Got this wild idea to remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy. But I thought, why not give it a shot? First off, I tried to get my hands on a real one. Called up a few shops, even The Hour Glass in Singapore, but no luck. Long waiting lists and all that jazz. It is nearly impossible. It made me think, maybe I could just make one myself. Sounds nuts, right?
So, I started digging around. Looked up everything I could about the Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Found out it’s got this 18K white gold case, 31 x 34.8 mm, and a fold-over clasp with 55 diamonds. Fancy, huh? Even saw it’s going for big bucks in 2024, brand new with the original box and papers. I was like, wow, this is going to be tough.
Decided to break it down into parts. Figured I’d start with the case. White gold is expensive, so I looked for alternatives. Maybe some kind of alloy that looks similar? I spent days searching online, checking out different materials. Then moved on to the diamonds. Real ones? Too pricey. Thought about using those lab-grown ones or maybe even some high-quality cubic zirconia. They sparkle just the same, right?
- Gathered all the tools I could find. Some tiny screwdrivers, tweezers, a magnifying glass—the whole shebang. Felt like a real watchmaker, even though I had no clue what I was doing.
- Started putting it together. Man, it was hard. Those tiny parts are a pain to work with. Dropped a few screws, almost lost a couple of diamonds (or diamond substitutes, haha). But I kept at it.
After weeks of tinkering, messed up a few times, but finally, I had something that looked like a watch. It wasn’t perfect, not even close to the real Gondolo 7042/100G-010, but it was mine. I wore it around, and you know what? People actually noticed. Got a few compliments, even. They thought it was real! Can you believe it?
The Final Stretch
So, yeah, that’s my story. Took a crazy idea and turned it into something real. It wasn’t easy, and it definitely wasn’t perfect. But I learned a ton along the way. And hey, I ended up with a pretty cool watch that didn’t break the bank. If you ever get a wild idea, go for it. You never know what you might end up with. That is all.
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