So, I got this idea the other day. I was looking at some fancy watches online, as one does, and I came across this Patek Philippe Gondolo 4962/200R-001. Man, that thing is a beauty! It’s got this Art Deco vibe, you know? But the price tag? Forget about it! Way out of my league. Then it hit me: Why not try to remake it?
I started by looking up this Gondolo thing. Turns out, it’s got a fancy name that makes you think of some old building or something, the Gondolo & Labouriau. It’s a pretty big deal in the watch world, and people are all about it.
I dug around a little more, and it turns out this 4962 model is making a comeback. So, it’s like, new but old, which is kinda cool. I’m not a watch expert, but I can appreciate a good-looking piece, and this one’s definitely got the looks.
First, I needed to find some good pictures of the watch. Scoured the internet, found some decent ones, especially on some watch-selling sites where they have all these detailed pictures. Saved a bunch to my computer, zoomed in, took notes on all the little details.
- The Case: It’s this curved, rose gold thing. I found a similar-shaped case online, not the real deal, of course, but close enough. It’s also 18k rose gold, I guess it is the most important factor.
- The Jewels: This was the tricky part. The original has all these diamonds around the edge, which is part of what makes it so fancy. I found some rhinestones that looked pretty close, same size and everything. It’s not the original diamonds, but it could work out, just for fun.
- The Dial: The face of the watch is white, with these neat-looking numbers. I thought about maybe printing out a similar design and sticking it on.
- The Strap: The original has a brown leather strap. I had an old watch with a similar strap, so I figured I could just use that.
Putting it all together was a bit of a mess, not gonna lie. Gluing those little rhinestones was a pain! And getting the dial to look right took some trial and error. I used some tweezers, some glue, and a whole lot of patience.
The Final Product
It’s not perfect, obviously. It’s not a real Patek Philippe, and it doesn’t fool anyone, but it’s kinda cool in its own way. It’s got that same general shape and style. It was a fun little project, and I learned a bit about watches along the way. Plus, now I have a kinda-sorta Gondolo watch without breaking the bank! Maybe one day I’ll get the real deal, but for now, this little homemade version will do just fine.
I showed it to my buddy who’s really into watches, and he just laughed. But then he said it wasn’t half bad for a DIY job. I took that as a win.
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