Today, I decided to tackle something pretty ambitious: remaking the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010. Now, I’ve always been a huge fan of Patek Philippe. Their watches are just, you know, works of art. So, I thought, “Why not try to recreate one myself?” The Gondolo 7042/100R-010 is particularly stunning with its rose gold case and that beautiful dial paved with diamonds. I mean, who wouldn’t want that on their wrist, right?
Getting Started
First things first, I needed to gather all the info I could find about this watch. I spent hours scouring the internet, looking at every picture and reading every description I could find. There were a lot of listings for this watch online, some going for over $270,000! That’s way out of my budget, but it gave me a good idea of what I was dealing with.
I found out that the case is 18 carat rose gold, and the dial is paved with 251 diamonds, totaling about 0.73 carats. The watch also has a manual winding movement, which is pretty cool. I’m not a watchmaker, so I wasn’t planning on making a functioning movement, but I wanted the watch to look as authentic as possible.
Collecting Materials
Next, I had to find the materials. For the case, I managed to find some rose gold-colored metal that looked pretty close to the real thing. It wasn’t actual gold, of course, but it had the right color and shine. For the diamonds, I used some high-quality rhinestones. They sparkle just like real diamonds, and they’re way more affordable.
I also needed a strap. The original watch has a pearl and rose gold strap, which is gorgeous but hard to replicate. I found a nice rose gold-colored bracelet that matched the case pretty well. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it still looked good.
The Build
Now for the hard part: putting it all together. I started with the case. I carefully shaped the metal to match the dimensions of the Gondolo 7042/100R-010, which is 31 x 34.8mm. It took a lot of trial and error, but I finally got it right.
Next, I worked on the dial. This was the most time-consuming part. I meticulously placed each rhinestone on the dial, trying to mimic the pattern of the original watch. It was tedious work, but seeing the dial come together was so satisfying. The way the rhinestones caught the light was just mesmerizing.
After the dial was done, I attached the hands. I found some small, delicate hands that looked similar to the ones on the Patek Philippe. They weren’t an exact match, but they were close enough. Then, I attached the case to the bracelet. This part was pretty straightforward, thankfully.
The Result
After all that work, I finally had my very own Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010, or at least, a pretty good-looking replica. It’s not perfect, of course. There are some imperfections here and there, but I’m really proud of how it turned out. It looks amazing on my wrist, and it’s a great conversation starter.
- Case: Rose gold-colored metal, 31 x 34.8mm
- Dial: Paved with 251 high-quality rhinestones
- Strap: Rose gold-colored bracelet
- Movement: Non-functioning, for looks only
This project was a lot of fun, and it gave me a new appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into making these high-end watches. Maybe one day I’ll be able to afford the real thing, but for now, I’m happy with my homemade version. It’s a little piece of luxury that I made with my own two hands, and that’s pretty special if you ask me.
Click to consult