Back to stock.
I luckily never caught Covid but in early 2020, I caught the modding bug. With every thing shut down and travel suspended, I found myself with some free time and a little extra cash. It started with trying to get a scratch out of the hardlex, next thing I knew I had a sapphire and press on the way. Over the next month or two, tools and mod parts kept rolling in. Bezels and inserts, chapter rings, and eventually a movement. My trusty SKX became some strange dual time lumed Pepsi bezeled, smooth chapter ringed, Frankenstein. I stopped wearing it. Recently I started swapping some oem parts back on and over the weekend, I decided to put the original bezel and insert back on. Its back to what it should be, stock except for the movement and crystal. I'm not against mods at all, I ended up doing a Fifty Five Fathoms build that I loved, but it just never felt right on the skx.
IG:southern_watch
Just a dude into watches, posting from my cubicle at work. @southern_watch on IG.
is modding to much lose the watch characteristic from your point of view?
is modding to much lose the watch characteristic from your point of view?
I think so. I like to do OEM+ mods now. Better strap/bracelet, sapphire and a better movement and call it a day. You aren't really changing what the watch is but improving the weak spots. But that's just my opinion.
I find that it is easy to mod a watch, but much harder to create something that feels like it is one consistent design. Granted, part of it is the result of limited parts available to s hobbyist, but I certainly underestimated how tiny details matter in creating something that is more than the sum of its parts.
A stunner
That’s a good bug to get. 😂
This is so funny I caught the modding bug for the exact same reasons as you did and I also did the exact same thing as you to my SKX. I reinstalled a lot of my oem parts recently. Only mod I kept in addition to the movement and crystal is a aftermarket bezel and bezel insert. Well and a Strapcode bracelet but I don't view that as a mod lol.
This is so funny I caught the modding bug for the exact same reasons as you did and I also did the exact same thing as you to my SKX. I reinstalled a lot of my oem parts recently. Only mod I kept in addition to the movement and crystal is a aftermarket bezel and bezel insert. Well and a Strapcode bracelet but I don't view that as a mod lol.
That does look pretty good.
That does look pretty good.
Thanks I like the bezel a bit more than the oem bezel and really like the Strapcode Bracelet.
Thanks I like the bezel a bit more than the oem bezel and really like the Strapcode Bracelet.
I may have to try a different bracelet on mine eventually, but I do love the jingly jangly jubbie.
I might have caught the same variant of the modding virus -- My bezels and inserts are currently on their way from Singapore.
But then, I completely agree with your sentiment. Modding is fun, but it is difficult to avoid making a 'Frankenstein' -- one that is surely new, sometimes cool, but never belongs anywhere, and whose appeal never lasts for long. I feel like the only way to avoid it is to stick to the original design and only add minor improvements.
I love my 009 just the way it is. I might get a Miltat bracelet to replace the OEM bracelet but that's about it. Regarding the OEM bracelet I actually liked it but over the years of being replaced with other straps I damaged it so much it has become unusable.