Okay, so, I got into this whole thing with remaking that Patek Philippe Gondolo 7041R-001. You know, the one they sell at specialty stores. It’s a real beauty, with that rose gold and those diamonds. I saw it online, probably on one of those fancy watch sites, and I just thought, “I gotta try making one of these myself.”
First thing I did was look up everything I could find about this watch. Found out it’s got this Caliber 215 PS movement, which, from what I gathered, is a pretty big deal in the watch world. It apparently beats at 28,800 vph, which I guess is pretty fast? And it’s a manual wind, which means you gotta wind it yourself. Old school, I like it. It also had 18 Jewels, This Gondolo reference 7041R-001 is a rose gold manual wind wristwatch.
Then, I started sketching. The Gondolo 7041R-001 has this cushion-shaped case, which is kinda unique, and that silver dial with the rose gold is just… chef’s kiss. I spent hours just staring at pictures, trying to get all the details right. It’s a ladies’ watch, so it’s not huge, about 30 x 33.8 mm, which is a good size, I think.
Finding the Right Parts
Next up was figuring out what I needed to actually build this thing. I’m not exactly rolling in dough, so I couldn’t just go out and buy real rose gold and diamonds. I had to get creative. I found some decent-looking gold-colored metal that I thought would work for the case and some sparkly stones that, from a distance, could pass for diamonds.
- Sourced a cushion-shaped watch case, similar in size to the 7041R-001.
- Found a silver dial with a similar texture to the original.
- Got some gold-colored hands that matched the style of the Patek Philippe.
The movement was the trickiest part. I’m no watchmaker, so I couldn’t build one from scratch. I ended up finding a used, hand-wound movement online that was about the right size. It’s not a Caliber 215 PS, but it does the job. It’s got a small seconds hand, which is a nice touch. I spent a good chunk of time just cleaning it up and making sure it was running smoothly.
Putting It All Together
Putting it all together was a whole other story. I had to be super careful not to scratch anything. I used some small tools I had lying around the house and a lot of patience. I started with the movement, getting it secured inside the case. Then came the dial and the hands. The “diamonds” were the last thing I added, gluing them around the bezel. It’s not perfect, obviously. There are a few rough edges, and I definitely messed up a couple of times. But hey, I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. It’s not a real Patek Philippe, but it’s my Patek Philippe. And you know what? It actually tells time!
This whole project took me a few weeks, working on and off. It was definitely a learning experience. I learned a lot about watches, about how they work, and about how much work goes into making a really nice one. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a lot of fun, but it was also pretty challenging. For now, I’m just happy to have this little piece of “luxury” on my wrist.
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