Is anyone into "building" watches?

woof woof

woof woof

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I thought I'd give it a go and I'm very happy with this.

1-DSC00368.jpg

For those who haven't done this... You don't need to assemble the watch movement, you can buy that complete and that was good for me as these days my eyesight wouldn't be up to assembling a movement. What I got was a movement (NH38), case, dial, hands and strap. The fiddliest bits were fitting the hands and to a much lesser extent cutting the crown stem to size. I thought I'd give it a go as I wanted a watch that looked like this and I've always had an interest in clocks and watches and used to fiddle with clocks when I was a kid.

I just wondered if anyone else is into this. I did like selecting the bits and assembling it but TBH it wasn't really a challenge and was quite straight forward really so I'm not sure I'll do it again. It was nice to do once though. I suppose the interest could come from selecting the parts and possibly ending up with something pretty unique for yourself or maybe some could just enjoy the build.

If anyone has done this or maybe gone further and done more than just fit a movement to the other bits it'd be nice to see your creations and read how you got on :D

If anyone hasn't done this but is tempted one thing I would recommend is going for a good quality magnifier of some sort. I went for a cheap head mounted one (£6.69) but it was almost more trouble than it was worth as it kept slipping down.
 
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A mate of mine does it and has built several. He mainly uses Steeldive cases IIRC. He has built me one in a bronze case with a Seiko automatic movement. Artificially aged (by me) using liver of sulphur.

I'd like to do it but haven't got the required deftness of touch or sense of feeling in my fingertips these days!
 
I like the idea of aging the case. I think that would add to the uniqueness and give more interest in the process. I am glad I did it but it was all a bit too easy and straightforward and I think I expected more of a challenge. I'm not sure I'll do it again but if I do I think I'd go for something more unique and personalised and perhaps with a manual rather than automatic movement.

Just for fun and because I haven't totted the costs up yet.

Parts.
Movement, Seiko NH38 automatic £43.99.
Case £15.59.
Dial £12.39.
Hands £4.81.
Strap £9.89.
Total for parts £86.67

Tools and odds and ends.
Watch movement holder £2.11.
O ring lubricator £1.72.
Ball case opener £1.73.
Pack of finger protectors £0.95.
8 piece kit including hand pushers, pad, rodico, brush etc £5.72.
Magnifier glasses £6.69.
6" digital caliper £7.41.
Total for tools and odds and ends £26.33.

Total cost for all parts and everything else £113.00.

Everything was bought from Aliexpress apart from the watch strap which I bought from Amazon UK.

You can buy a complete watch with a Seiko automatic movement for much less than I spent on the parts for example I bought one very similar to the one I built but with a bezel for £28.46 (that's a third of what I paid for parts and less than the price I paid for the movement alone) so the makers must be getting the parts at quite a discount.

There are a lot of smaller watch brands which basically do what I did and sell you a completed watch and you can get a nice one built in the UK for anything from £300 or £400 and up. Given that I paid £86.67 for the parts I think £400 or so is reasonable as they're employing people and paying utility bills etc. I really like the style and colour of some of these watches so something like this could be a possibility, just a classic design and soft tasteful colours...

The Cambridge Watch Company | Modern British Watch Design | Beaucroft

Beaucroft is a British watch brand from Cambridge UK. We specialise in classic mechanical watches with modern watch design features and mechanical movements. Our Cambridge watches are gender neutral and are attractive to a broad audience. We are introducing a new generation to the beauty of...
beaucroftwatches.com beaucroftwatches.com

Anyway. I hope this has been interesting for anyone who has viewed and maybe it'll prompt someone to have a go. It really isn't difficult.
 
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Very nice Richard. Well done.

I used rodico and once the hand was in place I used a push tool. The second had was by far the most fiddly.
 
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leaky5 said:
Yeah. Tiny bit of Rodico on a hand setting tool, then lift the second hand with that and place on the spine
Click to expand...

Hand setting tool?

Is this like a mini press or what I called the hand push tool or something else? The hand push tool I used is just like a pen with a "nib" with a hole in it.

