# Field Watch Making Project



## INTERIMLAMB

Hello everyone.

I am posting from Japan, at very small watchmaking workshop.

I have a plan to make a new watch, it is a 'field watch'. Field watch is a sort of tool for outdoor acting. I am interesting in a simple fixed-lug tool watch, just I want to wear on my wrist personally.

Before start of the making, I listed its specification. Though only as hope for now.

316L stainless steel case 
10ATM water resistant 
Screw-down crown 
Luminous index 
Swiss ETA2824 automatic movement 

Here is my design. I don't need complex shape. I have to use hand operating small lathe and mill machines, it is unable to cut metals in complex surfaces.
The main body will be made from a SUS plate.





















Anyway, let's start!
I think it is required to make a trial case parts firstly. I'd like to make them from aluminiun alloy, softer than stainless, but I intend to do it in almost the same way as real production.

Main body is cut out from this aluminium plate. 








After roughly cutting by hand saw...














it must be milled to 46x47x7.4mm.








Center is pointed. This is a guide to open through hole for the movement at lathe.








20mm lug space is milled at both side.














A space for crown with guard.














Changed to lathe work. The plate is bonded to metal pipe by LOCTITE 263.








Then 27.0mm hole must be opened.




















That's all for today!


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## Stargazer735

I love it! Can't wait to see more!

Subscribing to this thread.

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## Karriope

I find it interesting that you are prototyping with aluminum. The machining properties of aluminum are different from the target 316L steel.

There is a charm to the blocky simplistic design of the case, but the large bezel with the screws does not seem to give anything to the design in function or appearance to me. Though you are unable to make a complex case, the pragmatic design still has a unique feel.

I also think that perhaps using a thicker set of markers will compliment the technical appearance of the case. It is interesting also that you are suggesting this as a "field watch". From my understanding, perhaps the term that the English community uses for a durable watch worn out frequently without concern is a "beater". The term "field watch" often refers to a utilitarian and legible design that is military in nature.


Please continue to share your progress!


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## dspt

interesting!
the crown guards look complex to me. would love to see how you are going to machine that


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## utzelu

Nice start of the project. Thank you for sharing with us. Will definitely watch the progress with interest.


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## INTERIMLAMB

Hi.
Continuation.

Next is bezel and caseback.
Bezel will be cut from proper size mill ends material. Simple lathe work, Description might be unnecessary.





















Although I don't intend to insert crystal to this bezel, I cut its space just as planned.








Caseback is from 3mm thick plate. 
In the same way as main body, it is bonded to metal bar. 




















Shaping its recess part. The space is for the roter of automatic movement.














LOCTITE 263 is fairly hard. When I remove the work, I use acetone, dissolves adhesive. The liquid makes removing easily.

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content









Ridges for bezel and holes for screws are not milled yet at this moment.

That's all for today!


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## MechaMind

Nice reduced design, but the sharp edges will probably make it unwearable, or at least wear down your clothes rather quick. And the large plain bottom , including the lugs will probably raise this ergonomical issues. From the production point plain is good but in real life its not done that often on larger watches.. appropos.. what about size. But in general I'm curious what you will get out of this project.. go ahead.😊
My next project will me a 3 d dial after a vintage car theme.. as soon as I will get permission to use the car manufacturers logo


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## INTERIMLAMB

Hi.
Continuation.

I made some jigs to produce these case parts precisely.

This aluminium plate would be set on the rotery table, the curved outlines of main body will be fixed in correct angle and cut on this plate.








This brass jig is used to hold the main body, in conjunction with the aluminium plate above.






View attachment 13905989








This odd block is only for set the brass jig to the main body correctly. I made use of mill-ends bar.








I made some rings additionally. From next post, I will do additional work, round cutting, drilling and so on, at milling machine with these jigs.








That's all for today!


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## utzelu

Excellent progress and I like in particular the jigs you made. Having to do all the machining on manual mill and lathe is very challenging on complex shapes.


