Man, today I want to share with you guys something I’ve been messing around with lately – trying to remake the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7041R-001. You know, the one you see on their official website. It’s a real beauty, but let’s be honest, the price tag is way out of my league. So, I thought, why not try to make my own version?
First off, I spent hours just staring at pictures of this watch online. I found some info saying it’s a “Rosgolduhr” with 108 diamonds. Seriously, 108! I even saw some ads talking about “Schnelle Lieferung” and “Sofortrabatt,” but even with discounts, it’s still crazy expensive. I mean, “34.726 €”? For a watch? No way I’m paying that. I also stumbled upon some websites talking about “Huge Discounts” and “Low Prices,” but still, the real deal is way too pricey.
So, I started gathering materials. I couldn’t afford real rose gold, obviously, so I went with a rose gold-colored alloy instead. It’s not the same, but it gives a similar vibe. For the diamonds, forget about it. I got some shiny crystals that look pretty good from afar. You won’t catch me counting 108 of those, though! I just placed them around the watch face where they’re supposed to be, trying to copy the original design as closely as I could.
The next step was the watch movement. This was the trickiest part. I found a cheap quartz movement online. It’s not as fancy as the real Patek Philippe movement, but it does the job. I had to modify the watch case a bit to fit the new movement. It was a lot of trial and error, I’ll tell you that. I messed up a couple of times, but eventually, I managed to make it work.
Then came the assembly. I carefully put everything together – the watch face, the hands, the movement, and the case. I even made a leather strap for it, just like the original. I’m not a professional, so it’s not perfect, but I’m pretty proud of how it turned out.
- I got the basic shape of the watch face down.
- I attached the crystal “diamonds” around the edge.
- I secured the quartz movement inside.
- Then I added the hands and put the back on the case.
- Finally, I attached the strap I made.
It took me a few weeks, working on it during my free time, but I finally finished it! It’s not a Patek Philippe, that’s for sure. But it’s my own little version of the Gondolo 7041R, and I think it looks pretty darn good. And you know what? I had a blast making it. It was a fun little project, and I learned a lot along the way. Plus, I saved a ton of money!
My DIY Gondolo
I took it out for a spin the other day, and I got a few compliments on it. People thought it was a real fancy watch! Of course, I told them the truth – that it’s a homemade replica. But hey, it’s a conversation starter, right? And it’s a reminder that you don’t always need to spend a fortune to have something nice. Sometimes, you can just make it yourself!