Okay, so I’ve been working on something pretty cool lately that I wanted to share with y’all. I decided to remake the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010, you know, that classic style everyone loves. Let me tell you, it’s been a journey!
First, I got my hands on some 18k white gold. This stuff is not cheap, but you gotta have that solid base, right? The case is supposed to be 31mm by 34.8mm, which is a bit tricky to get just right. I spent a good amount of time shaping and polishing the gold to make sure it had that perfect cushion shape. That is, Gondolo shape. Man, getting those curves smooth took forever, but it was worth it in the end.
Next up was the fun part – the diamonds! This watch is known for its bling, with baguette diamonds along the bezel and lugs. I carefully selected each diamond to make sure they were the right size and had that amazing sparkle. Setting them was a whole other story. Each tiny diamond had to be placed just so, and let me tell you, my eyes were definitely feeling it after a while. This part took longer than i think. But hey, the result is so satisfying!
- Selected high-quality diamonds
- Painstakingly set each diamond into the white gold case
- Made sure everything was secure and sparkly
Then came the dial. This model has a dial paved with 251 diamonds, So I did the same thing, paved the dial with 251 diamonds. It’s a real eye-catcher. I spent hours making sure the dial was perfectly smooth and that the diamonds were evenly distributed.
The movement is a mechanical manually wound one, caliber 215. I found a similar movement and spent a lot of time fine-tuning it. It’s not the exact same, but it works like a charm and keeps great time. I even added a few personal touches to the movement, just to make it my own, you know?
Finally, I put it all together. The pearl and white gold strap was a bit of a challenge to recreate, but I managed to find some materials that worked well. Attaching the strap to the case was the last step, and when I saw the whole thing assembled, I was pretty proud of myself. I polished it up one last time, and there it was – my very own remade Patek Philippe Gondolo.
The Final Touches
I wore the watch around for a few days, just to make sure everything was working perfectly. It felt amazing on my wrist, and I got a lot of compliments on it. People couldn’t believe I made it myself! This project was definitely a labor of love, and it taught me a lot about watchmaking and craftsmanship. Now, when I look down, there is a beautiful classic watch shining on my wrist.
Click to consult