r/watchmaking

Still playing around in Fusion and Illustrator. Nothing too complicated this time. I wanted to design a clean field watch with a titanium case and bracelet, then add cathedral hands to give it a bit more character and a slightly more refined look. I finished it off with a deep blue dial and some warm gold accents for a little contrast. This is all just part of learning more about watch design, proportions and different kinds of design elements. So I’m experimenting with the basics and trying out new ideas as I go.

Caseback came off easily with a caseback knife. I feel like I’m missing something, the caseback doesn’t easily snap back into its place as if I might need a press for it.

I have an Aethelsohn Shadow Horizon GMT with black/Grey bezel and the numerals on the bezel don't look pure white

It is a mixture of beige and white.Any way to repaint the bezel numbers with clear white or another color of my choice?They are recessed on the bezel

I really like the watch but this really is a turn off

Wondering how do you guys restore these ?

Keep in mind the one on the picture is pretty clean but it's just an example.

I happen to deal with these watches often and I'm never too sure how to get the black finish back since it's like matt black.

Could anybody please tell me whether the crystal for a Seiko 7N00 5C70 is friction fit or glued please?

I’ve received one from my girlfriend’s grandad to replace the crystal on as I’ve always been very eager to learn watchmaking and this seems like a decent place to start.

Not my photo btw.

Has anybody here made their own Marathon SAR clone with day/date? I'm a former infantryman, locksmith, and now criminal investigator... I want to build my own after hearing terrible things about Marathon and being somewhat autistic and cheap about my hobbies. I have disassembled some crazy shit in my life: engines, explosives, firearms, high security locks, safes, etc. This seems like a natural progression to me. I'm sick of my Garmin Tactix Delta being... too perfect.

Inspiration liated below: my four current most worn watches for my 7 3/4" wrist. These led me to want to mix them, which led me to the SAR line from Marathon... but I DEMAND the day and date, and require 44mm plus for a watch, so that limited me... until I discovered their 46mm line that is ideal... yet $3,000. I will NEVER spend that much on a tool.

I just purchased a Deep Blue Stealth Ops model to try out, and plan on purchasing a $100 tritium Deep Blue diver as the base for my mods... I'm just wondering if anybody has had the same thought process prior to starting their build. I've been using AI and came up with moreorless... this:

After 4 months of strenuos work and countless toiling away, clearing out, installing electrical, insulation, drywall, mud & tape, painting, and AC in the darkened hours of the day. I have finally completed and am ready to begin working on pieces outside of my bedroom.

This is the finishing room of the area, outside includes drafting desk, table with lathe, microscope, timing machine, drill press and more to come.

10 months into a long journey.

Imgur Workshop Photos

So I had this watch(Sandoz polemaster , Swiss made) lying in my cupboard for almost 2 decades , since it was not working I didn't bother to wear it .

Got it checked with a nearby watch repair shop , he said the movement is in pretty good shape and it can be serviced as well , but the dial has a crack on it .

Is there any way I can custom build the watch by using its movement (21 jewels automatic)

Plz share ur thoughts on it or where to approach to custom build this watch .

Is it possible to find a similar replica of the dial

Does anyone here have a contact for someone who can custom make a plexiglass, sapphire etc. crystal for a very unusual watch?

I have a Russian cased 1950s Omega and the crystal popped out somewhere in my travels. Unfortunately as it is a custom made Russian case there is no chance of finding one off the shelf. It is 4.5mm thick, curved, and bevelled all around.

Help a desperate brother fix his new favourite watch 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Better documentation on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dea_mp4/p/DaSUGLhAp96/?img_index=1

Hi guys, I just received an NH36 movement and I was wondering if this is normal. Picture posted is not my watch but clearly shows the gear in question. Is it normal for this gear to wobble when the rotor is spinning? When turning the rotor the gear seems to be engaged with the sprockets on the rotor fine but wobble slightly when turned coming within a hair of contacting the rotor.

Is this normal.? If not what is the best course of action to fix this.

Thanks, much appreciated.

Hi everyone! I just ran into a new issue I haven’t seen yet! I took apart a Bulova 11AOACB yesterday because it was dirty, and started pre-cleaning today. When cleaning the date driving wheel, I found that the spring that is usually held under that top plate has come out somehow. Does anyone know how to put it back in? I’m thinking I have it in the right orientation in the photo, but I’m not completely sure.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently developing my own watch brand and would love to hear your thoughts on this concept.

The watch features a Swiss automatic movement housed in a microblasted titanium chassis with a black PVD coating. The outer case is clad in high-density forged carbon with unique random patterns and a blue-to-black gradient, making every piece slightly different.

