Okay, so, I decided to take on a fun little project: remaking the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010. You know, that super fancy watch with all the diamonds? Yeah, that one. I thought, “Why not give it a shot?” So, I dove right in.
First things first, I needed to get a good look at the real deal. I spent hours scrolling through pictures online, trying to get a feel for every little detail. This watch is seriously decked out in diamonds, and I wanted to make sure I captured that bling. The original is made of 18k white gold, which is way out of my league, so I opted for 316L stainless steel instead. It’s tough, looks pretty good, and doesn’t cost a fortune.
The next step was figuring out the bezel. The real Gondolo has this fluted, bidirectional rotatable bezel. I did some digging and found a similar one that I could use. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it had that same luxurious vibe. I got it, and it fit perfectly! A bidirectional ring was also necessary to be ordered. This step took some time to do the research but it was worth it.
- Sourcing the materials: This was a bit of a scavenger hunt. I found the stainless steel body pretty easily, but getting the right bezel took some time.
- Finding the diamonds: Okay, obviously, I wasn’t using real diamonds. I found some really good cubic zirconia that looked just as sparkly.
- Dial: Since the original is called a diamond paved dial, I figured that the dial should have diamonds on it too. Ordered a small batch of tiny diamonds, and placed them on the dial carefully.
Now, onto the dial. The original has this intense white dial, and it’s covered in diamonds. I found a bright white dial that was close enough. Then came the fun part – the diamonds. I used tiny cubic zirconia and carefully placed them on the dial, mimicking the pattern of the original. It was tedious work, but seeing it come together was so satisfying. Finally, a dial that was shiny and good-looking was made.
The movement was the trickiest part. I’m not a watchmaker, so I didn’t even try to replicate the original mechanism. Instead, I found a decent quartz movement that would keep time accurately. It’s not the same as the fancy manually-winding movement in the Patek Philippe, but hey, it works!
Putting It All Together
With all the parts ready, it was time to assemble the watch. I carefully put the movement into the case, attached the dial, and then the hands. The bezel went on last, and I have to say, it looked pretty darn good. The final touch was adding a simple white leather strap. I thought about going for something fancier, but I wanted the watch itself to be the star of the show.
So, there you have it. My homemade Patek Philippe Gondolo. It’s not perfect, but I’m really proud of how it turned out. It’s shiny, it’s sparkly, and it definitely turns heads. Plus, it was a blast to make. Who knows, maybe I’ll try remaking another watch someday. But for now, I’m happy to enjoy the fruits of my labor.
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