Alright, folks, let me tell you about my little project: I tried to remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo 4962/200R-001. Yeah, you heard that right, that super fancy, super expensive watch. Now, I’m no master watchmaker, but I’ve always been pretty handy, and I figured, why not give it a shot?
First thing I did was stare at a bunch of pictures online. I mean, I really looked at them. For hours. I found some info saying stuff like “18k rose gold” and “28.6 x 40.85 mm case.” I started gathering materials. I didn’t exactly use 18k rose gold – let’s be real, I’m on a budget here. But I did find some rose gold-colored metal that looked pretty decent. For the strap, I got some brown leather, similar to what I saw in the pictures.
The First Try
My first attempt was… well, let’s just say it was a learning experience. I tried to mold the metal into that curved shape of the original case. It did not go well. I ended up with something that looked more like a squashed soda can than a luxury watch case. The leather strap was easier to work with, but attaching it to my mangled “case” was another story. I won’t bore you with the details, but there was a lot of cursing involved.
Back to the Drawing Board
After that disaster, I went back to studying those online pictures. I realized I needed a better plan for shaping the case. This time, instead of trying to do it all by hand, I made a mold. I found this thing at the craft store that worked pretty well. With the mold, I managed to get the metal into a much better shape. It still wasn’t perfect, but it was a huge improvement from my first try.
- Round 1: Squashed soda can.
- Round 2: Mold and a lot of patience.
The Details
Now, the real Gondolo has this beautiful, intricate dial. I knew I couldn’t replicate that exactly, but I wanted to do something that at least looked kinda similar. I used some watch hands and a face from an old watch I had lying around, and tried to modify them to get closer to the look I was going for. This part actually turned out to be pretty fun. It was like putting together a tiny puzzle.
Putting everything together was tricky. The original has some water resistence of “3 ATM.” There was no way I was gonna be able to do that. My watch is definitely not waterproof. But, after a lot of fiddling and a few more choice words, I finally had something that resembled a watch. It wasn’t a Patek Philippe, but it was mine.
The Final Result
So, did I successfully remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo? No, not really. But did I learn a ton about watchmaking and have a pretty good time doing it? Absolutely. My watch is rough around the edges, and it definitely won’t be fooling any collectors, but I’m still proud of it. It’s a reminder that you can try anything if you put your mind to it, even if the results are a little… wonky. I mean I made a watch for crying out loud.
Would I do it again? Maybe. But next time, I might start with something a little less ambitious. Or at least buy a better-quality soda can for the first attempt.