Okay, so I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, and I finally got around to remaking the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010, specifically for the specialty stores. It’s a pretty fancy watch, you know, with all those diamonds and the rose gold. I saw the real one once, and it was just stunning, but the price tag? Way out of my league! I think it’s over 250 grand or something crazy like that. That is too expensive, and I can’t afford it!
First thing I did was to take a bunch of pictures of the original watch. I got loads of details, especially of the dial and the case, ’cause that’s where all the intricate work is. I need to take notes of these important details to ensure I don’t miss a thing.
Then, I started working on the 3D model. This took a while, honestly. Getting the shape of the Gondolo right was tricky since it’s not just a regular round watch. It’s more of a cushion shape. I spent hours, maybe even days, just tweaking the curves to make it look perfect. I really put in a lot of effort here.
- Modeling the Case: I used a bunch of reference images to get the dimensions right. The original is 31mm by 34.8mm, and it’s 18k rose gold. I tried to replicate that warm, luxurious look in my model.
- Setting the Diamonds: This was the most tedious part. I had to individually place each diamond along the bezel and the lugs. The original has those baguette diamonds, so I made sure mine looked just as sparkly. I can tell you it wasn’t easy placing each diamond individually, but I was determined to have it done.
- Creating the Dial: The dial on the 7042/100R-010 is diamond-paved, which means it’s completely covered in diamonds. I had to make sure the pattern looked right and that the diamonds were evenly spaced. It’s supposed to look super clean and uniform, you know? Just like the real one, I was meticulous in creating the dial.
- Adding the Movement: Even though you can’t see the movement in this model, I still wanted to include it. The real one has a hand-wound caliber 215 PS. I didn’t model the whole thing, but I added enough detail to make it look like there’s a movement inside. I like the details, so I added them in!
After finishing the 3D model, I started working on the materials and textures. This is where the watch really started to come to life. It was challenging, but also really fun. I played around with different settings to get the rose gold to shine just right and to make the diamonds sparkle like crazy.
Rendering and Final Touches
Once everything was modeled and textured, I set up my scene for rendering. I chose a nice, simple background to keep the focus on the watch. I experimented with different lighting setups to highlight the diamonds and the rose gold. The final render took a few hours, but it was worth the wait! I think it turned out pretty awesome, and I’m really happy with how it looks. The final rendering is always exciting, and this was no exception.
I even did a little comparison with the original, just to see how close I got. I noticed a few tiny differences, but overall, I think I nailed it. It’s not perfect, but I’m pretty proud of it. It was a lot of hard work, but I think it paid off. I learned a lot from this project, and I’m excited to do more like it in the future. It’s always fulfilling to see a project through from start to finish. And I think it is a nice job!
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