Alright, so I’ve been eyeing the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010 for a while now. It’s a real beauty, right? But, you know, the price tag is just…ouch. So, I thought, why not try to remake one myself? Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy, but I was up for the challenge.
First, I started digging around for information. I found out that the original is packed with diamonds and has a white gold band with Akoya pearls, like it said on the Patek Philippe website. This was going to be tough, but hey, no guts no glory.
I began by sketching out the design, focusing on that rectangular case shape that the Gondolo collection is famous for. Then, I started looking for materials. Finding something that looked like white gold wasn’t too hard, but those Akoya pearls? That was a different story. I ended up settling for some high-quality imitation pearls. They didn’t have that same luster, but they looked pretty decent.
Next up, the diamonds. Obviously, I wasn’t going to use real diamonds. I found some cubic zirconia stones that were a good size and had a nice sparkle. It took forever, but I managed to set each stone by hand, just like the master jewelers at Patek Philippe supposedly do. My hands were cramping, and my eyes were strained, but I was determined to get it right.
The movement was another headache. I’m not a watchmaker, so I grabbed a decent quartz movement online. It’s not the same as a meticulously crafted mechanical movement, but it gets the job done. And honestly, who’s going to open up the back and check?
- Sketching the design.
- Sourcing materials (imitation gold, imitation pearls, cubic zirconia).
- Setting the “diamonds” by hand.
- Fitting a quartz movement.
- Assembling the whole thing.
Putting it all together was like solving a really complicated puzzle. I spent hours, days even, just fiddling with the tiny parts, trying to make everything fit. There were moments when I almost gave up, but I kept pushing.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I finished it. Was it perfect? Nope. Did it look exactly like the original Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010? Not quite. There were some imperfections, some rough edges. But you know what? It was mine. I made it. And it actually looked pretty good! It kept time, it sparkled, and it had that classic Gondolo look.
So, yeah, that’s my story of remaking a Patek Philippe. It was a wild ride, full of challenges and frustrations, but also a lot of satisfaction. Would I do it again? Maybe. But for now, I’m pretty happy with my homemade Gondolo.
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