I just dabbed the Rodico on the hand to pick it up and placed it by hand like that. I then used the push tool to press the hand home.

Hand push tool...

1-Untitled-1.jpg
 
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woof woof said:
Hand setting tool?

Is this like a mini press or what I called the hand push tool or something else? The hand push tool I used one the hand was in place is just like a pen with a "nib" with a hole in it.

I just dabbed the Rodico on the hand to pick it up and placed it like that.

Hand push tool...

www.aliexpress.com

7404 Double Head Watch Hand Pressers Pusher Setting Fitting Hand Pressing Tool Stainless Steel Watchmaker Repair Tool tools

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com www.aliexpress.com
Click to expand...
Yes just the pen like tool with the hole in the nib
 
leaky5 said:
Yes just the pen like tool with the hole in the nib
Click to expand...

Ah.

I never thought of putting Rodico on the tool and positioning the hand like that. I missed that one :D Good idea!
 
leaky5 said:
I have done various bits, from modding to full builds.
Wearing my most used Steeldive today. Just hands and bezel insert changed.

I have ruined mostly second hands, but now know the trick for them.

https://flic.kr/p/2rkeY48
View: https://flic.kr/p/2rkeY48
Click to expand...


a couple of mine - but originals

6105_8110 and 6105_8009

I have quite a few old Seiko's

TP_6105_2.jpg


TP_6105_3.jpg
 
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It was the idea of an affordable "Captain Willard" that got my mate into self building.
 
As they used to say on Blue Peter, "Here's one I made earlier"! Now I have all the gear, all the idea but shakey hands and poor close up eyesight!!!!! Quick phone pic, so apologies in advance! Valjoux 7750 movement which gives your wrist a jolt as the winding mech swings, satisfyingly!

My Watch.jpg
 
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That is nice Mike.

Does it function as a chronograph?

I ask because some don't. I have a two sub dial chronograph but not a three dial. I did buy one but when it arrived it was fake in two ways. Firstly it carried a famous name whilst the image on the sale page did not and secondly the sub dials did not function as they should and we're basically decoration.
 
woof woof said:
That is nice Mike.

Does it function as a chronograph?

I ask because some don't. I have a two sub dial chronograph but not a three dial. I did buy one but when it arrived it was fake in two ways. Firstly it carried a famous name whilst the image on the sale page did not and secondly the sub dials did not function as they should and we're basically decoration.
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Everything functions. I hardly ever use them but they all work! :)
 
woof woof said:
I thought I'd give it a go and I'm very happy with this.

View attachment 459363

For those who haven't done this... You don't need to assemble the watch movement, you can buy that complete and that was good for me as these days my eyesight wouldn't be up to assembling a movement. What I got was a movement (NH38), case, dial, hands and strap. The fiddliest bits were fitting the hands and to a much lesser extent cutting the crown stem to size. I thought I'd give it a go as I wanted a watch that looked like this and I've always had an interest in clocks and watches and used to fiddle with clocks when I was a kid.

I just wondered if anyone else is into this. I did like selecting the bits and assembling it but TBH it wasn't really a challenge and was quite straight forward really so I'm not sure I'll do it again. It was nice to do once though. I suppose the interest could come from selecting the parts and possibly ending up with something pretty unique for yourself or maybe some could just enjoy the build.

If anyone has done this or maybe gone further and done more than just fit a movement to the other bits it'd be nice to see your creations and read how you got on :D

If anyone hasn't done this but is tempted one thing I would recommend is going for a good quality magnifier of some sort. I went for a cheap head mounted one (£6.69) but it was almost more trouble than it was worth as it kept slipping down.
Click to expand...
I like the idea of this as I like watches of around 36-38mm case size with baton hands and indices and no date complication,but you just can't get new ones. I watch a few of the watch repair channels, Mike off ' My Retro Watches' being my favourite. Too nervous about doing it myself though.
 
JackBell said:
I like the idea of this as I like watches of around 36-38mm case size with baton hands and indices and no date complication,but you just can't get new ones. I watch a few of the watch repair channels, Mike off ' My Retro Watches' being my favourite. Too nervous about doing it myself though.
Click to expand...

