Okay, guys, so today I want to share with you something I’ve been working on. It’s a remake of the Patek Philippe Gondolo, reference 7041R-001. You know, that classy rose gold, manual wind wristwatch from around 2016.
First off, I got my hands on the original plans. That is the key point, I must make sure I have all the same things. Luckily, I have a friend who works at a watch store, and he helped me to find it. I was really happy at that moment.
Then, I started gathering the materials. I needed some decent rose gold, and I found a supplier online. Man, that stuff’s not cheap! I also needed to source the movement parts. This watch has a Caliber 215 PS, small seconds, and 18 jewels, so I really need to find these same things. I spent hours, no, days, searching online, comparing parts, and reading forums.
- The case, I worked on shaping it. This Gondolo has a rectangular case, and getting those curves right was a real pain. I used a small hammer and some other tools to work the gold. It was slow going, but I didn’t want to rush it and mess it up.
- Next, the movement. I assembled it piece by piece, following the original schematics as closely as possible. Each tiny screw and gear had to be just right.
- Let me tell you, my eyes were crossing by the end of it! But finally, it is done.
After that, I put the whole thing together. The movement went into the case, then I attached the dial and the hands. I found a nice leather strap online that looked pretty close to the original, and popped that on. I had to make some adjustments here and there, of course. It took some doing, but I finally managed to get it working.
Result
And you know what? It actually worked! It’s keeping time pretty well, and it looks darn good if I do say so myself. It’s not perfect, mind you. There are a few tiny differences here and there, but overall, I’m really happy with how it turned out. This whole thing was a big experiment, to see if I could actually do it. Now I think maybe I can remake another model next time.
I’m not saying I’m some kind of expert watchmaker now or anything. But it was a fun project, and I learned a lot. And hey, now I have a pretty cool watch that I made myself. Can’t beat that, right? That’s it, I just want to share this funny experience with you guys. Maybe some of you can try it too.
Click to consult