Alright, folks, gather ’round, because today I’m gonna tell you about the time I tried to remake a Patek Philippe. Yeah, you heard that right. And not just any Patek, but the Gondolo 7042/100G-010. A real beauty, if I may say so myself.
So, picture this: there I was, feeling all ambitious and whatnot, thinking, “How hard could it be?” Famous last words, right? First thing I did was stare at pictures of this watch for hours. I mean, I really looked at ’em. The way the light hits those diamonds, the sleek white gold… It’s like staring into a tiny, expensive universe. This Gondolo, by the way, got its name from some fancy retailer in Rio. Fancy, right?
I dove into this project headfirst. I grabbed some stainless steel. 316, maybe 904L, who even knows? It felt right, you know? Then I start messing around, trying to get that fluted bezel just right. I made it, but it was not easy. And don’t even get me started on the dial. The original has 251 diamonds. I didn’t have diamonds, but I made the dial. That was a whole adventure on its own. Let me tell you that.
Next up was figuring out the movement. The real one has this Caliber 215, a manual wind thing. I fiddled around with some gears and springs, trying to make something that at least ticked. It wasn’t pretty, but hey, it moved! I even tried to copy that Calatrava cross thing they have. It’s like their fancy logo, been around for over a century. Mine looked a bit wonky, but you could kind of see what I was going for.
- Starting the Project:
- I got all excited and decided to just go for it.
- Spent way too long looking at pictures of the watch online.
- Working on the Case and Dial:
- Got some stainless steel.
- Made the bezel.
- Made the dial.
- Tackling the Movement:
- Tried to make a tiny engine that runs the watch.
- Attempted to copy their logo.
Long story short, I ended up with something that vaguely resembled the Gondolo. It wasn’t perfect. It surely wasn’t worth thousands of dollars like the real deal. But you know what? I made it. With my own two hands. And there’s something pretty darn satisfying about that, even if it’s a bit rough around the edges.
Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a heck of a learning experience. And who knows, maybe one day I’ll actually get my hands on a real Patek Philippe. A guy can dream, right?
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