I like watches without dates and there are quite a few on AliExpress. I've always liked mechanical watches and started buying cheap ones as I didn't want to damage my Swiss watches when working or wear them in the less good parts of town. A collection of two cheap ones soon grew and I thought it would be nice to have 7 so I could wear a different one every day for a week but 7 became over 20 :D

As for doing it yourself, it really isn't hard. I managed no problem at the first attempt. The only thing is that as you can see from the prices above doing it yourself can be more expensive than buying a complete watch. Good luck if you do give it a go.
 
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I have just popped some parts up in the classifieds, pretty much the complete parts to build a watch, if anyone is interested.
 
woof woof said:
I thought I'd give it a go and I'm very happy with this.

View attachment 459363

For those who haven't done this... You don't need to assemble the watch movement, you can buy that complete and that was good for me as these days my eyesight wouldn't be up to assembling a movement. What I got was a movement (NH38), case, dial, hands and strap. The fiddliest bits were fitting the hands and to a much lesser extent cutting the crown stem to size. I thought I'd give it a go as I wanted a watch that looked like this and I've always had an interest in clocks and watches and used to fiddle with clocks when I was a kid.

I just wondered if anyone else is into this. I did like selecting the bits and assembling it but TBH it wasn't really a challenge and was quite straight forward really so I'm not sure I'll do it again. It was nice to do once though. I suppose the interest could come from selecting the parts and possibly ending up with something pretty unique for yourself or maybe some could just enjoy the build.

If anyone has done this or maybe gone further and done more than just fit a movement to the other bits it'd be nice to see your creations and read how you got on :D

If anyone hasn't done this but is tempted one thing I would recommend is going for a good quality magnifier of some sort. I went for a cheap head mounted one (£6.69) but it was almost more trouble than it was worth as it kept slipping down.
Click to expand...
Looks great!

I'm getting into this, it's been a journey. I've inherited my love of watches from my Dad's side of the family. I've found I prefer wearing unbranded stuff including watches. It's amazing what is possible to assemble with a few tools and some careful purchases from Aliexpress. My most recent addition is a brand-free AP Royal Oak homage (assembled by someone else) for less than 200 including shipping and taxes, that's 0.5% the price of the branded one, if they approve you to buy it (doh!). I'm about to order a few parts and try myself.
 
Good luck with your build. I hope it all goes well and I'm sure it will as this isn't really hard and anyone interested should have the confidence to give it a try and if anyone finds that their hands or eyesight aren't quite up to it maybe a friend or family member could help them out with the fiddliest bits.

The watch in the op is a homage to a 1950's Omega Railmaster. I like the look and as it was meant for railway and electrical workers it appealed to me. I did briefly think about buying an original but the thought of spending thousands on a 70 year old watch didn't really appeal to me and as I couldn't find a mechanical homage without a date I thought I'd give this a go and TBH this DIY one is good enough for me.

I don't know if I'll be doing this again as for many years I fixed computer kit and wider electronics and since I retired the joy of fixing things seems to have mostly left me and sadly I find it hard to motivate myself to fix or build anything now as it seems more like a process leading to a finished thing rather than something to be done for enjoyment. Never say never though and if I see of think of something I'd like at least I know now that my hands and eyesight are still up to it.
 
woof woof said:
Good luck with your build. I hope it all goes well and I'm sure it will as this isn't really hard and anyone interested should have the confidence to give it a try and if anyone finds that their hands or eyesight aren't quite up to it maybe a friend or family member could help them out with the fiddliest bits.

The watch in the op is a homage to a 1950's Omega Railmaster. I like the look and as it was meant for railway and electrical workers it appealed to me. I did briefly think about buying an original but the thought of spending thousands on a 70 year old watch didn't really appeal to me and as I couldn't find a mechanical homage without a date I thought I'd give this a go and TBH this DIY one is good enough for me.

