So, I was thinking about getting a new watch, and I saw this Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010. Man, it’s a beauty. It’s got this rose gold case, shiny diamonds, and just looks stunning. But, you know, it’s a bit out of my price range. Then I thought, why not try to remake it? Sounds like a fun challenge, right?
First, I started looking into what makes this watch so special. Turns out, the Gondolo collection is named after this famous retailer in Rio de Janeiro, Gondolo & Labouriau. That’s a cool bit of history. And this specific model, the 7042/100R-010, is pretty popular. I looked up places like Chrono24 and saw a bunch of listings. They all say it’s a manual winding watch. Makes sense.
I dug deeper and found out more details. It’s got a caliber 215 movement, whatever that means. The dial is covered with 251 diamonds, about 0.73 carats, all set in a circle, with another 12 diamond hour markers. The case size is 31 x 34.8 mm. That’s a lot of bling!
Now, I needed to find a good base watch to start with. I figured I wouldn’t find an exact match, but something close enough would do. I spent hours browsing online stores and local shops. Finally, I found a watch with a similar shape and size. It wasn’t rose gold, but I thought I could work with that.
Next, I needed to get some diamonds. I’m no expert, but I found a local jeweler who was willing to help me pick out some good quality ones. We went with 251 small diamonds for the dial and 12 bigger ones for the hour markers. It wasn’t cheap, but it was still way less than the original watch.
- Find a base watch with a similar shape and size.
- Get 251 small diamonds for the dial.
- Get 12 bigger diamonds for the hour markers.
- Source a rose gold plating service.
The hardest part was finding someone to set the diamonds. I contacted a few watchmakers, and finally found one who was up for the challenge. He carefully removed the original dial and replaced it with a new one, setting each diamond by hand. He did the same thing for the hour markers. It took a while, but it was worth it.
The rose gold case was another issue. I decided to get the case plated. It’s not the same as solid gold, but it looks pretty close. I found a plating service online, sent the watch case to them, and they did a great job.
The Big Reveal
After all that work, I finally got the watch back. And let me tell you, it looked amazing! It wasn’t an exact replica, but it captured the spirit of the original. The diamonds sparkled, the rose gold plating looked great, and it felt really good on my wrist.
I’m really happy with how it turned out. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot along the way. Plus, I got a beautiful watch for a fraction of the price. Who knows, maybe I’ll try another remake in the future!
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