I made a chronograph from spare parts I bought on eBay!

One of the ways I've been coping with the Coronavirus shut down has been to watch videos of watch repair. I got inspired and decided to dive into the horology hobby and build myself something. Let me know what you think of my effort! Thanks for watching!
I was inspired by these two videos from the Watch Repair Channel:
• Build Your Own Custom ...
• Build Your Own Automat...
Here are the eBay listings I used:
Movement:
www.ebay.com/itm/Seagull-manu...
Hands:
www.ebay.com/itm/Hands-Set-Fo...
Dial:
www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Chrono...
Case:
www.ebay.com/itm/Chronograph-...
I made the band myself, and I'll have a video out soon documenting that process.

[@kmtphx]

Thumbs up based on "Corona-graph" alone.

[@Emil_Nielsen]

Same dude

[@johnlee7164]

*standing ovation* bravo!

[@dodgydruid]

I did the same thing but with a Vostok Amphibia. I wanted to build the Amphibia I wanted which was the modern 22mm 090 case, the white radio room dial, black arrows and a gilt tension ring, finished off with the extra large crown and a stainless steel grille and powered by the trusty and reliable Vostok 2409 movement and it has been an absolute champion and is one heck of a large lump o' stainless on the old wrist too and very eye catching.

[@DrPronghorn]

Did you post pictures or a video? I'd love to see it!

[@GrumpyTim]

I used to do some watch repairs, and I know that feeling so well when a tiny little part flies off never to be seen again!!!!! I don't think I'd do watch repairs on video - I find the camera and tripod is always in the way when I'm filing camera lens repairs, so a tiny watch would be REALLY tricky to do on camera. Great video, really enjoyed it.

[@DrPronghorn]

Thanks! It's quite the juggle to have the camera there and get in with my loupe, too.

[@trentv5456]

Thanks for putting this video together. Don’t want to pay full price for a SpeedMaster, So this is a great alternative. This looks like a great winter project. Great thing about this build is you can drop in some great movements and still keep the cost reasonable

[@DrPronghorn]

If you make one, post some pictures on IG and tag me so I can see it. Or make a YT video!

[@jorgerobles628]

Yes, you got a nice experience assembling this watch. The tip I will give you is that when you are doing watchmaking, you never do it in a room that has carpet in the floor. You have to do it in a hardwood floor, so if any part falls, like happened to you with that tiny register hand, you can find the part. I assembled a similar chrono but using a Valjoux 7753 Automatic Chrono movement, to fix my own broken Omega, and it is working as new. Thanks for showing your experience!!!!

[@DrPronghorn]

Thanks for the tip! I'll eventually be able to make a dedicated watch room, but until then I might put a bedsheets in my lap to help catch pieces...

[@kowboys1180]

Nicely done. The last three minutes where you talk about hiw the movement functions is quite useful and interesting. I recently also got into watch assembly, and assembled a watch using an ETA 2824 movement. My next project is a Valjoux 7750. There are some tools I’d recommend that are inexpensive, and make some of the parts of the job easier: -Pin vise, about $10 on Amazon, for grasping the stem when measuring, cutting, and installing the crown -Rubber ball caseback opener, $10 for a pack of two -Watch hand presser installation tool, under $10 for a set of three. These are really nice - they protect the hands from bending, the mount ring from warping, and are really great for the sweep second hand. Guessing they help with the subdial hands as well. -Finally, if the case has a pop-off back, a watch press and opener kit for $20.

[@DrPronghorn]

Thanks! I'm thinking about doing a 7750 project as well! Since this video I've purchased some of the tools you recommend, including the rubber ball caseback opener and the hand presser. I only bought one size of hand presser, so I need to invest in the other sizes, as you suggest. I also should go ahead and buy the pin vise, and I need the watch press. If you watch my Orange Watch video, I pressed in the crystal with my bench vise (but I don't show it in the video! I was to scared to film it!). Here's the Orange Watch video in case you haven't found it on your own: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZWcdWOirNCEsM0

[@kowboys1180]

@@DrPronghorn Excellent! I’ll check the video out.

