Alright, guys, let me tell you about this little project I’ve been working on. I got this idea to try and remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo, specifically the 7042/100R-010 model. Yeah, that super fancy one with all the diamonds and the rose gold. It’s a stunner, right?
So, I started by just staring at pictures of this watch. Seriously, I spent hours just looking at it from every angle. I even browsed the internet that had information, trying to get a feel for the details, the way the diamonds are set, the shape of the case, everything. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss a thing. Although it has return guarantee.
Next, I started gathering materials. Now, I couldn’t get my hands on the exact same stuff they use in the official store, but I did find some pretty good alternatives. Found some decent rose gold-colored metal for the case and some shiny crystals that looked close enough to the real diamonds. Even found a strap that was a similar color to the original. I even thought about going to a physical store in Tokyo, but figured that might be a bit much for a project like this.
- Looked at a bunch of pictures of the watch.
- Found some rose gold-colored metal.
- Got some shiny crystals.
- Picked up a strap.
Then came the hard part – putting it all together. I started with the case, trying to shape the metal to match the curves of the Gondolo. Let me tell you, it was tough! I used some tools I had lying around, and it was a lot of trial and error. I messed up a few times, but I just kept at it.
After that, I started setting the “diamonds.” This was probably the most tedious part. Each crystal had to be placed just right, and there are a lot of them on this watch. My eyes were definitely tired after that.
The last step was attaching the strap. This was actually the easiest part, thankfully. Just had to make sure it was secure and looked good with the rest of the watch.
The Final Result
So, after all that work, how did it turn out? Well, it’s definitely not a perfect replica. You can see the price when you search for the listings. It doesn’t have the same weight or feel as the real thing, and the details aren’t as sharp. But you know what? I’m pretty proud of it. It looks similar to the original, and it was a fun challenge to try and recreate such a complex piece. Maybe it would take someone to go to the actual store or see the origin story of the watch to really appreciate the amount of work that goes into these things.
This whole thing was a good reminder that even though something looks simple, it can be really hard to make. It gave me a new appreciation for the people who actually make these watches for a living. They’re true artists. I may try to do this again sometime, but maybe with a simpler watch next time!
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