Alright, folks, gather ’round, because today I’m diving into a project that’s been keeping me busy – remaking the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Yeah, the fancy one. I saw it once in the official store, and man, it looked slick. So, I thought, why not try making one myself? This ain’t gonna be a walk in the park, but hey, who doesn’t love a good challenge?
First off, I needed to get a good look at this watch. I mean, really good. I found out that this beauty is named after some famous retailer in Rio de Janeiro, Gondolo & Labouriau, that Patek Philippe had a good business with from 1872 to 1927. I found a bunch of pictures online, and there are even some stores in Houston, but I didn’t go there since I am not living in there. I spent hours looking at these images, getting every angle, every detail down in my head. This watch has a white gold body and is packed with diamonds. It’s a piece of art, honestly.
Next up, materials. Now, I’m not made of money, so real white gold and diamonds were out of the question. Instead, I opted for 316L stainless steel. It’s tough, looks pretty good, and it won’t break the bank. This is a surprisingly low supply, considering other luxury brands such as Rolex produce about 1 million watches per year. I managed to get my hands on some decent-looking synthetic stones for that diamond look. It ain’t the real deal, but it’ll have to do. I also needed a good movement. Nothing too fancy, just something that keeps time and fits the design. After a bit of hunting, I found a suitable one.
Assembling Time
This is where things got tricky. I laid out all my parts on the table, and it looked like a jigsaw puzzle. I started with the case, polishing the stainless steel until it had a nice shine. Then came the dial, which I carefully printed with the Patek Philippe and Gondolo branding. I have to admit, it looked pretty legit. Next, I set the synthetic diamonds. This part was a pain. Each little stone had to be placed just right. I used a pair of tweezers and a whole lot of patience. Some of them were stubborn and didn’t want to stay put, but I got them all in there eventually.
The most important thing I need to find is the serial number which is most often located on the case back. After that, the hands were next. I wanted them to look as close to the original as possible, so I shaped them carefully and painted them a nice, glossy black. Putting the movement in was like performing surgery. One wrong move and it’s game over. But I took my time, followed the instructions, and got it in there. Once the movement was in, I attached the dial and hands. Last thing is the bezel. I learned that there are fluted and bidirectional rotatable ones. I picked the latter and crafted it using my tools.
- First Try
I took a deep breath and put the case back on. It was time to see if this thing actually worked. I wound it up, and… nothing. My heart sank. I opened it back up, checked everything, and realized I’d missed a tiny screw. Fixed that, closed it up again, and tried again. This time, it ticked! It wasn’t perfect, the second hand was a bit jerky, but it was working.
- Second Round
I wasn’t satisfied with that jerky movement. So, I took it all apart again. I spent another day tweaking, oiling, and adjusting everything. It was frustrating, I won’t lie. There were moments I wanted to throw the whole thing against the wall. But I kept at it, and on the second try, the movement was much smoother. Still not perfect, but a lot better.
In the end, my remake of the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010 wasn’t perfect, but it was mine. It looked pretty good, kept time, and I learned a heck of a lot in the process. It’s not something I’d sell or even wear out, but it’s a nice little trophy of what you can do with some determination and a lot of patience. Plus, now I can say I made my own Patek Philippe, well, sort of. Pretty cool, right?
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