Custom watch
Background/Motivation
I quite like fossil watches. I don't like their prices. Let's make one from Ali Express parts and assemble it.
Inspiration watch here.
So, this sums to:
- I'd like a face that shows the gears.
- A self winding watch would be great.
- Leather strap is preferred.
- A case that shows the movement from the front and back.
Equipment
Materials
- Watch case, $61.21
- Hollow self winding movement, $43.99
- Watch dial, hollow face, $14.69
- Watch hands, $7.44
- Watch stem replacement parts, $7.78
TOTAL = $135.11
Tools
- Watch repair kit, $11.50
- Watch tweezers, $4.68
- Gasket case lubricant, $2.38
TOTAL = $18.56
Grand total (materials + tools): $153.67
Arrival
Parts arriving — notes and first impressions go here.
All the parts look great! Everything was very well packaged!
Construction
Assembly notes, steps taken, any issues encountered go here.
The skeleton movement I have makes assembly quite different to other watches I've seen. Removing the stem from this movement was done by pressing down on this button:
Unfortunately, this skeleton movement doesn't fit in my case. It also seems like it loses power very very quickly. Overall, it looks like this purchase was a bit of a bust. Luckily, the rest of my supplies look great for the watch and I'm going to in stead buy an NH35 movement. The link is for an NH35A, but this is the same as an NH35.
I was originally inspired to do this project after watching this video:
Final Product
Photos and reflections on the finished watch go here.