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## INTERIMLAMB

Hello. 
Continuation.

Case shaping will be really started. Before milling, it is needed that the main body is set to the holding jig in required angle. Two pins and left side bump enable that. The body is tightened by four screws, to avoid an accidental slip while milling.








They are screwed on the another plate jig, which is bolted on rotary table. 














Pointing its rotation center.








Milling is proceeding, cut cut!!


































Above and below of crown guard is cut roundly by ball end-mill.








By turning it upside-down, the round shape is formed with comparative ease.








The outline shaping is mostly finished. 
That's all for today!


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## utzelu

Niceee! Case starts taking shape. Keep it going.


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## INTERIMLAMB

utzelu said:


> Niceee! Case starts taking shape. Keep it going.


Thank you! The next would be the cutting of upper side of lugs and the production of stainless lug bars.


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## INTERIMLAMB

mistake How can I delete post?


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## dspt

very cool!
(and you can't delete the post, just leave it empty or with "double post" note)


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## INTERIMLAMB

Hi.
Continuation.

The upper side of lug has to be cut in round shape. Only by using Φ10mm end-mill.




















On my wrist. This is getting its final shape.








And then, I'd like to form some depressions at inner space of the main body from both sides, those are fitting for bezel and caseback.














Finished in both sides, but I regret designing these part in a bit complicated. I intend to redesign it with simpler plan.














Next is 24mm length lug bars. They are made from Φ1.8ｍｍ SUS bar. Actually, it is measured 1.79mm.








They are arranged in 24mm length.








At lathe, I chamfer their edges. The work finished quickly.




















I will open 1.78mm hole at crown side lug and 1.80mm hole at the other side.
The lug bar will not easily come out from lug hole, even if the tightness of the hole becomes loose. 
Because it might be in crown-down position mostly, while we wear wristwatches.

Φ1.7mm dent is made at first to avoid slip of the tip of drill, the hole center is pointed nextly. Lastly, 1.78 or 1.80 holes are drilled.




















Its OK, tightness is just right.








That's all for today, thank you.


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## ppirate

That is an amazing project! I'm impressed, great job and can't wait to see the finished product


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## Jaybible

Excellent progress images, really enjoyed looking through your work. I can understand using Ali for the prototype, it is so nice to work with compared to s/s

In regard to the design, would you consider chamfering the edges, as previously mentioned, it looks like it will be irritating to wear.

btw hose damn looks look so tedious  Looking forward to seeing it all come together!


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## utzelu

That looks great! I am curious to see what kind of finishing you will do.


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## INTERIMLAMB

Hello!
Continuation.

Front side of the mainbody needs eight M1.4 screw threads every 45 degrees. I have to tap each of them one by one by handwork.








As for this model, I decided to use ready-made M1.4x3 socket cap screw, which is not applied special design, on both side of bezel and caseback. If owners lost one of them accidentally, he could get new one easily at DIY shop or web shop and so on. They don't need to order special one at high price. I don't want to make this watch tiring.

Bezel is also drilled and Φ2.6 countersinks are applied on it.














Nextly, Φ2 end-mill makes a notch 48 times on its outer rim.








It is finished finely!








Same as bezel, I have to make holes and some depressions on caseback. 














In addition to that, at lathe, it is required to form slanting part on the surface of it.





















That's all for today! Thank you!


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## lortega

This is awesome. Thanks for sharing and keep it up!


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## Mintu

glued to this thread. keep coming pls


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## INTERIMLAMB

Thank you everyone!
This is continuation.

Today's job is making of the crown, though it is a dummy.

Diameter of an alumi-bar was reduced to 6.5mm.








It is moved to the milling machine, and twelve lines are made on the surface of crown.














Back to the lathe again. The crown body is cut apart from the bar at 4.5mm thickness. And then the opposite side is trimmed and smoothed.














