the materials I could find. I knew I needed some good quality stainless steel. So I found these 316 stainless steel sheets, and thought, “This will do.” I decided not to use the 904L steel, that would have been overkill. Then, I looked up pictures of the watch online, especially the Gondolo 7042/100G-010 model. I needed a clear idea of what I was aiming for.
Then I started to draw. It was a mess at the start, I am telling you. My first drawing was awful, but I did not give up. After some more tries, I finally managed to draw something that looked like the watch. Now came the scary part, cutting the steel. I used a tiny saw that I bought a while back from a hardware store. Took a whole afternoon to just cut the basic shape, and man, it was tough. My hands were sore, but I kept at it. After shaping it, I started polishing the case. I used some sandpaper I had lying around and just went to town on it. It took forever, but seeing it shine made it all worth it. The bezel was a pain. I wanted that fluted look, just like the real one. It wasn’t easy, but after messing up a few times, I got it to look decent. Not perfect, but I was happy with the result.
The dial was another beast altogether. I wanted it to have that same bright look. I got a black-colored sheet and tried to get the same pattern on it. It was pretty hard. But I was determined to make it look like the real thing. Then, of course, I started to add the tiny diamonds to the bezel. I’ll be honest, those diamonds gave me a hard time. I started with the bezel, placing each tiny diamond piece by piece. It was a test of patience, let me tell you. Then I moved on to the lugs, which was also challenging, but I took it step by step, using some strong glue to secure them. I even looked up some tips online on how to do it properly, and that helped a lot.
Putting the whole thing together was something else. The mechanism of the watch is super complex, I found out. I tried my best to follow some guides, but I did use a simple watch mechanism instead of copying the real Patek Philippe one. I just wanted it to work, you know? Finally, after many, many hours of work, it was done. I put it on my wrist, and man, it felt good.
It’s not exactly like the real Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010, but I’m pretty proud of what I made. It looks nice, and it’s definitely a conversation starter. I learned a lot during this whole process, and honestly, I had a blast doing it. I am really happy that I did this. Maybe I’ll try another model next time.
- Material: 316 Stainless steel
- Bezel: Fluted
- Dial: Black-colored sheet
So, yeah, that’s my little project. Hope you guys liked hearing about it. It was a fun ride, and I’m already thinking about what to do next.
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