First Dial From Scratch!

[DJW]

Most of the dials I use are either made specific to a certain movement, or are modified to fit other movements. But this time I needed a dial that would fit a specific size case(12s case) and would also fit the movement (10s) that I wanted to install in that case.

 

I thought it might be better to try and make one from scratch....

 

I milled it out of 18 gauge Brass Sheet. I wanted the look of a triple sunken dial and milled it on my lathe to mimic that look. Since it is a pretty thick dial, I had turn a seat at outer edge of the dial to allow the movement to sit at the right depth so that the stem would line up with the tube on the case.

 

 

I'm very happy with how it turned out(pun intended) as it was my first ever attempt at doing this!

 

I'll update with a picture of the finished dial when I get it back from the refinishers...

[WillFly]

Will you solder on dial feet - or do you have another fixing method in mind? If feet, what will your method be for making them?

 

Looks good so far!

[Geo]

Nice looking job Don, I really appreciate quality engineering!

Have you worked out a style for the graphics?

[Mark]

Well done Don - that is looking awesome!

[DJW]

Will you solder on dial feet - or do you have another fixing method in mind? If feet, what will your method be for making them?

 

Looks good so far!

 

I soldered the dial feet using my Dial Feet solder machine, basically a welder. You'll notice the file marks from removing excess solder so that the dial seats flush with the movement.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice looking job Don, I really appreciate quality engineering!

Have you worked out a style for the graphics?

 

I'm thinking a nice matt silver with either style of numbers in the following pictures...

 

This one I had done with a Howard movement...I posted it here in a previous post.

 

I like the font in this dial. It looks a little more elegant!

[autowind]

Nice work Don,  will be interesting to see the finished job.

[seemore]

Can i ask where did you get the case for that lovely Howard conversion.

[DJW]

Can i ask where did you get the case for that lovely Howard conversion.

http://dajiwatch.com/productshow1514.html

[DJW]

Finally got my custom made dial back from the "Dial Refinishers"...

They do pretty good work, but I'm kind of a perfectionist so I really notice the little flaws in their printing process...couple of wayward specs of dust caught in the finish coat and the 3 has a glob of paint in it.

All in All, it looks pretty nice, I do believe!

 

 

Not the dial, but a good shot of the Hamilton 921 movement...

[Geo]

What can I say that hasn't been said before. The quality of your work blows me away!

[DJW]

Thanks Geo! I do have to say that I'm pretty proud of this watch! Everything on this piece just kind of came together perfectly! And, I was very satisfied with this strap too! It compliments the dial color very well and it looks a heck of a lot more expensive than the $15 I paid for it...

[autowind]

What can I say, another masterpiece and a future heirloom, very nice.

[seemore]

I do like that a lot and that movement just oozes class.