Okay, so, the other day I got this wild idea. I decided to remake a Patek Philippe. Not just any Patek Philippe, but the Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Yeah, the one you see on their official website, looking all fancy and what not.
First off, I gathered all the pictures and information I could find about this watch. You know, scouring the internet, looking at every detail. This Gondolo, it’s a real piece of art. It’s a ladies’ watch, kind of cushion-shaped, and it’s got this 18K white gold thing going on. It’s powered by hand, which is pretty cool.
After I felt like I knew the watch inside and out, I started sketching. Drawing out the design, trying to get the proportions right. It wasn’t easy, I tell you. Those guys at Patek Philippe, they really know their stuff. The Gondolo collection is named after some fancy retailer from Rio, Gondolo & Labouriau. They had a good thing going with Patek Philippe back in the day, like, from 1872 to 1927.
Then came the hard part. I began working with the materials I had. I didn’t have any 18K white gold lying around, obviously, so I had to make do with what I could find. I shaped, I polished, I assembled. It was a lot of trial and error. Let me tell you, getting your hands on a Patek Philippe is like being one of the 600 people invited to the Met Gala. They’ve made less than a million watches in 184 years! That’s way less than other luxury brands like Rolex, who make about a million watches every year.
- I spent hours just trying to get the dial right.
- It’s supposed to be diamond-paved, but I definitely don’t have that many diamonds.
- So I improvised.
- And the hands of the watch, don’t even get me started on those.
- So tiny, so delicate.
The Final Stretch
In the end, my remake of the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010 wasn’t perfect. Far from it, actually. It’s kind of rough around the edges, and it doesn’t really keep time that well. But you know what? I’m still proud of it. I made it with my own two hands, and it’s kind of unique in its own way. Plus, it was a heck of a learning experience. I mean, those watches are rare for a reason, they are not easy to make. I guess that’s why they go for small fortunes during auctions.
So, yeah, that’s my story of trying to remake a Patek Philippe. It was a fun ride, even though the result is a bit wonky. Would I do it again? Maybe. But next time, I might pick a simpler model. Or just stick to drawing them. We’ll see.
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