[@MrJetfire20]

Love this kind of proyects, I want to see more.

[@DrPronghorn]

Thanks! I'm working on it.

[@coffeemarshall3484]

I appreciate the honesty of the review. I'm taking the plunge soon!

[@DrPronghorn]

If you put pictures or video up, let me know! I want to see what you make!

[@RCFlyBoy314]

This is fantastic and it looks great! I'm glad to see you did it in a Speedy homage, the Phylida Speedmaster is super hard to get. (Being patient, but might go for the SSB031 instead) I made a WW2-ish field/aviator watch in 2019 from an Invicta NH35 and ebay parts. Removed the rotor so that it's hand-wind only.

[@DrPronghorn]

That sounds cool. Did you post any pictures on social media? If so, please share a link!

[@rsridhar63]

Excellent! I am taking baby steps trying to learn horology. So your video is an inspiration for me. Keep it going.

[@DrPronghorn]

You can do it!

[@bintangsena2249]

this is awesome !

[@DrPronghorn]

Thank you!

[@WatchWitt]

Great project!

[@DrPronghorn]

Thanks!

[@namenotavailable11]

Thanks for the build video. I like when people include there problems, not just an edited out "smoot sailing" video. Just finished my first build last night. SKX - yacht master mash up, that came out pretty good. I'm inspired by your video to have a go at a chrono. Those second hands though! I didn't know the seconds hand on an NH35 was such a small pinion and these look as small or smaller. I need a new set of eyes!

[@DrPronghorn]

Did you post any pictures of your build? Let me know if I can see it anywhere!

[@danielharms3844]

This is awesome. I have an ST19 movement that is all locked up and I've been looking for resources on doing a movement swap on it. Thanks for posting.

[@DrPronghorn]

You're welcome. Did you do the movement swap?

[@fortierma64]

Nice work! Funny coincidence, I just completed the same exact watch last night. 😊 As for keeping time compared to an original Omega, don’t worry, if we are talking about the 1960’s 321 movement, IMHO, those weren’t that more accurate than this Chinese made Venus 175 from the same era. Cheers!

[@DrPronghorn]

That's great! I really love this watch and I enjoy the mis-matched little hands as a reminder of my watchmaking journey...

[@petros311]

Very nice work!

[@DrPronghorn]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ssmit80]

I think its cool to make your own chrono. I have put watches together, but never a chrono. I always thought the minute hand jumped to make it easier to read.

[@DrPronghorn]

Thanks!

[@Spineloro]

Well done👍✨

[@DrPronghorn]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ruadhagainagaidheal9398]

Good job !

[@DrPronghorn]

Thanks!

[@jessiedobson2904]

love the video brotha!

[@DrPronghorn]

Thanks!

[@HRM.H]

I'll be doing a custom chronograph build with a landeron 51. I'll be hand decorating it and it'll have a display caseback so will look great !

[@DrPronghorn]

Are you going to make a video or post pictures? I want to see!

[@HRM.H]

@@DrPronghorn yeah i might , not sure yet. Will definitely take some before and after pictures. Will do guilloche on some and handpolish other parts. Should look great

[@monkeyman8265]

Badass that is awesome I’d like to do this.

[@DrPronghorn]

You can do it!

[@heyzooz]

Cool video. I wanted to get into watch building and repair but the more videos I watch the more discouraged I get. I can't imagine the patience and steady hand needed. I have two watches I want to swap the movements. Hopefully I can handle just removing the case back and removing the stem to do the swap. I'd hate to ruin both watches.

[@DrPronghorn]

Maybe you could buy some less valuable watches to practice on first? Then you can see whether you feel up to working on the ones that are more important to you.

[@kevgermany]

Lol, did the same thing a while ago. Went into it thinking easy peasy. Very big wake up call. And the case releases nickel so I can't wear it.... I used the android 'clock tuner' app to adjust the movement. Got it to a couple of seconds a day. Nicely done, thanks.