Despite its bold and angular design, the case is strongly curved to follow the wrist and maximize comfort. It also features a sapphire crystal and a skeletonized dial showcasing the movement.

This is still a pre-production 3D render, so some details may evolve before the final version.

Any feedback is welcome.
Thanks

As someone newly getting into all of this, how ambitious would it be to try and regulate a hangzou 5000A movement? Are there any good resources online for this?

Any info would be super helpful! I plan to make a watch with a custom CNC dial and a hopefully home regulated movement 🙏

Here is my latest try to make an enamel dial. This time I tried wet packing on the front side. It takes significantly longer time. The counter-enamel was applied with enamel glue. The biggest difference is that the total thickness is now 0.7 mm. starting from a 0.3 mm copper disc and 3 layers of enamel: a counter-enamel, a wet-packing layer, and a finishing layer (sifting). I still can't figure out how to protect the edge from oxidation. It's much better with using wet packing technique but it is there. Tbh, it's visible much more on the video and pictures than irl. I think I am ready to make a dial I actually want! I just need to figure out how to fix dial feet.

Hi everyone,

I recently found this watch on the market, and I can't find either the caliber or the model.

I was more curious about the movement.

For proper service, does anyone have some tips to give me?

If someone knows the value, it would also be appreciated.

Thanks

Quick update on the movement database project I’ve been building.

The main recent change is that the platform has been completely rewritten. This was the real 2026 project behind the scenes: rebuilding the core system so the database can scale properly, search more reliably, and handle parts/interchange data with fewer hidden assumptions.

A few headline numbers:

• 300k+ curated part records
• 25k+ calibers covered
• 1,200+ automated tests written across the platform
• rebuilt search logic
• rewritten matching/interchange logic
• cleaner links between calibers, parts, references, supersessions, and equivalents

🔍 Rewritten search and discovery
The search layer has been rebuilt from the ground up. The goal is to make it easier to find a caliber, part reference, manufacturer, base movement, or related family even when the input is incomplete, inconsistent, or uses a variant reference.

A lot of the work went into making searches less brittle, especially for old references, alternate formats, and manufacturer-specific numbering.

🔧 300k+ curated parts
The parts catalog is now much larger and more structured. It includes spare part references, related calibers, supersessions, stated equivalents, and interchange data where available.

For a part, the system can surface:

• calibers it fits
• stated equivalents
• replacement / supersession chains
• related references
• possible compatible calibers

The goal is still the same: make it easier to move from a caliber to the parts that fit it, and from a part back to all compatible calibers.

♻️ Donor and interchange tooling
The shared-calibers / donor explorer is still one of the areas I’m most interested in getting feedback on.

From any caliber, it compares other calibers by shared parts and produces two scores:

• Donor %: how much of the selected movement another caliber can supply.
• Overlap %: how interchangeable the two movements appear overall.

Movements that appear to share the same base ébauche are flagged as likely same base. This is meant to help identify donor movements or possible interchange options when the exact part reference is hard to find.

⏱️ Movement specs before opening the watch
The caliber encyclopedia is still being expanded. Each caliber page collects practical specs such as dimensions, height, jewels, frequency, lift angle, escapement / winding / rotor type, shock protection, complications, and related families.

The idea is to have the basic technical context available before opening the watch or digging through scattered sheets.

🕵️ Movement identification
The identification tool is also still part of the project. It helps narrow candidates for unmarked movements using size, height, jewels, shape, frequency, complications, and physical traits such as import codes, balance support type, hairspring stud type, and stem release position.

🧪 Rebuilt with test coverage
One of the biggest invisible changes is testing. I wrote over 1,200 automated tests to cover the platform logic, search behavior, part relationships, supersession handling, permissions, and expected workflows.

That does not mean the data is perfect, but it should make the system much safer to change and easier to improve without breaking existing behavior.

👥 Community corrections
The data is still incomplete, and I expect mistakes, especially around parts and interchangeability.

I’d especially appreciate feedback from watchmakers, parts suppliers, and anyone who works with donor movements on things like:

• incorrect equivalents
• broken or questionable supersession chains
• missing calibers or variants
• donor matches that do not make sense in practice
• parts linked to the wrong caliber
• manufacturer-specific reference numbers that are ambiguous, duplicated, or incorrectly normalized

The encyclopedia/spec side is open to browse. Some of the deeper interchange tools are still limited while I validate the data, but the main reason I’m posting is to get technical feedback, corrections, and real-world edge cases rather than to promote the project.

At this stage, the most useful feedback is not “nice project,” but corrections: places where the data disagrees with bench experience, parts books, supplier references, or real donor-movement behavior.