Okay, let’s talk about this little project I recently finished – remaking the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7041R-001, that rose gold beauty. This wasn’t a simple job, but who doesn’t love a good challenge, right?
So, I started by gathering a bunch of information about this watch. I found out it’s got a cushion-shaped case made of 18k rose gold. Fancy stuff. And it’s not just plain gold, it’s decked out with 108 diamonds around the dial, about 0.31 carats. This was going to be interesting.
I dug deeper and learned that the movement inside this watch is a manual wind, caliber 215 PS. This thing beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. It’s a tiny beast. And it’s got 18 jewels. I made sure to get all these specs right, because you can’t just throw any movement in there and call it a day.
Next, I got my hands on the materials. The 18k rose gold wasn’t easy to come by, but I managed to source it. Then came the diamonds. Finding 108 small diamonds that were just the right size and quality was a real pain, but after a lot of searching, I found them. And I got a similar looking dial and strap to put in.
I started crafting the case. Shaping the rose gold into that cushion shape was tricky. It’s not something you see every day, so I had to be extra careful. I spent hours just getting the shape right. Then, setting those tiny diamonds around the dial? Don’t even get me started. It was tedious work, but I took my time and made sure each one was perfectly placed.
For the movement, I disassembled an old watch with a similar movement, a manual wind, and started tweaking it. Getting it to match the 215 PS caliber was a whole other story. I adjusted the beat rate, added some jewels to match the original 18, and spent days just fine-tuning it. It was like building a tiny engine from scratch.
- Crafted the cushion-shaped case from 18k rose gold.
- Set 108 diamonds around the dial.
- Modified a manual wind movement to match the 215 PS caliber.
- Assembled all the parts to complete the watch.
After all that work, I finally assembled the whole thing. Putting the dial, hands, and strap together with the movement and case was like the final piece of the puzzle. And when I wound it up and saw it ticking, it was such a satisfying moment.
This remake of the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7041R-001 was a challenging but rewarding project. It’s not every day you get to recreate such a luxurious and intricate timepiece. I’m pretty proud of how it turned out, and it’s definitely a unique addition to my collection.
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