Did you mod your watch? Show me your mod
hello fellow watch enthusiast, what do you think of watch modding? nowadays there are plenty of option for watch modding. conversion case, custom rotor, custom strap, insert, etc. the possibilities are endless. you can also build the watch from nothing, buy a seiko movement, custom case, etc.
from my personal opinion watch modding got a special place in this hobby and its okay if it still have the characteristic from the base model. probably someday i would do the modding myself just for fun and to release some of my imagination😃😃.
few months ago i happen to borrow one of my friend seiko 5 snzf17 a.k.a sea urchin. he bought it second hand and want to improve some element on the watch.
from the direction he take i can see he want the sea urchin to be more like a black submariner with a rubber strap. here is some element that he changed:
- dome saphire crystal
- a dial with some submariner indices and deleted day function
- polished chapter ring
- rubber strap
- ceramic bezel insert from dlw if im not mistaken
as for his goal i think this is a job well done. he keep the original hand, and case to keep the original identity. and it is an improvement for sure from the original sea urchin. however there are some point which i dont like about this built:
- the lume from the insert and the indices arent the same, because it is from the different manufacture
- the spec on the dial doesnt match the sea urchin specs (water resistant)
- the rubber strap is terrible, you can see the gap between the strap and the case when you wear it
so what do you think about watch modding? do you like it or not? do you mod your watch for a little improvement or to transform the watch to be a different watch? last, lets share some of your watch mod. cheers 🍺
Considering myself as a man of culture and taste
Yes, I have modded two of my watches.
a) Those were inexpensive watches with NH35 movements, but not Seikos.
b) It was clearly a good idea to use these watches to practice on, as YouTube videos make things look easy, even though they require practice.
c) I have not replaced a crystal yet, but it's something I'll do eventually.
But I have also realized that it is much easier to mod a watch than it is to produce a consistent design that way, meaning something that looks like it was meant to look that way and isn't just a combination of parts.
Yes, I have modded two of my watches.
a) Those were inexpensive watches with NH35 movements, but not Seikos.
b) It was clearly a good idea to use these watches to practice on, as YouTube videos make things look easy, even though they require practice.
c) I have not replaced a crystal yet, but it's something I'll do eventually.
But I have also realized that it is much easier to mod a watch than it is to produce a consistent design that way, meaning something that looks like it was meant to look that way and isn't just a combination of parts.
would like to see the watch, is it possible to mod the appearence of nonseiko? i dont see many modding part except for seiko 😀
I once bleached the bezel to give my Turtle a vintage look. I think thats the only time 🤔 I have opened warches to regulate them, but that's a bit different.
Watch modding is really limited beyond the Seiko NH series and the Miyota 82xx series. Even then its the Divers that have the biggest part selection. I'm sourcing parts for a SW200 build right now while i wait for parts on a 8205 build.
would like to see the watch, is it possible to mod the appearence of nonseiko? i dont see many modding part except for seiko 😀
Here a picture of my Invicta ProDiver, which keeps on changing. Maybe I'm able to stop now, but I'm not sure. 😉
In short, it would be hard to change the bezel, as there are only a few replacements for the bezel insert. Also not sure if a replacement crystal is easily available, probably not. But since it is an NH35, the standard 28.5mm dials and compatible hands can be installed. Since it was a $70 watch I wasn't too worried about damaging the watch.
I will have to take a picture of the other one...
I‘m planning on modding a Seiko SKX/SRPD. I don’t want to change the iconic look of it, just upgrade the overall experience if that makes any sense. So, ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal etc.
Then I saw it in person for the first time this weekend being on a wedding on the other side of my country. And I gotta say it looked pretty darn good through the window shop. So, I‘m left confused wether or not to mod.
I was a hardcore mod/build addict during covid below are a few creations.
Here a picture of my Invicta ProDiver, which keeps on changing. Maybe I'm able to stop now, but I'm not sure. 😉
In short, it would be hard to change the bezel, as there are only a few replacements for the bezel insert. Also not sure if a replacement crystal is easily available, probably not. But since it is an NH35, the standard 28.5mm dials and compatible hands can be installed. Since it was a $70 watch I wasn't too worried about damaging the watch.
I will have to take a picture of the other one...
I did the same but left the dial. I ordered 4 sets of those hands. i went with Milgause second hand to not look like total BB58. Yours came out good. nice dial 😍
I did the same but left the dial. I ordered 4 sets of those hands. i went with Milgause second hand to not look like total BB58. Yours came out good. nice dial 😍
Well, thank you. Yes, you are right, I could have broken it up a little with color on the seconds hand. I'm not that much of a fan of the Milgauss lightning seconds hand, but a dash of color would have worked nicely, you are right.
There is a project coming up in about a month, let's see where that ends up. 😀
Well, thank you. Yes, you are right, I could have broken it up a little with color on the seconds hand. I'm not that much of a fan of the Milgauss lightning seconds hand, but a dash of color would have worked nicely, you are right.
There is a project coming up in about a month, let's see where that ends up. 😀
Pics or it didn't happen ;) 🍻
I once bleached the bezel to give my Turtle a vintage look. I think thats the only time 🤔 I have opened warches to regulate them, but that's a bit different.
i think the bleach works fine 😍
I‘m planning on modding a Seiko SKX/SRPD. I don’t want to change the iconic look of it, just upgrade the overall experience if that makes any sense. So, ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal etc.
Then I saw it in person for the first time this weekend being on a wedding on the other side of my country. And I gotta say it looked pretty darn good through the window shop. So, I‘m left confused wether or not to mod.
just do it my friend and see how it goes😂
I was a hardcore mod/build addict during covid below are a few creations.
wow thats a huge watchmod collection. i like the black on black diver. is the base came from srpd and srped collection?
wow thats a huge watchmod collection. i like the black on black diver. is the base came from srpd and srped collection?
SKX171 Dial, SNZH53 hands, and aftermarket SKX007 case. Replaced the date/day disk with a lumed one. I think it’s my favourite build also
I‘m planning on modding a Seiko SKX/SRPD. I don’t want to change the iconic look of it, just upgrade the overall experience if that makes any sense. So, ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal etc.
Then I saw it in person for the first time this weekend being on a wedding on the other side of my country. And I gotta say it looked pretty darn good through the window shop. So, I‘m left confused wether or not to mod.
I’m on the fence too. I just got a SRPD thats never been worn. The seller had already purchased a new bezel, insert, and a DD sapphire crystal. He lost interest in the mod, and sold it all to me for $180. well actually he traded it to me for a TM m6 3 wood and a bag of weed 😂
I was a hardcore mod/build addict during covid below are a few creations.
Where did you find those dials ?
Namoki mods is a great source for parts, cases, dials, hands, bezels. Just about everything you need for seiko mods.
Namoki mods is a great source for parts, cases, dials, hands, bezels. Just about everything you need for seiko mods.
agree with you, i saw a lot of interesting part in namoki catalog🍺
Where did you find those dials ?
Variety of places the OEM Seiko ones I got from, tokeilab.com, some I got from Namoki, some were eBay and Aliexpress (sterile ones for sure).
agree with you, i saw a lot of interesting part in namoki catalog🍺
When I'm looking for dials I usually stop at Namoki first these days and Watch and Style second. Then I move on the eBay and Aliexpress. My favorite stop for Bezel Inserts is, dlwwatches.com, he seems to have a nice supply of different variations.
When I'm looking for dials I usually stop at Namoki first these days and Watch and Style second. Then I move on the eBay and Aliexpress. My favorite stop for Bezel Inserts is, dlwwatches.com, he seems to have a nice supply of different variations.
thx for the insight🍺