I don't know if I'll be doing this again as for many years I fixed computer kit and wider electronics and since I retired the joy of fixing things seems to have mostly left me and sadly I find it hard to motivate myself to fix or build anything now as it seems more like a process leading to a finished thing rather than something to be done for enjoyment. Never say never though and if I see of think of something I'd like at least I know now that my hands and eyesight are still up to it.
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I've fairly recently and sadly inherited by Dad's watch that he wore every day from when he got it in the 1950s. It's a Smith's deluxe. He got it as he was inspired by meeting Tensing who wore a Smith's watch for the Everest accent when Tensing was in the UK fund raising for Nepal off the publicity of the climb. I hope you get the motivation to try some different designs :)
 
Some Smiths watches are lovely. I've even looked at the current Timefactors ones and some of those are lovely too but I can't really get past the thought that they have nothing to do with the original Made In England watches.

As you've reminded me of those lovely old Smiths watches, building a look alike is a possibility if the parts are available :D

There are a lot of "explorer" type dials available but they all seem to have solid numbers rather than the outlined ones the Smiths had. I'll keep looking,
 
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woof woof said:
Some Smiths watches are lovely. I've even looked at the current Timefactors ones and some of those are lovely too but I can't really get past the thought that they have nothing to do with the original Made In England watches.

As you've reminded me of those lovely old Smiths watches, building a look alike is a possibility if the parts are available :D

There are a lot of "explorer" type dials available but they all seem to have solid numbers rather than the outlined ones the Smiths had. I'll keep looking,
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Go for it :)
 
Just thought I'd post another creation.

1-DSC01457.jpg

It's an NH38 movement with the same case as the first one I did and an enamelled dial and hands made out of a minute and hour hand from one set and a second from another. I did have one hiccup as the original second wouldn't fit and looking at it the hole did look small, a plating issue maybe? That's when I decided to go for a contrasting second rather than getting the same set again. I've seen a lot of watches with different second but I think I should have gone for more contrast to make it more obvious. In the glass and metal the hour and minute hands have a copper tint in the right light and angle, the second doesn't.

I have an Explorer homage made by Pagani which has an enamelled dial and I've always liked it so I wanted to build my own with one. BTW, that Pagani was less than a third the price of a Cronos I had which was DOA and the Pagani cost me less than I paid for the bits to make the watch above but I had the fun of choosing the parts and doing it myself. I like it but I think the look would be improved with something written on the dial in silver lettering.

The watch looks ok to me and it also looks ok with a magnifier clipped to my glasses but when looking at that picture above at 100% the hands are a mess. I assume they're plated and it's pitting in the poor quality plating I can see, or something like that but at the price what can I expect from Aliexpress?

I'm going to assemble one more and then I might stop as I have too many. I'm going to do a white enamel dial watch with Roman numerals and blue hands with a Miyota movement. I'm copying a ceramic watch I saw with blue hands as a ceramic dial is more than I'm willing to spend.

Anyone else got any to show?
 
My current daily wear was built for me by a mate. It's an automatic Seiko movement in a bronze SteelDive case. I have artificially aged the case using Liver of Sulphur so it looks "lived in".
 
@woof woof this has turned out to be a great new hobby I have made quite a few builds now - several versions of “royal oak” and “nautilus” in particular, parts for a carbon fiber “submariner” have arrived too and more parts for future builds are on the way. I’ll post some pics, possibly for the February Product photography challenge too. Most of the builds are Nh35 movements, the sub is a 3135, and the royal oak chrono is a mecaqurtz. I really enjoy putting them together, can choose exactly the case, dial, hands, strap combo I want, and for a fraction of the price of the big brands. Loving it.
 
I like watches without a date so I've used the NH38 which costs more on AliExpress than the similar but with date NH35. A few of my off the shelf watches have no date but still use the NH35 and so have a dead position when you pull the crown out. Maybe they use the NH35 for non date watches as a dual use movement or maybe they get a discount for buying so many. Just guessing.

I have about 30 watches now and that's after donating some to the church sale so I really should stop but it is a cheap hobby.

Tim, where are you getting your parts and are you happy with the quality?

