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This BEGINNER WATCHMAKING book is Copyright © DEC. 2010. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by
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Adjusting, changing, adding, or removing the mechanical or electronic parts in any
device can be dangerous and can cause injuries. The author of this book assumes no
responsibility for personal injury or property damage caused by the use of this guide, or
products we use or sell, whether by accident, negligence, or otherwise. Please note that
this book is intended for educational purposes only. Only qualified personnel should
carry out any watch building or repair work. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
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Copyright 2010
ISBN-13:
978-1456451653
ISBN-10:
1456451650
Building a Soxa
A Soxa is a Seiko watch that has been modded to look just like a Doxa diving watch. If you haven’t heard
of Doxa, here is a little history. Doxa S.A., which was founded in 1889, is known as one of the major
innovators in diving watch technology. They created the first watch with a decompression table on the
bezel, the first watch available to the public with a Helium release valve, and the first watch with a bright
orange dial. After extensive testing, Doxa decided that the orange dial provided the best contrast
underwater. The rest is history. These watches are worshipped by many because of their beauty and
durability. And just about everyone produces orange dial diving watches nowadays.
If you don’t want to spend several thousand dollars on a new Doxa, you are in luck. You can buy some
parts from 10watches.com and build a beautiful homage watch. The first thing you need to do is get a
Seiko diving watch with the 7s26 movement inside.
Below is a Doxa Sub 750T. It is simply stunning to look at.
Getting a 7s26 movement is extremely important. You don’t want to buy a watch
with the Seiko 7002 movement, which can be found in many of the diving watches
on Ebay. The Singapore made 7002 is an inferior movement, which was possibly
made to compete with inexpensive quartz watches. The 7002 might do a good job
of keeping time and is durable enough to wear for many years, but for a beginner
interested in watch making, the 7002 will be much harder to work on than the
superior 7s26 movement. Some of the other problems reported with the 7002 are
loud rotors, unpredictable winding, and a weak power reserve.
Here is a great post from watchuseek.com describing the 7002 in detail.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://forums.watchusee
k.com/f281/how-buy-seiko-7002-diver-collectors-buying-guide-258086.html
Here is the 7002 movement.
The 7002 uses a two piece movement holder (a spacer and movement ring) which
could cause some major problems if you don’t pay attention to how it’s positioned.
Plus, the detent button on the movement is a thin metal tab which is visible only
when the crown is pulled out. Below is the spacer and movement holder ring.
Here is the 7002 Seiko Diver.
Now let’s take a look at the Seiko 7s26. This is the movement you need to get for
this project. Here is a used Seiko diver watch I got on Ebay for $109. If you are
patient, you might be able to pick up a decent one for around $80. Note: when you
get your watch in the mail, wear it for a few days. You need to determine if it is
running fast, slow, or right on time.
This diver has an orange chapter ring and orange dial. This will save you the
trouble of changing out the black chapter ring and replacing it with an orange one.
So look for an orange faced Seiko if you can. If you have to change the chapter
ring, you might have to change the crystal gasket, too, if it is worn down. And if
you don’t get the crystal installed properly, your watch will not be waterproof. So I
would not recommend changing the chapter ring unless you have some experience
working with Seikos, or you find a newer watch in excellent condition.
Below are some of the parts I purchased from www.10watches.com for this project.
XW01 Bezel Silver Bezel insert $20
Soxa Orange 7s26 Dial (4:00 crown) $30
Soxa Black Hands 3 sets $15
Box White Second Hands 3pcs $15
3 day EMS shipping from Hong Kong $20
(The orange chapter ring pictured below is not needed for this project)
A note about changing the chapter ring.
Since the watch I purchased already has an orange chapter ring, there is no need
for me to replace it. If you are new to watchmaking, then I would not mess with
the Seiko diver chapter rings, which can only be removed by taking off the crystal.
Once you remove the crystal you will have to examine the crystal gasket. If the
crystal gasket is worn down, then you will have to replace it when you remove the
crystal. And if the gasket moves while you are pressing the crystal back in place,
the watch might not be waterproof because of a bad seal. Since you can easily find
Seikos with orange chapter rings, it shouldn’t be an issue. It’s just easier if you
don’t have to mess with extra parts and repairs.
But if you have no choice in the matter, here is how you change the chapter ring.
It’s pretty quick and easy.
Put the empty watch case upside down on the case press. Push down on the lever
and the crystal should pop out.
The crystal pops right out.
Press the crystal back into place.
Examine the rubber case gasket. It appears to stay in place. It looks OK.
In this example, the gasket on the bottom left needs to be replaced. Its worn down
and won’t stay in place when replacing the crystal, which can cause a bad seal.
Remove the old chapter ring, and place the new one in its place. Then place the
watch case facing up inside the case press, and press the crystal lever down. The
crystal is now back where it belongs. The gasket is really the only thing you need
to pay extra special attention to.
Now let’s get back to the Soxa project.
1. Remove the watch band. If you don’t have springbar tool, you can always use a
razor blade. I actually prefer a razor for removing and installing bands.
