Alright, let’s talk about this project I’ve been messing around with – trying to remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo 7041R-001, the original order. You know, Patek Philippe, that fancy watch brand everyone’s heard of. I saw that their brand was valued at like, almost 2 billion Swiss Francs back in 2016. Crazy, right? And their watches go for a ton at auctions because they’re so rare.
So, I got it in my head to try and remake one. I went for the Gondolo because it’s got that cool history, named after some retailer in Rio. Plus, I found a listing for the real deal, the 7041R-001, going for almost 30 grand! I figured, why not give it a shot myself?
Getting Started
First thing, I needed to find parts that looked the part. I knew I wasn’t going to get the exact same stuff, but I wanted it to look legit. I spent hours online, browsing forums and parts websites. It was a pain, but I managed to find some decent components.
Assembling the Watch
- The Movement: This was the hardest part. The original has this Caliber 215 PS, a manual wind movement. I couldn’t find that exact one, obviously, but I found a similar mechanical movement that would do the job.
- The Case: I went with a rose gold-plated case to match the original’s look. It wasn’t easy to fit everything in there, but I made it work. I also went with 18 jewels, it seemed like a good number for that, same as the original.
- The Dial and Hands: I found a dial that had that small seconds feature, just like the original. Getting the hands to fit right took some fiddling, but I got them on there eventually.
The Final Touches
Putting it all together was a real test of patience. I had to be super careful not to scratch anything or mess up the movement. But after a few evenings of work, I finally had something that looked like a Patek Philippe Gondolo. It wasn’t perfect, but I was pretty proud of it.
Sure, it’s not a real Patek Philippe. It doesn’t have the history or the insane price tag. But it was a fun project, and I learned a lot about watches along the way. Plus, now I’ve got a pretty cool-looking watch that didn’t cost me tens of thousands of dollars. I even found original boxes and papers being sold, which is wild. But hey, maybe that’s a project for another day. For now, I’m just happy with my little homemade Gondolo. It’s not about the money but the craftsmanship, right? Or at least that’s how I felt about it.
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