Alright, so I got this idea to remake the Patek Philippe Gondolo, you know, the 7041R-001. That rose gold beauty from around 2016, yeah, that one. A real classy piece. I thought, why not give it a shot? It seemed like a fun project, and I wanted to see if I could actually pull it off.
First, I did some digging. I found out it’s an 18K rose gold case, manual wind, and a silver dial. Measurements? Roughly 30 by 33.8 mm. Pretty standard, but that rose gold is just something else, isn’t it? I started gathering materials, trying to find the right shade of rose gold was a pain, let me tell you. But eventually, I managed to get my hands on something that looked just right.
Next up was figuring out the movement. This watch uses the caliber 215 PS, small seconds, 18 jewels. Sounds fancy, right? I’m not a watchmaker, but I’ve tinkered with a few watches in my time. Replicating this movement was a whole other level, though. I spent hours, days even, just trying to get the small seconds to work correctly. It was frustrating, but I wasn’t about to give up.
- Sourcing the Rose Gold: This was a challenge. I needed the right hue and quality.
- Recreating the Movement: Caliber 215 PS, man, that’s intricate. Small seconds hand nearly drove me nuts.
- Assembling the Case: Getting everything to fit just right, especially with that curved case back.
After what felt like forever, I started assembling the case. The Gondolo has this unique, slightly curved case back, which was tricky to replicate. I had to make sure everything fit snugly. The dial, hands, the crystal, it all had to come together perfectly. This is where I really had to take my time, making sure every detail was spot on.
Putting It All Together
Finally, after weeks of work, it was time to put it all together. The feeling of seeing all the parts come together was incredible. I wound it up, and there it was, ticking away. It wasn’t perfect, mind you, but it was my version of the Gondolo 7041R-001, and I was damn proud of it.
Seeing it on my wrist, it looked pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. It’s not just a watch; it’s a piece of art, a symbol of, you know, luxurious timekeeping. It was a heck of a project, but totally worth it. And hey, if I can do it, maybe you can too. Just be prepared to get your hands dirty and your brain twisted, you know? It’s all part of the fun, isn’t it?