Okay, so, a while back, I decided to try remaking the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010. That watch is a real looker, I gotta say. Always been a fan of how it looks, so I figured, why not give it a shot?
First, I spent a ton of time just staring at pictures of the 7042/100R-010 online. I looked at it from every angle I could find, trying to get a good feel for all the little details. I looked at it for so many days. Not much else to do, right?
Then, I started gathering all the stuff I needed. I’m talking about the materials, the tools, all that jazz. It took some doing, you know, finding the right bits and pieces. Had to order some special tools online, waited forever for them to arrive. It was a whole thing, let me tell you.
Once I had everything, I started with the watch case. I decided to go with a rose gold-looking alloy because, well, real rose gold is crazy expensive. Shaped it, polished it, did all that stuff to make it look like the real deal. Took me a good chunk of time, but I was pretty happy with how it was turning out.
Next up was the dial. Man, that was tricky. The Gondolo 7042/100R-010 has this beautiful, intricate dial, and I wanted to get as close to that as possible. I used a plain white dial as a base and started adding the details. Painted on those fancy Roman numerals, and added all the little decorations. It was super fiddly work, and I messed up a few times, but I kept at it. Lots of deep breaths and all that.
The hands were another challenge. I ended up making them myself out of some thin metal sheets. Had to cut them to the right shape and size, which was a pain. Getting them to look like the original hands took some trial and error, but eventually, I got there. My hands were so tired then.
Putting it all together was the most nerve-wracking part. I was so worried about messing something up after all that work. But, I took it slow, made sure everything was fitting just right. I used a standard movement I picked up, nothing fancy, but it does the job. It keeps time, and that’s what matters, right?
Finally, after all that, my version of the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010 was done! I was so happy when I finished this. It looks pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. Of course, it’s not a perfect replica, but I’m really proud of it. It’s not going to fool any experts, but it looks great on my wrist, and that’s enough for me. It was a fun project, and I learned a ton. Maybe I’ll try another one someday, who knows?
- Start date: Sometime last month.
- End date: Just a few days ago.
- Total time: Lost track, honestly. A lot.
- Feeling: Proud and a bit tired.
My DIY Gondolo
It’s not perfect but pretty good!
Click to consult