Alright, so the other day, I got this wild idea to try and remake a Patek Philippe watch. Not just any Patek Philippe, mind you, but the Gondolo 7042/100R-010, the one you see all shiny and fancy in their official store. I mean, who wouldn’t want to rock that, right? It’s like a piece of jewelry, seriously. It’s all 18K red gold with diamonds everywhere.
First off, I spent hours just staring at pictures of this beauty online. I was looking at watches, you know, just browsing, and I came across this Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010. Man, it’s a beauty! Rose gold, diamonds everywhere. Zooming in, trying to get every little detail in my head. The way the light hits the diamonds, the precise placement of each little component, you name it. I needed to know this watch inside and out before I even thought about putting tools to metal.
Then came the fun part – gathering materials. Now, I’m not made of money, so 18K red gold was a bit out of my league. I had to find alternatives that looked the part without costing an arm and a leg. I hit up a bunch of online stores, comparing prices, reading reviews, the whole nine yards. I ended up getting some decent-looking gold-plated stuff for the case and bracelet. It wasn’t perfect, but hey, it’s the look we’re going for, right?
Next up, the diamonds. Obviously, real diamonds were a no-go. I found some pretty convincing cubic zirconias, though. They sparkle just like the real deal, at least to the untrained eye. I ordered a whole bunch of different sizes, figuring I could always return what I didn’t use.
With all my materials laid out, it was time to start building. I started with the watch face. I found a simple, plain white dial that was about the right size. It was a lot of slow, steady work. This was probably the toughest part, honestly. It took forever, but I got the new face on there. The most nerve-wracking part was setting the “diamonds” around the dial. One wrong move and I could scratch the whole thing. I used a tiny bit of super glue and a pair of tweezers, placing each “diamond” one by one. It took forever, but eventually, I got them all on there.
- Sourcing the Dial: Found a plain white dial online.
- “Diamond” Setting: Used super glue and tweezers to place cubic zirconias around the dial.
Next, I tackled the case. I carefully pried open the back of a cheap watch I had lying around and swapped out the guts with a new movement I bought online. Then I started attaching the gold-plated pieces, trying to mimic the shape of the Gondolo. It wasn’t easy, and it definitely doesn’t look perfect. A lot of trial and error, let me tell you. A few scratches here and there, but nothing too noticeable. I did my best to make it look like the original. Once the case was done, I put on the new face.
Last but not least, the bracelet. This was actually the easiest part. I just had to attach the gold-plated links together, which was a breeze compared to the rest of the project.
The End Result
So, after all that work, how did it turn out? Well, it’s no Patek Philippe, that’s for sure. It doesn’t have that same weight or that luxurious feel, but you know what? It doesn’t look half bad. It’s shiny, it sparkles, and it kinda looks like the real deal from a distance. If you squint a little. I’ve been wearing it around, and people have actually asked me if it’s a real Patek Philippe. I just laugh and say, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it!” But yeah, I’m pretty proud of myself. It was a fun little project, and it’s definitely a conversation starter. Maybe I’ll try another model next. Who knows.
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