2. Remove the bezel. I like to pry it off with a knife. It is much easier if you place
the watch case in a vise. Do not tighten it, just adjust the vise so it holds the
watch in position with the help of your hand. Now pry off the bezel. It is 100 times
easier to remove watch bezels this way. Use duct tape or painters tape on the case
if you are worried about scratching the metal. Note: my vise is wrapped in duct
tape to prevent scratching the watch body or crystal.
3. Pry off the old bezel insert with a razor blade and put on the new one. You only
need a small amount of crazy glue to keep the new bezel insert in place.
If the new bezel insert is a tad bit too big, you won’t need glue. Just put a cloth
over the bezel insert and gently tap it into the bezel. The insert is very pliable, so it
can be squeezed into place if needed. Be gentle here, and don’t tap on the
luminous dot that is located at the 12:00 position.
Now place the bezel on the watch case. Turn the case and bezel upside down so
that the crystal is facing the table. Press down. The bezel should snap back in
place. Make sure the bezel spring is back in place before you attach the bezel.
See the two holes in the case. That’s for the bezel spring.
Press the bezel back on. Pop! It’s now in place.
4. Remove the case back with your case back opener tool. I like to put the watch
case in a vise to hold it steady while I remove the back. Don’t tighten the vise too
much, you could bend the lugs.
Here is the Seiko 7s26 movement.
Here is a great link with more info on the 7s26.
http://www.thepurists.com/watch/features/8ohms/7s26/
Now you are going to remove the stem. Unscrew the crown from the case tube.
Keep it pushed in. There is a small detent visible when the crown is pushed in. If
you pull out the crown to set the date or time, the detent will move out of view.
5. Push in the detent and pull out the stem.
Now place the case cushion on top of the exposed movement and flip over the
watch. Lift off the case.
Place the dial protector over the dial.
6. Now remove the hands with your hand puller tool.
7. Pry off the dial with a small screwdriver.
8. Place the new dial on the movement. Make sure the dial feet go into the
movement holes.
9. Turn the dial upside down and insert the stem back into the movement. Be
gentle here. A light push is all you need to get the stem back into position. You
don’t need to press the detent button.
10. Now install the hands with your tweezers and hand press tool. Refer to the
Beginner Watchmaking book for detailed instructions on this. Remember to adjust
the hands with a toothpick so their positioning is correct each time the watch
advances to the next hour. Also take your time checking each hand. Make sure
none of the hands are getting stuck when they are rotated around the dial. Take
your time with this one. Make sure the second hand, or its tail, does not get stuck
on the minute hand. This is a common mistake made by everyone at one time or
another.
11. You need to be very careful with this next step. The stem needs to be
removed again in order for the case to be set on top of the movement. Place your
movement holder on top of the movement. Compress it and grab a hold of the
movement. Now flip over the movement holder and movement. You will need to
press the detent button again in order for the stem to come out. Be careful with
this step. And remember, the detent is visible only when the crown and stem are
pushed in.
12. Make sure everything is perfect before installing the case on top of the dial. All
hands should rotate unhampered. There should be no smudges on the crystal. Use
Rodico to remove smudges and dust on the watch dial if needed. Now place the
case over the dial. Line it up properly.
13. Flip over the watch and install the stem.
14. Regulate the time if the watch is not accurate. Here is an excerpt from my
book:
Keep in mind that the opposite end of the regulator lever is your pointer. In the
diagram below, the watch was sped up by moving the pointer to the left, towards
the “+” sign. The long lever on the opposite end was moved to the right. Many
watches do not have an area marked for the pointer. Think of it as the opposite
end of the lever, closest to the speed markings (+ or -). Note: do not touch the
hairspring stud (balance spring stud). This will mess up your beats per
hour setting, causing the “ticks” and the “tocks” to be different intervals of
time. Also be sure not to touch the thin balance spring. It can be damaged
quite easily. The process of adjusting the time will take some trial and error.
Adjust it a tiny bit, and then check for accuracy with a digital clock over the
next 24 hours. Adjust some more and repeat. It could take a few days to a week
before you have the watch dialed in to + or – a few seconds per day. If your watch
is averaging +6 to -4 seconds per day, then it is extremely accurate, and it is
similar to a chronometer watch in one position. A certified chronometer must
maintain this average for 15 days in 5 different positions, and at varying
temperatures and water depths. Keep in mind that +/- 60 seconds per day is
normal for a used watch. And a speed of +/- 10 seconds per day is normal for a
brand new mechanical watch.
Inside the red circle below you will see the balance, regulator lever, and balance
spring stud. Remember, do not touch the balance spring, or balance spring stud!
15. Once you have determined that the watch is running good, you can add Silcon
7 case sealer to the case back gasket, case tube threads, and crown gasket.
16. Now you can screw in the crown and screw on the case back.
Now add the band.
The 22mm band is from Strapcode.com. It cost around $63.
Here is the finished Soxa watch.
Note: if you case back is damaged and pitted out like this one, do not use it.
Instead, buy another one from Ebay. I have found that many of the Seiko case
backs will fit all kinds of Seiko watches. Many of the parts can be switched around
from watch to watch.
Here are some Seiko case backs on Ebay selling for dirt cheap.
Here is what a proper case back should look like.