Okay, so I saw this Patek Philippe Gondolo 7041R-001 watch online, and man, it looked amazing. I’ve always been into watches, but this one was special. The pictures made it look so classy, especially with that rose gold case. I thought, “Why not try to remake it?” I mean, I’m not a professional watchmaker or anything, but it seemed like a fun project.
First, I looked up everything I could find about this watch. I saw some listings for like $26,000. No way I could afford that! But it gave me a good idea of what I was aiming for. It’s called the Gondolo, reference number 7041R. It’s got this cool rectangular shape, which they call “tonneau” or “cushion-shaped.” I guess that’s a fancy way of saying it’s not just a plain rectangle.
I started gathering materials. For the case, I used some scrap metal I had lying around. It wasn’t rose gold, obviously, but I figured I could paint it later. Shaping the case was a real pain. I used some basic tools like a saw and a file, and let me tell you, it took forever. I messed up a few times, but eventually, I got something that looked kind of like the Gondolo case.
Making the Dial
- I printed out a picture of the Gondolo dial.
- Glued it on to some cardboard.
- Then I used a needle to make the little holes for the hour markers.
It wasn’t perfect, but it kind of looked like the real thing from a distance. For the hands, I used some thin pieces of wire. Bending them into the right shape was tricky. I tried to copy the style of the hands on the real 7041R. Again, not perfect, but not too shabby either.
The movement was the hardest part. I knew I couldn’t make a real watch movement, so I cheated a bit. I found an old quartz watch and took out the movement. It wasn’t as fancy as the Patek Philippe movement, but it would make the hands move, which was good enough for me. I had to adjust the case a bit to fit the quartz movement. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but I managed to squeeze it in there.
After I got the movement in, I painted the case with some rose gold-colored paint. It didn’t look exactly like real rose gold, but it gave it a similar vibe. Then I put on a cheap leather strap I found online. And there you have it, my homemade Patek Philippe Gondolo 7041R. It didn’t look exactly like the real thing, but I was pretty proud of it. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot about watches along the way. Maybe one day I’ll try to make a more accurate replica, but for now, I’m happy with my little creation.
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