A Beginner's Build: Perspectives of a Newbie

Now I am no expert but I felt like I should do a post on modding from a beginner's perspective just to give an account from my experience to anyone considering stepping into this interesting world.

So, why did I do a build? For me, it comes from my love of model crafting. I enjoy doing jets and Gunpla (Gundam plastic models). So naturally, I came to a point where I felt like I could potentially put together my own watch, designed and assembled for myself and no one else.

I have tried to do a build before and failed once entirely and my second attempt also wasn't right. But, this time I was committed. I had an idea and was determined to see it through.

A simple lesson I learned: Have the right tools. A crystal press and hand press were readily available on Amazon and while I'm sure there are better ones out there, these cheaper ones sufficed and did a good job. A good magnifying light was also helpful in seeing bits and pieces better and seeing how they physically articulate.

Another lesson: Have the idea of the build before you go in. For me, this was the reason why I was so committed to the build. I had an idea of making a modern, tactical SKX and had the concept and goal of the build jotted down. It was more to keep perspective of what I was working towards which made it more rewarding at the end.

Be careful where you source parts. Namokimods was a great place for a majority of what I wanted and it made finding the right style and look easy. They also listed compatability so I wouldn't be taken off guard by fit. Further, they had a bunch of crystals, bezels, inserts, etc so you can do upgrades at your own pace. DLW was where I sourced my hand set because they had the option of selecting a combination of differant hands which allowed me to choose the variants that I wanted and get the exact look without having extra parts.

I sourced the dial and movement from ebay and this was where I had the biggest fear. However I found a reputable vendor and got both an NH36 movement with a Kanji date and an OEM seiko Skx173 dial. Took a month of waiting but I did get them and they fit perfectly in the case.

Tutorials have been my best friend. There's no shortage of YouTube videos showing how to use various instruments and what to look for during the build. And seeing how differant modders went about the same task also showed that a lot of it is up to you and your own skill set. How you approach a task may nit be the same but that doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. For me, the seconds hand was the one I did differently than what I saw. I basically used tweezers to hold it and find wear to place it and then used a really cheap hand press (the crappy plastic stick ones, not the less crappy one with the springs and stand) to set it. It was a task but let me tell you that when that second hand starting turning I literally yelled!

Of course, have fun. While my build isn't perfect (I have to realign some stuff but for now I don't care) I had immense fun getting all these parts and slowly making a vision I had in my head come to life. I think this is where the power of modding really lays. It's the creativity you get to bring to your watch that makes it a unique experience. Yes, there will be mistakes, but if you're dedicated and patient, that dream watch you had in your head will emerge and it will be amazing!