·CNC Case & Bracelet
·DD4302 Free Sprung Movement
·18K Soild Gold Rotor
·SW Dial
·SW Hands
·SW Date
·Deep Crystal
·All screws flush/sinking
·Full rebrush & bevel polish to gen spec
·Light polish on inner bezel lip
·Rotor-silence Mod
·Water-resistance test
·Movement & Rotor Silence
·Pressure Test / Impermeability
Hey everyone! Wanted to share this overhaul project I’ve been working on lately.
I didn't buy this watch—it was actually given to me as a gift in absolutely terrible condition. The previous owner had abused it badly: it had been dropped, and they even tried to force the caseback open with a knife, leaving deep gouges and heavy scratches all over the case and the caseback.
Inside was the infamous DG2813. When I opened it up, the movement literally fell apart right into my hands, with loose parts rattling everywhere. To make matters worse, the dial feet were completely snapped off inside the movement from the fall.
Here is how I brought it back to life step by step:
1. Ronda R150 attempt: Initially, I tried fitting a Ronda R150 movement inside, but I quickly realized the case dimensions just wouldn't accommodate it.
2. The Miyota 8215 swap: I ended up buying a Miyota 8215 off AliExpress (back when prices were a bit lower)—a huge step up in reliability compared to the DG.
3. Saving the original crown: The winding stem had snapped off flush inside the crown threads. Following an AI suggestion, I soaked the crown in acetone overnight. By next morning, I managed to unscrew the broken piece with small precision pliers and saved the crown!
4. Case restoration: I spent a ton of time sanding down the deep knife gouges, reshaping the case contours, and doing fine finishing work (even using razor blades for sharp details) before giving the case a thorough wash.
5. Lathe work on the caseback: Since the caseback was also in horrific shape from knife marks, I mounted it on the lathe to resurface it. I shaved off a bit of material to remove all the gouges and brought it back to a clean, polished finish.
6. Dial & Hands: Since the dial feet were broken, I secured the original dial using Dial Dots. The stock DG hands didn't fit the Miyota pinion sizes, so I sourced a new set of hands from AliExpress.
7. Reused parts: Thankfully, both the original crystal and dial were still usable!
Even though the base case wasn't anything fancy, I had a blast working on it, turning it on the lathe, and bringing it back to life. I totally forgot to take tear-down photos during the process (my bad!), but the end result was well worth the effort.
With enough patience, I turned a literal piece of junk into a solid, functional timepiece. Let me know what you guys think!
If you go to my Reddit profile, there’s still the post from when I was asking what movement was inside this watch—and it turned out to be a DG2813.