Okay, so, I got this idea to try and remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Yeah, the super fancy one. I saw it online, you know, those luxury watch websites like Pragnell and Chrono24? They have all these pictures of it. It’s got this 18k white gold, all shiny and stuff, and it’s covered in diamonds. It looked so cool, I thought, “Why not give it a shot?”
Getting Started
First, I spent a lot of time just looking at pictures of the watch. I mean, a lot. Zooming in, trying to see every little detail. This watch, it’s not just any watch. It’s got this Art Deco vibe, which is pretty neat. It’s rectangular, but not too sharp, kind of soft edges, you know?
The Details
The real challenge was those diamonds. I found out they use baguette diamonds on the bezel and the lugs. Figuring out how they’re all set, the pattern and all, that took some time. I made a bunch of sketches, trying to get it right. I even tried to figure out the exact size of the watch, 31mm by 34.8mm I think. Not too big, not too small.
Crafting the Case
So, I started with the case. I decided to use some metal I had lying around. Of course, it wasn’t white gold, but it had a similar shine. I used some tools to shape it into that rectangular shape. It was a lot of bending, cutting, and polishing. I messed up a few times, but hey, that’s part of the process, right?
Setting the “Diamonds”
Then came the hardest part – the diamonds. Obviously, I didn’t have real diamonds, but i have some shiny crystals that looked pretty good. I tried to stick them on in the same pattern as the real watch. It was super tricky. My hands were all sticky, and those little “diamonds” kept falling off. But, after a lot of patience, I managed to get them all on.
The Dial and Movement
The dial was a bit easier. I just printed out a picture of the real dial and stuck it on. As for the movement, well, I couldn’t really make a working one. I just made something that looked like it from the outside. It’s not like anyone’s gonna open it up and check, right?
The Final Result
After all that work, I finally finished it! It looked… well, it looked okay. It definitely wasn’t as good as the real Patek Philippe, but it was recognizable. I was pretty proud of myself, to be honest. It was a fun little project, and I learned a lot about watches and craftsmanship.
- It was a great learning experience.
- I got to appreciate the detail and effort that goes into making these luxury watches.
- It’s not just about telling time, it’s art.
Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun. Plus, now I have a sort-of-replica of a super expensive watch. How cool is that?
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