Building a watch

[Marc5555]

So ive been wanting to build my own watch for a while after having worked on my own watches for quite some time. The only apprehension i have is how does one size a dial to fit a case. Lets say i have a miyota 8215 a 41 mm cade that fits that movement would a 31 mm dial fit that case? 

I guess my question is how does one tell if a dial will fit a case. I understand all cases are different

[eccentric59]

Measure the visible opening inside the case ... what you see from the front. Then measure the inside diameter of the case where the movement or movement ring would sit. The dial should be between those two measurements. It will probably be about a 1.5mm tolerance.

[yankeedog]

Get a decent digital caliper..something  other  than harbor  fright...I mean  freight. 

[DrG]

Hi! 

The case usually will specify the dial diameters that it can accommodate. This is usually based on the dial slots within the case. As stated in the previous replies, you can use a caliper to measure the inside of the case, however if this is your first build, I would look into the case specified dial diameters. 

Remember that the primary component of the watch, the movement, will dictate which dial, case, and hands you will use. 

When I built my first watch, I used a Miyota 8215 and then chose the case, dial, and hands specifically for that movement. There are tons of options on ebay. 

If you want you can look into my post on my first watch build, as I provided links to the different parts (First Build). 

My advice would be to choose your movement and then look for cases, hands, and dials specifically for that movement and choose the dial size depending on the tolerances for that particular case. 

Best,

guido