Wrist debut for my first DIY-assembled watch
Something special (to me): Wrist debut for my first DIY-assembled watch from scratch. I've wanted a green-ish watch for a long time but never found one that ticked all the boxes so I set out at configuring my own.
The parts are mostly sourced from AliX, although I chose a different source for the Seiko NH36 movement, as I tried getting a genuine one.
The case is a 36mm sandblasted titanium case (Flieger/field-style) with a saphire crystal - this was the most expensive part at roughly 55€.
For the dial I chose a SRPE57 kind of dial, as I wanted to achieve a diver look without the bezel. I was startled when the dial first arrived, as I wasn't trying to build or fake a "Seiko" and all the listings on AliX displayed dials without any brand logo on them. Later I found out, that they leave out the logo in the listings to avoid being flagged, but ship them with logos anyways. On some listings you can opt for not having any logo on the dial.
The strap is a very nice supple FKM rubber strap - same brand I featured on my Kakhi Field - for 13€ I'm extremely happy with it.
The hands are a story of their own as I made the mistake of not double-checking the measurements once I found the perfect style. Therefore the minute and second hand were a few mm to long and protruding over the edge of the dial. Frustrated, I couldn't find another set of hands that I liked even remotely as much, and I had no patience to wait for another shipment from China, so I took my cutters and clipped the hands so they would fit inside the case. I'm quite happy with how it turned out, I didn't file them down as I wanted to avoid bending them. You can just make it out if you know what to look for - but I think it makes my first built-at-home project even more interesting and unique.
The price for all the parts was roughly around 120€. Not bad for my dream watch and a lot of fun learning about the process of putting it together. It won't be my last DIY-project. I hope you enjoy my little write-up and the pictures! I'm happy to read about your opinion on the watch 🤙
Congratulations on your first build! The combination of the blasted case with the green dial and FKM strap works very well! 👍
Building a custom watch to your specs that's not available anywhere is my favorite part about modding. Bravo for making your vision come true. 👏
The minute hand still looks big after clipping it and would be my only criticism. Hopefully you can find a handset you like and do a quick swap when it arrives. You can continue improving on it!
Bravo ! Nice work. I can only imagine how proud you must feel wearing it.
Great work! I like the green color scheme. I agree with @Beanna: The hands look a little too thick. I would look for sites other than AliExpress that may have hands that fit.
That’s actually really amazing. Great effort, story and watch
Muy buen trabajo, en realidad si no comentas lo de las manos no me daría cuenta, un muy buen trabajo, el dial biver espectacular. Aunque de 36mm para mi sería muy chico, creo que sería muy visible la hora en cualquier hora día o noche👍🇺🇾
@Knonstantin nice work. I had the same issue with the branded dial on one of my first builds. I emailed the seller and said I had not ordered the dial that way and could not use it. The seller refunded my payment. Later I found out about the S code for branded dials. Anyway , you can always take the time now and get whatever hands you like.
@Knonstantin nice work. I had the same issue with the branded dial on one of my first builds. I emailed the seller and said I had not ordered the dial that way and could not use it. The seller refunded my payment. Later I found out about the S code for branded dials. Anyway , you can always take the time now and get whatever hands you like.
Yeah, it's mostly something like "option: s-logo" - ignorant me thought I meant something like "sans logo" 😂
Great work! I like the green color scheme. I agree with @Beanna: The hands look a little too thick. I would look for sites other than AliExpress that may have hands that fit.
Thank you very much. I'm having a hard time finding other sources for hands (here in Germany) other than Ali or eBay. I'm keeping my eyes open ✌️
Thank you very much. I'm having a hard time finding other sources for hands (here in Germany) other than Ali or eBay. I'm keeping my eyes open ✌️
There are definitely other foreign suppliers. Try and see if you can access the following link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1TWSM0Or_x-5GpkVrm20avXFgviKzQE7Qw6u2U3TP8To/htmlview#
I'm not sure it's 100% current, but the list of suppliers on the second tab should help you. Based on the case in the pictures you posted, I would recommend looking for minute hands with 12.5mm length or less.
I actually play the game in reverse if I mod with 2824 clones and look at German suppliers. 😉
You have done a great job I’ve done a few and the joy in finally getting the second hand fitted is almost worth the swearing and annoyance fitting them causes 😂 I think only two out of five had undamaged second hands 🫣 I started off big and made a few pannari looking ones these were much easier than the 36mm explorer types I put together. So congratulations on getting to a working watch without it driving you around the bend. You’ve done a great job with the hands. I gave mine away to friends and family. They make nice personal gifts
Looks great! Bravo
You have done a great job I’ve done a few and the joy in finally getting the second hand fitted is almost worth the swearing and annoyance fitting them causes 😂 I think only two out of five had undamaged second hands 🫣 I started off big and made a few pannari looking ones these were much easier than the 36mm explorer types I put together. So congratulations on getting to a working watch without it driving you around the bend. You’ve done a great job with the hands. I gave mine away to friends and family. They make nice personal gifts
I managed to get the seconds hand on in a matter of... seconds 😅 I didn't expect it to go on that easily. Beginners luck maybe. I really like the explorer and the panerai style. Also giving them as gifts is a incredibly unique and caring idea. But also not cheap. I'm still definitely stealing that idea!
Carry on ✌️