It is finished.
At this time, I found my mistake! Size of its diameter was wrong. It must be 6.0mm correctly. Why didn't I realize it earlier...?o| Anyway, I will use it as it is without concern.














All case parts are finished! Next is assembling!








That's all for today!


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## steve77

Spectacular project! Do you have a name for the watch?


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## boci202A

WOW, good for you. This is very impressive, keep up the great work and keep us posted.


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## INTERIMLAMB

steve77 said:


> Spectacular project! Do you have a name for the watch?


How do you think about using Japanese words?

Hello!

Finally, I've reached assembling process.

Lug bars are pushed into the lug holes. Easy and smooth.





















As menshoned, I use commercial M1.4 cap screws to fix the bezel and the caseback to the mainbody. 
View attachment 14003095


First is a side of caseback, the inner ring is already inserted.





















Next is bezel side. 














Assembling is completed! 





















By the way, I bought a black NATO strap at ￥100 shop DAISO. Is the shop also in your town?
20mm width is only available, the color is black or khaki green.
View attachment 14003123








The buckle is made from stainless steel. Length is about 260mm, a bit shorter? Thickness looks like average.


































Now, let's through it to the lugs. I feel its material is slightly weaker than proper one, but I can agree that when it costs only ¥100.














I feel it fairly good even on my small wrist. However, there are some issues I have to think. I intend to make improvements to some points of the plan. I've not finished dial design yet.
View attachment 14003149















I'll come back with a renewed plan. Thank you!


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## Karriope

INTERIMLAMB said:


> How do you think about using Japanese words?


Perhaps something to draw attention to its origin as a personal project like... コゲイ？


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## utzelu

Almost there. I am curious about the dial. Is the case made in stainless steel or aluminum? Any plan to polish it?


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## utzelu

This weekend I spent some time working on a caseback for a project. Like your watch, the case back is made in stainless steel (304 grade). I had a hard time drilling holes in it and I am not sure it was because of the work hardening of the metal or due to poor quality drills. I just could not go deeper than 1 mm into the metal. Could you please share your drilling technique for stainless steel?


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## daves2889

This is a super cool project and massive props for making something this cool from scratch for yourself! Love seeing the progress photos and can't wait to see more.

I like the case shape (if a little too big for my personal tastes) and the lugs are really unique in shape. Good job!


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## dan13rla

This is amaaaazing! Would love to see more of your work.


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## INTERIMLAMB

utzelu said:


> This weekend I spent some time working on a caseback for a project. Like your watch, the case back is made in stainless steel (304 grade). I had a hard time drilling holes in it and I am not sure it was because of the work hardening of the metal or due to poor quality drills. I just could not go deeper than 1 mm into the metal. Could you please share your drilling technique for stainless steel?


Hi!
Are you running your own watchmaking project? 
I assume that you used normal High Speed Steel drill, it might become useless soon, because stainless steel is very hard and stiff.
When I make a hole on SUS material, I don't use HSS drill but Vanadium/Cobalt-HSS with titan coated(if possible) one. It is more expensive than the former, but it is very effective and has a long life for SUS work. 
And cutting/drilling oil is required. I'm not sure about the thickness you want to go through, you should open the hole little by little, by repeating up and down drill chuck, in higher speed rotation.
Hope this helps. I wish you the best! :-d


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## MAS Watches

What a great project - you should be really proud of your achievements!
With a little refinement (smooth edges, some custom decoration on the caseback) this will be such a gorgeous one of a kind!


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## MAS Watches

What a great project - you should be really proud of your achievements!
With a little refinement (smooth edges, some custom decoration on the caseback) this will be such a gorgeous one of a kind!


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## INTERIMLAMB

Hello everyone.
Thank you for all the encouraging comments!

Well, I made some changes to my watch design.














