DIY watch modifications

[dustybottoms]

Hi All,

Apologies if this has been asked before.

As my watch collection and watch interest grows I have been considering buying a modded Seiko from the likes of Yobokies. From looking in to all the options and modifications available, I then started thinking that I could buy a 6309 or a 7s26 movement and case and modify the hands and dial myself.
I understand that this may not be the most cost effective way to go, but it would give me a certain amount of satisfaction to know that it was I who put it together and that I'd learned new skills. It would also offer me the chance to change the look of the watch as and when my tastes changed.

I know there are a some guys on this forum who do this and was wondering what advice you could offer regards to online tutorials, tools required, and trusted web sites that you have used that sell the watch parts and tools I would need.

Also any advice of where best to get a suitable donor watch and what specification offered a good compromise of costs, choice of parts availability and minimal complexity for a learner would be useful, if such a thing exists?

My current thinking is to buy a donor watch from somewhere like ebay or even Alpha and have a play. But from my limited reading I am concerned about compatability of dials, hands etc with specific movements, is modding a watch like building a PC I.E. certain components only work with other specific components (beyond the obvious fact that a dial and hand set need to be of a size to fit within a chosen watch case etc).

I feel I have the interest to learn but must admit the idea that I could actually do this all feels very ambitious to me at the moment. I was hoping that someone could post some real experience that removed the current feelings that this is a black art and best left to the professionals.

Thanks for any advice offered.

[Doug86]

I was thinking the very same thing!

I was hoping to buy an Alpha GMT:
http://www.alpha-watch.com/details.php?myid=395

And wanted to mod it with a sterile dial.

How hard/expensive would this be?

[andy tims]

Can't help with the how, but Yobokies will sell you lots of bits for Seiko modding.

[ShadownINja]

Yes, different sets of hands fit different movements. I would get a broken old watch and practice taking the movement out and putting it back in. Then practice removing the hands and putting them back on. The practice removing the dial and putting it back on. So many opportunities to ruin a watch - bent hands, scratched dials, snapped or bent crown stems, snapped dial legs... the possibilities for punching your fist through the wall are endless (if you've replied to the anger thread, then best off leaving the task to the pros). Remember, there's a tool for every job, and that tool is available for a reason... eg you use a different end of the hand tool to put each hand on... use the wrong end and you'll bend the hand... and it is impossible to straighten it perfectly afterwards. I speak from experience.

Edited by ShadownINja on Sunday 7th March 12:41

[dustybottoms]

andy tims said:

Can't help with the how, but Yobokies will sell you lots of bits for Seiko modding.

Thanks Andy, it was exactly that and the wide choice of dial, hand and bezel components that got me thinking this way. Maybe Yobokies is exactly the parts supplier I should be using if I can gain the skills to do the building aspects.

[dustybottoms]

Thanks shadowninja, it is that level of complexity I was expecting and think you are right about learning the tools and techniques on a broken watch first.

[pokethepope]

Has Yobokies got a website or forum post listing all his items? All I can find are pictures of his completed watches.

[ShadownINja]

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/yobokies/?...

As I understand it, you contact him via one of the watch forums. It's not ideal, I suppose.

[Pesty]

for places to buy tools I have used cousins before and had good service they sell just about anything you could need.
web site is a bit of a pain to navigate though

http://www.cousinsuk.com/


also this place is very good. german site but in english delivery proces reasonable.

http://www.watch-tool.de/

[sneijder]

If you also like digitals, you can mess around too :

http://mygshock.com/wiki/How_to_convert_a_plain_DW...

These chaps : http://www.3dlens.com/shop/4-inch-lcd-polarizer.ph... were the best I found for the film.

[Pesty]

sneijder said:

If you also like digitals, you can mess around too :

http://mygshock.com/wiki/How_to_convert_a_plain_DW...

These chaps : http://www.3dlens.com/shop/4-inch-lcd-polarizer.ph... were the best I found for the film.

Thats great

looks on ebay for a digital watch to mod

[dustybottoms]

Thanks all, some good links posted. I think I will invest in some tools and look to practice on a cheap broken watch I have and take it from there.

[Bad-Gerbil]

Please stop this mod-ing thing!
I've only just got over my seduction into the dark world of Hi-Fi mod-ing (fiddling around with the output caps on my
Valab DAC).
I don't want my recently ordered Seiko 5 Military to go the same way as my DAC! If you're interested, the DAC sounds
wonderful, but not everything fits back into the casing!
BG