Alright, so I’ve been itching to do something wild with my hands lately, and what’s crazier than trying to remake a Patek Philippe? Not just any Patek, mind you, but the Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Yeah, the one that’s basically dripping in diamonds and screams “I’m too expensive for you.” I’m not exactly rolling in cash, so buying a real one was out of the question. But remaking one? That sounded like a challenge I could sink my teeth into.
First things first, I started digging around. What did I find? Well there is some guys say they can sell you a pre-owned Patek Philippe at a “good” price. Yeah, right. Like I’d trust just anyone with that kind of money, you know what I mean? Then, there’s the usual online marketplace, promising deals and low prices. I spent hours looking at pictures, reading descriptions, basically becoming a knock-off expert on this specific watch model.
Then came the real fun. I started gathering materials. Now, obviously, I wasn’t using real diamonds or white gold. I had to get creative. I found some pretty convincing fake gemstones and some metal that, with a bit of work, could pass for the real deal. I’m telling you, the stuff you can find online these days is wild. It was like, I don’t know, I had a new world open to me. I had never realized that so many “different” things are out there.
Getting Down to Business
- Step one: Take apart a cheap watch I bought online. I needed the basic movement. Let me tell you, taking apart a watch is way harder than it looks. Tiny screws, tiny parts, it’s a miracle I didn’t lose half of them.
- Step two: Craft the watch case. This was a whole other beast. I used the metal I bought and, let me just say, my respect for watchmakers went through the roof. Shaping, polishing, making sure everything fit just right,it was a real pain but so satisfying when I finally got it to a point where it kinda resembled the real Gondolo.
- Step three: Setting the “diamonds.” This was tedious, but kind of relaxing in a weird way. Each “gem” had to be carefully placed to match the pattern on the real 7042/100G-010. It took forever, but the end result was pretty blingy, I gotta admit.
- Step four: Putting it all together. This was the moment of truth. Would it actually work? I carefully reassembled the watch, holding my breath as I wound it up. And guess what? It ticked! I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but it was my very own, handmade, knock-off Patek Philippe Gondolo.
So, there you have it. My crazy adventure in remaking a ridiculously expensive watch. It was a wild ride, full of challenges and frustrations, but also a ton of fun. Would I do it again? Maybe. Would I recommend it? Only if you’re as crazy as I am and have a lot of time on your hands. But hey, at least now I have a pretty cool conversation piece. And who knows, maybe I’ll try my hand at another model next. A Nautilus, perhaps? Just kidding… unless?
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