Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo 4962/200R-001 for a while now. This watch, it’s just so classy, you know? I mean, it’s called “Gondolo Serata,” which sounds super fancy, and it looks it, too. Anyway, I finally got around to doing it, and I thought I’d share how it went.
First, I looked up everything I could about this watch. It’s a 28mm rose gold case, pretty small, with a brown strap and a brown dial that has this floral design on it. Really unique. And it’s got these Arabic numbers for the hours, which is a nice touch. I found out that this model is actually a re-release, so it’s got that timeless elegance thing going on, but it’s also part of their current collection.
Now, the tricky part. I needed to make sure I got everything right. I read somewhere that the real Patek Philippe watches have this really crisp printing on them, and it’s all spaced out evenly. No misspellings, obviously. Also, they don’t show off the tourbillon or balance wheels on the dial unless it’s a special skeletonized model, which this one isn’t. And they only use sapphire crystals, which is important.
I also dug into this whole serial number thing. Apparently, there are these reference numbers and serial numbers that tell you everything about the watch. The reference number is like xxxx/xxxxX-xxx, but people usually just talk about the first four digits. The serial number is engraved on the case back and the movement, and it tells you the model, collection, and when it was made. I made a mental note of all of that.
- Started with the case. I found a rose gold case that was the right size, 28mm. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you.
- Then, the dial. This was tough. I had to recreate that floral pattern, and it had to be perfect. I spent hours on this, and I think I got it pretty close.
- The numbers, I printed them out, real crisp, and made sure they were spaced just right.
- The strap, I managed to find a brown leather one that looked pretty similar to the original.
- For the crystal, I used sapphire, of course. No cutting corners there.
- And then, the engraving. I engraved a fake serial number on the back, just for the look of it.
After putting it all together, I have to say, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s not a real Patek Philippe, obviously, but it looks really good. I wore it out the other day, and I got a few compliments on it. People were asking if it was the real deal! I just smiled and said, “It’s a tribute.”
So yeah, that’s my story of remaking the Patek Philippe Gondolo 4962/200R-001. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot along the way. Maybe I’ll try another model next. Who knows?
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