Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with watches for a while now, and I gotta tell you about this little project I just wrapped up. I tried to remake the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Yeah, the classic style one. It’s a beauty, right?
First off, I spent a good chunk of time just staring at pictures of this watch. I looked at like a million pictures, prices, and different angles. I had to get a real good feel for it, you know? The original has this white gold body, and it’s all elegant and stuff. This one I found has a pearl and white gold strap, which is insane.
Then, I started gathering materials. I didn’t use real white gold, obviously, that’d cost a fortune. But I found some pretty decent alternatives. I even tried to find something that looked like those 251 diamonds they used to pave the dial and a similar-looking movement part to mimic the Caliber 215. It was like a treasure hunt, seriously.
The hardest part was getting the shape right. The Gondolo isn’t your typical round watch; it’s kind of rectangular, 31mm by 34.8mm, but not exactly. I used this white gold-ish material and shaped it very carefully. I measured like a thousand times, no joke. I even tried to copy the baguette diamonds they put on the bezel and lugs. It was a pain, but it had to look right.
Putting it all together was like doing a puzzle, a really, really hard puzzle. I had to make sure everything fit perfectly. Each little piece had to be in the right spot, or the whole thing would look off. I’m not a watchmaker, so this was all new to me. But, you know, you learn as you go.
- First, I tried making the watch body, shaping the white gold-like material.
- Then, I worked on the dial, adding those fake diamonds to mimic the real deal.
- After that, I focused on the strap, using a combination of materials to get that elegant look.
- Finally, I put it all together, checking every detail to make sure it looked like the original.
And guess what? It actually turned out pretty good! It’s not exactly like the real Patek Philippe, but it’s close. It’s got that classic vibe, and when I wear it, it feels kinda fancy. I know it’s not the real deal, which is like 217 bucks or something crazy, but I made it myself, and that’s cool. This whole thing was a lot of fun, and I learned a ton. Plus, now I have this cool watch that looks like a million bucks, even if it didn’t cost that much. Pretty neat, huh?
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