Okay, so, I got this wild idea the other day. I was looking at this Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010, right? Beautiful watch, rose gold, diamonds, the whole nine yards. And I thought, “Why not try to make one myself?” I mean, how hard could it be?
First, I started by gathering all the stuff I thought I’d need. I got my hands on some rose gold-colored metal, not real gold, of course, but something that looked close enough. Then came the “diamonds”. Let me tell you, finding 251 tiny, shiny things that look like diamonds but don’t cost a fortune is a challenge! I ended up using some sparkly beads, the kind you use for crafts. They had a decent shine, so I figured they’d do the trick.
The watch movement was a whole other story. I snagged a cheap watch from a local store and carefully took it apart. That’s when the real fun began. Trying to fit that tiny mechanism into my homemade case was like trying to put a puzzle together in the dark. I bent a few pieces, dropped a screw or two (or maybe ten), and cursed a lot, but eventually, I managed to squeeze it in there.
Now, for those 12 trapeze-cut “diamond” hour markers, I used the same sparkly beads, just bigger ones. I glued them onto the dial, which, by the way, I made from a thin piece of metal I painted to match the rose gold color. I even found a tiny, shiny button to use as the crown, and I stuck a single, slightly bigger bead on it for that Akoya pearl look.
- I started with a rough design, just a sketch on a napkin, really.
- Then I gathered my materials, mostly cheap stuff from around the house and craft stores.
- I spent hours tinkering, cutting, gluing, and praying that it wouldn’t all fall apart.
- There were a few hiccups, like when I almost glued my fingers together.
- But in the end, after a lot of sweat and maybe a few tears, I had something that resembled a watch.
The Final Result
The moment of truth. I wound it up, and guess what? It ticked! It actually worked! Sure, it’s not perfect. It doesn’t have that fancy “Caliber 215” movement, and the diamonds are definitely not real. But, it tells time, and honestly, it looks pretty cool on my wrist. It’s got that Gondolo vibe, you know? It’s my own little piece of “luxury,” and I made it with my own two hands. Plus I did name it “Gondolo & Labouriau” for fun.
So, yeah, that’s my story of remaking a Patek Philippe. It was a wild ride, but I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. It’s a reminder that you don’t need a ton of money to have something special. Sometimes, all you need is a little creativity and a whole lot of patience.
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