How hard is a mechanical to quartz conversion?

[DropperofSmallPieces]

Hey all,

Incredibly new amateur here, trying to make my own reverse movement watch. Mechanical is way beyond me so I am just going to shove a Miyota 2037 in something. I'd prefer to use a vintage mechanical watch, is that gonna work easily? If not, can I stick that movement in any old quartz watch I find, or will it only fit in watches with a similar size movement?

My related question is what's the best way to do a custom face? Hand paint it? I saw some people print basically a photo and stick it on but that sounds shoddy. I don't think I have access to any professional level dial refinishing equipment.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[clockboy]

What you are attempting to achieve will be difficult to say the least. Quartz movements come in many sizes and not just circumference but also in height. The hands that are on the mechanical watch will almost certainly not fit the quartz movement so hands will have to be sourced. Also the new watch stem will have to be adjusted in length and have the crown fitted. To make a custom dial printing on decal paper and transferring it is the way to go but this is also troublesome. 

[watchweasol]

Hi  as clockboy said  its a whole new can of worms.  Not impossible but will need plenty of research and work to find all the bits to fit.

[JohnD]

Easiest way is to start with a watch with a 6309 mechanical movement (6309-7290 diver possibly?) and replace it with a vintage 7546 quartz movement. Everything, hands, dial, day and date wheels, stem and crown will swap straight over, but first find your watch, then a donor 7546 dress watch as a donor........good luck....

[Poljot]

16 hours ago, DropperofSmallPieces said:

Hey all,

Incredibly new amateur here, trying to make my own reverse movement watch. Mechanical is way beyond me so I am just going to shove a Miyota 2037 in something. I'd prefer to use a vintage mechanical watch, is that gonna work easily? If not, can I stick that movement in any old quartz watch I find, or will it only fit in watches with a similar size movement?

My related question is what's the best way to do a custom face? Hand paint it? I saw some people print basically a photo and stick it on but that sounds shoddy. I don't think I have access to any professional level dial refinishing equipment.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Hi there,

For an amateur "watchmaker" you have very ambitious plans!

It's possible - why not? But why not to simply fix one of the mechanical watches to get an idea what is involved in such transition?

Pick one with broken or missing hands, a missing crown, broken crystal, rusty winding stem - the one you can get for almost FREE. Then download the parts list, TIs, take measurements, locate spare parts, etc. This way you will quickly learn how-to select the replacement Hands, how to adjust the Stem and select the right winding crown for your case / tube, how to install the crystal and choose one, etc.

After that, when you try to convert your another cheap mechanical watch to "Perpetuum Mobile" aka Quartz , you will select a good candidate:

- Hour and Minute Hands only - to somewhat simplify your task

- slim case design as your Quartz movement will be no doubt thinner than Mechanical movement

- your Quartz movement Hour Wheel Height and Dia should meet your Mechanical watch hands measurements

- you may get away with cutting the dial posts and using double sided adhesive tape, etc to fit the old dial

- and almost guarantied that you will have to make or adjust your quartz movement plastic holder to secure the movement inside the case.

And this is NOT the complete list of challenges.

Good luck (you will need it)!

[DropperofSmallPieces]

Thank you guys for your answers!

[JohnR725]

Interesting answers?

The reason I started off with what I said was that this is standard or was standard operating procedure at one time. I've attended at least one lecture where it was explained how it's done. Then I was pretty sure there was at least one book and sure enough my memories right there is a book I'm sure it did not cost this when it came. Amazon is interesting for the price of the books but this will let you see the book is available.

At the time when this was more common is very common to do it with ladies watches because now you'd end up with a watch that they didn't have to wind up every day.

The best would be to get the book. Simplistically need to find a quartz movement of similar size I would pick a modern quartz movement if you going to keep with vintage than stay with the mechanical watch you have. Because otherwise a vintage quartz watch movement brings up problems of its own. you need to find a quartz watch of similar size or smaller. Then they used to make a product zero idea whether it's available anymore that would be used to make a retaining ring to the hold the movement in place. Then you don't need a new dial use the old one if you notice on the cover of the book you will see the dial foot soldering machine. In other words you break your dial feet off to put new. Then there is way more choice of hands now's they won't look quite as bad as they used to because they came in limited choices.

21 hours ago, DropperofSmallPieces said:

reverse movement watch.

Then towards the end of my answer L is like to reread the original question the make sure that I getting the answer right and I'm confused? The word reverse means backwards typically?

Then the title mechanical the quartz conversion my answer would be corrected but if I rephrase your question of you would like to make a reverse running watch then my answer is wrong?

Then as a bonus of bizarreness of my misunderstanding what makes you think that quartz watches can run backwards? By the way yes they can but and I'm the skip over that part it ranges from very easy to work is required.

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Quartz-Watch-Retrofitting-Wesley-Door/dp/B000JJ1SS0

 

 

[DropperofSmallPieces]

43 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

what makes you think that quartz watches can run backwards?

 

 

The Miyota 2037 movement runs in reverse, that is to say counterclockwise. It's the same as the ultra-common 2035 movement, just runs the opposite way. Cool book btw, thanks for linking to it. Going by people answers I think mechanical to quartz is beyond me. But I'm just going to find a watch that already has a 2035 quartz movement and replace it with the 2037, that should be pretty simple. Then I just need to redo the face somehow.

[JohnR725]

19 hours ago, DropperofSmallPieces said:

Then I just need to redo the face somehow.

If you don't want to play with the dial there's another option? Find a watch that doesn't have numbers. There's a lot of dials that either have no markers at all other than something at 12 o'clock or they have markers but no numbers that would work fine. Otherwise do a search on this group there are people working on dials they might be helpful.