I'm had some issues with Aliexpress and after looking at that picture taken with a 33mp camera at 100% I am disappointed with the hands.
 
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@woof woof so far from aliexpress. For the first build I followed links I found on YouTube and the quality was unexpectedly great. I’m up to 15 watches with parts for another 5 or so on the way.
 
TimHughes said:
@woof woof so far from aliexpress. For the first build I followed links I found on YouTube and the quality was unexpectedly great. I’m up to 15 watches with parts for another 5 or so on the way.
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Golly. That's a lot. Maybe I was just unluck with the hands or maybe I'm looking too closely at 100% from a 33mp camera :D

I've been feeling a bit guilty about the number of watches I have but if adding the cost up it's still less than many people pay for a lens :D
 
Yes I think total spend on the hobby is less than one lens! Even if I look closely the homages are visually indistinguishable, apart from lacking the logo, and cost of the parts is about 1/1000th. And this way I can enjoy different color combinations too.
 
I've used the Feb photo challenge as motivation to photograph my personal favourite home build so far. It's a take on AP's music edition royal oak.

6G9A0395 by Tim Hughes, on Flickr
 
leaky5 said:
Oh dear, I shouldn’t have started to look again.
Just seen you can get a Seiko Alpinist style case now.
Just totting up the full cost lol
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Go for it Richard.

As for cost...

I started buying cheap Chinese watches because I got nervous about wearing my Swiss watches when out and about both because I worried about damaging them when I'm out taking pictures and also because I didn't want to wear an expensive watch in the rougher areas I'm sometimes in. I didn't know that some were homages of famous brand watches and only found out through watching Youtube vids about watches.

One watch I really liked once I knew it existed was the older Railmaster but I didn't fancy paying £5k for a old used watch so I looked for a homage and the only one I found was out of production but there was a same era Seamaster homage which I bought and that lead me to wonder if the dials were available and they are from the same company so I decided to build my own and that's it in the first post. I like the style and simplicity of it and the fact that it was designed for railway workers and electricians as I started out as an electrician. Along the way I spotted a trilogy set for £18k and I very nearly clicked on it... before deciding that I couldn't spend that much on three watches. Good luck to those who do but I can't justify spending that much on watches for myself.

So after nearly spending £18k spending about £80 on DIY parts seems very reasonable especially when you add up the time spent on deciding what you're going to build and finding the parts. It is I think quite a reasonably priced hobby :D I've only done the two shown here but I'm planning my next.
 
woof woof said:
Very nice. You certainly like your RO's.
Click to expand...
I’m a Gerald Genta fan it seems. He designed the Nautilus too as I understand the history and I have a few of those now too. Next batch will be aquanaut style.
 
I can see the appeal and they're a classic and rightly so. I go for the simpler look and mostly like watches without bezels or even dates but I do have watches with these.

The lack of lettering on the above black dial watch I did is bothering me as I think without it it does lack something. I have a white enamelled dial with Roman numerals picked for my next watch and it's going into a 36mm case but I'm wavering. I think it'd look better with just the word "Automatic" being present but so far I haven't spotted any that suit me. There are some dials with "Superlative Chronometer Official Certified" written on them but I can't buy one of those because it isn't and that would bother me.
 
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woof woof said:
I can see the appeal and they're a classic and rightly so. I go for the simpler look and mostly like watches without bezels or even dates but I do have watches with these.

The lack of lettering on the above black dial watch I did is bothering me as I think without it it does lack something. I have a white enamelled dial with Roman numerals picked for my next watch and it's going into a 36mm case but I'm wavering. I think it'd look better with just the word "Automatic" being present but so far I haven't spotted any that suit me. There are some dials with "Superlative Chronometer Official Certified" written on them but I can't buy one of those because it isn't and that would bother me.
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I agree, simply "automatic" sounds best. I have had the same problem, and in the end getting only sterile dials, "automatic", or otherwise text that is accurate for the watch. I am having a hard time finding what I want. Especially Aliexpress, the search function has lots of room for improvement!
 
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