First, I changed the movement from mechanical ETA2824 to quartz ETA due to cost issues. The two movements have completely different drive methods, but the dial specifications are the same. Therefore, there is no need to redesign the dial.
The second point is to slightly increase the thickness of the bezel and back cover. I felt that the back of the prototype was too thin. In addition, the lug side of the case was inclined. I think these changes will make it easier to put the NATO strap through the rug. By the way, I changed the fixed bar to a spring bar.














As for the name of this watch, how about "Yama-Kami"? 
It means The God of the Mountain (山神) in Japanese. He was a guardian god for lumberjacks and farmers as well as a fearful spirit. It should be correctly described as "Yama-Gami", but I think that the former is a candidate as foreigners think it is difficult to understand the difference between "Ka" and "Ga". The sound of that word is also good.

I intended to make it with stainless steel, but it may be good to make it with aluminum. It is lightweight, has sufficient strength, and is easy to cut. However, if aluminum is used, anodizing will be required. There is a concern as to how much cost it will cost, or if you can find a company that will accept even small lots.

By the way, here is another design.
Actually, this is for 3D printing. The material is resin.
As you know, 3D printing has many design limitations. Therefore, the bezel and the body are integrated, and the shape of the back cover is also greatly changed. This design remains fixed lug bars to ensure strength.





















This is the first challenge for me, so I do not know if it will proceed successfully, but now I'm asking Shapeways for prototype prints, so I would like to report the results again. This may be faster than the original project.

Thank you!


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## Karriope

I think that it is more appropriate to stick to the name "yamagami". It is more reflective of your heritage and culture. I do not know of anyone who says "shinikami" or the like, most non-Japanese speakers would be unlikely to be discriminatory as they would not necessarily know that "kami" on its own as a noun refers to divine entities or gods, and would perhaps treat "yamagami" as a word on its own, rather than think that it is "yama" and "gami" ("kami"). 
If you are not writing the name in Kanji on your watch, it is even less likely to cause confusion for foreigners.


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## utzelu

Making the case in aluminium is OK since it is for yourself, but like you mentioned, it needs anodizing, since aluminium will oxidize on contact with the skin. This is an extra process you would need to do and it's OK if you have the capability to do it yourself or to outsource it.

3D printing is a sensible choice when designing the prototype case, as it is a cost effective way to assess your design before starting machining. I too am taking advantage of this technology.

Regarding the new prototype, I quite like the caseback. It's not round as usual and has a nice fillet around it. I am curious how are you gonna machine this fillet feature, since you don't use CNC.

All the best


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## DECO665

A bit chunky for a field watch, no?


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## thedeandk

Nice interimlamb. Your watch projects are always great too follow and see your results. I wish you all the best with this one, and will be following


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## Karriope

DECO665 said:


> A bit chunky for a field watch, no?


I think his definition of a field watch is not the norm as we know it. It's more of a personalized beater that he is making here - a watch he would wear out and about in the 'field', rather than 'field watch' as in the stylistic genre as we know it.


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## Olly Yung

wow, thank you so much for the insight, this is so cool!


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## MS_original

Pretty interesting thread! Great to see the machining details and pics


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## ArdorandForge

Watching the process here is pretty cool...always love seeing the process behind the build!


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## INTERIMLAMB

Hello!
3d printed parts arrived from Shapeways. I would like to see what it looks like.








Those materials are printed with resin PA12 by HP Multi Jet Fusion. As you can see in the picture, just as expected, the surface is rough and not very smooth.

The letters on the bezel have a line width of about 0.5 mm, but its finish is not clean. The part where the letter is clogged is especially wavy and lacks smoothness. By the way, I changed from Yamakami to Yamagami.
The jagged edge of the bezel is not sharp so much. I thought it might be better not to put letters on the bezel. 





















I think that depending on the printing direction, vertical holes do not have a problem, but horizontal holes tend to collapse.








Press the 1.4mm thread insert nut into the case.








This is a spacer. As we wanted flexibility only in this part, we chose ordinary nylon plastic.








All parts are not complete, but for now we will assemble.








