I saw a watch online the other day. It’s the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7041R-001. It looks really classy, you know? A real beauty, especially with that rose gold case. It is a pity that this watch is too expensive, so I wanted to give it a try and make my own.
I started looking up stuff about this watch. I found out it was made around 2020. Nice! A modern classic. I also learned it has this rectangular case. Very unique. And the movement, it’s a manual wind. That means I’m going to have to wind it myself, which is kind of cool, it’s like a little ritual, right?
So I started gathering my tools and materials. I don’t have real rose gold, obviously, that’s way out of my budget, but I found some pretty good-looking alternatives. I also got a small movement. I had to make a case myself, but it wasn’t too bad. I used some thin metal sheets and carefully bent them into the right shape, trying to match the pictures I found online. Let me tell you, getting those curves just right was a real pain!
- First, I worked on the case. That took a while, lots of trial and error.
- Next, I focused on the dial. I wanted it to look as close to the original as possible, so I spent hours painting it.
- Then came the hands. These were super tricky, they are so tiny!
- Finally, I put it all together. It took a lot of patience, especially getting the movement to fit snugly inside the case.
After a few days of work, it’s finally done! It’s not perfect, of course. It doesn’t have the same weight, and it’s definitely not made of the same high-quality materials as the original. But you know what? It looks pretty darn good! And the best part is, I made it myself. It feels good to create something with your own hands, even if it’s just a simple copy of a fancy watch. I wore it out the other day, and a buddy of mine actually asked me if it was a real Patek. Had a good laugh about that!
This whole thing taught me a lot about watchmaking. It’s way more complicated than it looks. All those tiny parts, the precision required… it’s insane. But it’s also super rewarding. Now, whenever I look at my watch, I don’t just see the time, I see the effort I put into it. It’s like a little reminder that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it, even if it’s just making your own version of a fancy watch.
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