Customizing watches: A rare game in the watch-dom

One of my few hobbies is that of muscle cars. Now don’t think I’m into getting my hands dirty fixing the cracks and tightening the bolts; I got scope for none. I just keep track on the tack and the technicals and somehow reach the workshop where someone is doing up his old jalopy even with a wee bit of modding in mind. Same goes for motorcycles; the difference is, I own a soon-to-be-antique hell-on-two-wheels and here I do try my hands and things. The father-son duo I go to when things get unbelievably bent out of shape are kind and generous; they fix up my Old Bob everytime without complain and that keeps things running well between us.

Sadly, not everybody knows a watchsmith to get done the Seiko modding; most are not good enough to fix up the show if the modding interferes with the machine. So you might find the idea of modding a Seiko wildly desirable but largely unattainable at the same time. However, if you are putting in a different Seiko dial, the Seiko shops might help. Aftermarket parts available with a Seiko authorized dealer (you might even ask the seller if he is a reliable one) does it easy.

Here’s a bit on watch modification or watch modding before I go in further. It is making your existing Seiko look like another diver watch – Seiko or otherwise. It’s a sweet spot that doesn’t hover around the $2,500 mark but rather in the $50 to $250 domain of the ubiquitous Seiko Diver. But don’t try to do the work yourself unless you are more than reasonably trained to pull the movement out, remove hands, dial and then put them back flawlessly where they belong. Any fingerprint, dust and misaligned or bent part can spell disaster, turning your prized piece into mere junk within a jiffy!

Jeeps and Chevy’s alike, Seiko watches are modularly designed. This makes the dials, hands and movements interchangeable more often than you can possibly imagine. This gives you the scope to explore possibilities and getting creative with the dials and the bezels. That’s fredom to make your Seiko look exactly the way you like it; you’ll be surprised the way this Seiko 5 Sports can be made to look like a watch like the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms that costs 40 times more. Just put in the dial and that’s it. If any of your buddies ask if its a 50-Fathoms you are weariing, tell them proudly you are wearing 5 more. That makes it a 55-Fathoms, logically speaking. So you are not wearing a fake or counterfeit watch but all legit stuff assembled the way you like it the most!