Fit the spacer on the inside of the body and put the gasket in the groove. Is the groove a little too deep?














Tighten the back cover with 4 screws.








It's done like this in no time.














Let's make NATO strap through the case. And on my wrist. . .














I would like to pursue more surface smoothness and detail accuracy. I will change the material and try again.
Thank you!


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## rybo

Awesome thread, love seeing the machine work and process behind it. Can't wait to see more


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## 10Swiss10

Looks great!


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## INTERIMLAMB

This is a long time post. 
I have had to concentrate on manufacturing this jumping hour watch for several months. This is an order from a foreign customer.














While doing that mentioned watchmaking, I reformed my design at some points.The letters on the bezel was removed and made its ridges larger. Lug bars became slightly thinner, case back was reformed thicker. I decided not to give a specific model name to it.














Of course, I didn't forget my own this field watch project. I received MJF printed watch cases the other day. Black and gray colored.





















At first, I intended to change material, but I decided to keep it as MJF PA12. To tell the truth, I tried SLS PA12 by high definition layer thickness, but it didn't bring satisfaction, because it had not good accuracy in size so much. I don't recommend SLS printing method for watch cases.

Well, I'm going to start temporary assembly. By the way, dials are not printed yet for now, though the design of dial has been finished mostly.
As I thought polished crown would not suit to this sporty watch, I applied hair-line finish to them on the lathe. Crown tube was press-inserted by vice. 



























The crown, which is 6.5mm dia, was set temporary like this.








Next, M1.4 insertion thread were screwed down to the case. We can sink them easily by screwing clockwise.





















I prepared 1.5mm thick mineral glass and gasket. We must care glass gasket has up-down direction. 
Glass was pressed carefully with a vice. 



























That's all for today. Thank you!


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## BavarianZHP

Have you tried using Shapeway's 3D steel printing? I saw they offered many other metallic materials as well. I'm not sure if changing to a metallic material will produce finer resolution/detail than the plastic for you but it might be worth it?


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## dspt

interesting to see the jump hour project. from the picture it seems you have two 12-teeth gears to achieve the jumping effect. very simple solution, and I wonder if it allows for the hour to jump instantly and exactly at proper time. also, it looks like the hour hand doesn't point to an exact hour mark. 
is there a place one can learn more about your jump hour modules?


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## daves2889

Would love to see more on the jumping hour watch you showed us? Looks very cool! I really like it!


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## jameswatchsd

INTERIMLAMB said:


> This is a long time post.
> I have had to concentrate on manufacturing this jumping hour watch for several months. This is an order from a foreign customer.
> View attachment 14359385
> View attachment 14359389


Just found this thread... your watch is very cool and is a great accomplishment. Making a watch seems like so much work and highly daunting. Subscribing to this thread.

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## OutOfSpec

Amazing work on the lathe. What happened to your field watch? Did you finish it? The jumping hour watch is really an accomplishment as well! Congratulations!


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## Krispee

Just finished your thread, really enjoyed the view, and was encouraged in my own journey. Interesting project, amazing what you can do with just a few tools. The jumping hour watch looks fantastic, a real accomplishment. Good luck on your field watch, machining aluminium is a little different than SS. Most people think that it's hard but in fact it's softer than steel, and hard wearing to cutting tools; gummy is an odd word to describe cutting but close I think. I also do some 3d printing and anything that is parallel to the bed and not supported in any way is going to suffer, about 45 degrees is what they advise but I've got away with 30, sort of.
Anyway, will come back to this thread again.


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## slikmetalfab

Fantastic!

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## cowboyjack

Thanks for posting this! The idea that I could even attempt to make my own watch was unfathomable. Now? You have me wondering.... mini mill... some stainless stock... hhhhmmmmm....


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## FubarCle

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. 

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## CRiTA thee WiSe Wiz

Wow! I want to see more. This is great. I love seeing time pieces come to life. 


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## Kuzushi

wow. this is an incredible build! Amazing machine work!


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