Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get into watchmaking for a while, and what better way to start than by trying to remake a classic, right? I decided to tackle the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010, you know, the one you can find on their official site. Patek Philippe has been around since, like, 1839, making these fancy watches, and I figured this was a good way to learn the ropes.
First off, I spent a ton of time just staring at pictures of the watch on the Patek Philippe website. I tried to find it somewhere in Australia, but these watches are like gold dust! I found some info about jewelry suppliers and manufacturers, but nothing that really helped me get my hands on the real deal. I saw that Patek Philippe has like 200 models, so it’s a pretty big collection, and the Gondolo is just one of them.
Starting with The Dial
I started with the dial since it seemed like the most straightforward part. I found a similar-looking dial online and ordered it. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was close enough for a first attempt. The Gondolo 7042 has this automatic date thing, and the one I got was just a plain black dial. I figure I had to start somewhere.
Assembling the Movement
The movement was a whole different beast. I watched a bunch of videos and read some stuff about how these things are put together. It was way more complicated than I thought. I bought a basic movement kit online, thinking I could just piece it together, but boy, was I wrong. There are so many tiny parts, and getting them to work together is a real pain. But I finally got something that looks and works like a watch.
The Case and Strap
For the case, I wanted that rose gold look, so I got a cheap rose gold-plated case. It doesn’t have the same weight and feel as the real Patek Philippe, but it looks pretty good from a distance. For the strap, I went with a simple black leather one. Again, it’s not the same quality as the original, but it does the job.
The Final Result
- Dial: Found a close match online, not the exact automatic date dial, but it’s a start.
- Movement: Bought a basic kit, struggled a lot, but got it working.
- Case: Rose gold-plated, looks decent but not as heavy or refined as the original.
- Strap: Simple black leather, functional but not luxurious.
After hours of fumbling around, I finally had something that resembled the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010. It’s definitely not perfect, and there’s a long way to go before I can make something as amazing as what they do. But, you know, it’s a start, and I learned a heck of a lot in the process. If I could, I would have gotten the real watch to see how it’s made, but this will have to do for now. It’s like comparing a $9.99 streaming plan to the real deal, you know? You get the gist, but it’s not quite the same thing.
Anyway, that’s my little adventure in trying to remake a Patek Philippe watch. It was tough, but super rewarding. I’m going to keep practicing and maybe one day I can make something that’s actually worth showing off. Until then, I’ll just keep tinkering and learning. It is really a challenge.
Click to consult