Alright, so, the other day, I got this wild idea to try and remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy, but I’ve always been a bit of a tinkerer, and this watch, the 7042/100G-010, it’s just beautiful. I mean, it’s the classic style, you know? The one with the white gold and all those diamonds.
First, I spent a good chunk of time just staring at pictures of the watch online, even find some info about that name is from a retailer in Rio de Janeiro, Gondolo & Labouriau. I zoomed in, studied every curve, every little detail. I even dug up some info about how it’s made – white gold case, baguette diamonds on the bezel and lugs, that kind of stuff. It’s a manually-winding mechanical watch, which is pretty cool.
Then, I started gathering my materials. Now, I’m not using real white gold or diamonds, obviously. I found some decent substitutes, though. I ordered a bunch of tiny, sparkly things online and picked up some metal sheets from the local craft store.
- Modeled it on my computer first.
- Cut the metal for the case, which, let me tell you, was harder than it looked.
- Carefully bent the metal into shape, trying my best to get that rectangular Gondolo look.
- Glued on those sparkly bits. I even found some tiny gears and things at a flea market to put inside.
It took forever, and there were definitely a few mishaps along the way. I might have burned myself with the soldering iron once or twice, and let’s just say there was a lot of glue involved. But, eventually, I had something that actually resembled the watch.
Did it look exactly like the real Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010?
Of course not! But it was close enough for me, and I was pretty proud of myself for even getting that far. Plus, it was a ton of fun, even with the frustrations. It’s not about having a perfect replica, it’s about the process, the challenge, and the satisfaction of creating something with your own hands, isn’t it?
I wear my little homemade Gondolo all the time now. It doesn’t tell time, but it makes me smile every time I look at it. It’s a reminder that even the craziest ideas can be worth pursuing, and that sometimes, the journey is more important than the destination.
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