Alright, today I’m gonna share a little project I’ve been working on – remaking the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Yeah, the fancy one with all the diamonds. I’m not a professional watchmaker, just a guy who likes to tinker and challenge myself. So, don’t expect perfection, but hey, it’s the journey, right?
First things first, I spent a ton of time just staring at pictures of this watch online. The Gondolo 7042/100G-010, it’s a beauty, with that white gold case and the baguette diamonds around the bezel and lugs. The original uses a manually-winding mechanical movement. I studied the way the diamonds are set, the shape of the case, everything I could from the images.
Getting the Materials
- Case: Now, I obviously couldn’t afford a solid white gold case, so I went with a stainless steel one with a similar shape. It’s not the same, but it gives the right vibe. Finding one with the right dimensions (around 31mm by 34.8mm) was a bit of a hunt, I searched a lot.
- Movement: I picked up a cheap, used mechanical movement. I just needed something that ticks, you know? It’s not a Patek movement, not by a long shot, but it does the job for this project.
- Dial: This was tricky. The original has a beautiful diamond-set dial. I found a plain white dial and decided to try and mimic the diamond look with some tiny rhinestones. It is really hard work.
- Hands: I managed to find some hands that were pretty close in style to the original Patek ones. Not an exact match, but they look alright.
- Strap: I just used a basic white gold-colored strap for now. Maybe later I’ll try to find something more accurate, but this works for now.
- Tools: Just the basic stuff – screwdrivers, tweezers, you name it. I borrowed some watchmaking tools from a friend, which was a lifesaver.
Putting it Together
The hardest part was definitely trying to set those tiny rhinestones on the dial. It was a pain, and they’re not perfectly aligned like the real diamonds on the Patek, but I did my best. Getting the movement to fit inside the case also took some fiddling. I had to make a few adjustments, but I finally got it to sit right. I put the dial and the hands, and then put the strap on the case.
Then came the moment of truth. I carefully closed up the case back, held my breath, and… it worked! The movement was ticking, the hands were moving. It was alive! It is a great moment!
The Result
Okay, so it’s nowhere near as fancy as the real Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010. But, it’s my own little version of it. It’s got some flaws, sure, but I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. It was a fun challenge, and I learned a lot along the way. Maybe I’ll even try to make a better version someday. Who knows? But for now, I’m happy with my little diamond-ish, kinda-sorta Patek-inspired watch.
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