[@tasagaste]

Try to find 316L stainless steel cases with sapphire cristal and you will have no problems. Cheap watches are not something you want to build for yourself. If you want to build something for you and you are not confident with your skills, it's better to start saving on the movement, of course not starting with a 6 hand chronograph, but always choose a good quality case. I would choose a case that could fit either an ETA movement and its Chinese clone. Then, after some years you could upgrade your project with the ETA movement and end with a very decent timepiece to leave to your son.

[@kevgermany]

@@tasagasteThanks for the suggestions. It was supposedly a 316L case, did have a sapphire back. But 316L has a very high nickel content. Movement was an ST36. So I ticked all the boxes. What you don't know is that I had the problem for years with other watches, mostly Seikos, but also Avia, Baume et Mercier and Zenith... Only stopped being an issue when I switched to titanium cases. The home built brought it back with a vengeance. I've passed it on to my son on a bund strap, with the appropriate warnings. The stainless watches I only wear occasionally and never for more than an evening. That's under the trigger threshold.

[@DrPronghorn]

Thank you. I haven't heard of this nickel problem before, but it sounds serious. It would make sense that titanium cases would solve the issue.

[@jodybruce5097]

wow great video and very cool watch. it was very inspiring. i love watches and pretty mechanically inclined but have been scared to work with such tiny parts.

[@DrPronghorn]

You can do it! Just get something that you won't feel bad if you mess it up the first time. I recommend the Watch Repair Channel as a place to start: kzbin.info

[@jodybruce5097]

@@DrPronghorn thank you i will check out the videos!

[@DrPronghorn]

@@jodybruce5097 Let me know what you think in the comments when you do! Thanks!

[@97JoMiller]

this is super cool, would be even cooler if you could get the dial customized. I've thought about trying to make my wife a watch and have it say something custom on the dial.

[@DrPronghorn]

I've been thinking about ways to customize the dial. Stay tuned to see what I figure out...

[@highintensitypersonaltrain3605]

When you set the sub dial hands, how do you align the 24 hour hand in time with the hour/mins hand? Is there a movement hack that can set the sub dials independently? Thanks

[@DrPronghorn]

I just lined it up at midnight while the main hour hand was at 12. There's no hack to set the 24 hour hand separately. If I wanted to set it with, say a GMT offset, I could just pull the movement and re-set the hand manually.

[@jonathonix]

This is great. I might try it too! Have you ever made a watch before this?

[@DrPronghorn]

Jon Stein No, this was my first one!

[@jonathonix]

@@DrPronghorn Thank you! I just finished a first guitar build and looking for my winter project. I think this is my next build!

[@Chevrolet1994]

How is this Watch running 2 years later? Cool build

[@DrPronghorn]

I wore it the last two days and it hasn't lost more than a couple of seconds over that time. It's doing pretty good. Thanks!

[@Damon-qt3fw]

Looking to build a 44mm watch. My question is what size face/dial do I get? is 44mm watch case for a 44mm dial or do I need to go smaller so it fits in the case?

[@DrPronghorn]

You should be able to get the dial size from the stats on the case you buy. If you want a 44mm case, you definitely want a smaller dial, but how small varies by case.

[@SK-2175]

Which movement you got on Ebay. ST 1903 ? I built the same watch . However, I manage only to get the ST1901 and the 24 hr marking on the dial unfortunately did not syn with the movement for the 24 hour. The 1901 do not have the 24 hour function . Only 12 hours.

[@DrPronghorn]

Yes, I got the ST 1903 with the 24 hour subdial. You can probably find another dial that only has the two subdials that are on the ST 1901.

[@emmanuelcaraza7842]

How you fixed the minute hands ? I have the same issue doesn’t move

[@DrPronghorn]

The tension on the retention spring was wrong. I tweaked it with tweezers, but there seems to be a better way to do it with an adjustment screw.

[@TheTigerofthesnow]

Very nice, but you did not put the measurements of the clock?

[@DrPronghorn]

The case is 43mm wide.

[@number8812]

Hi there, thank you for this, it's really inspiring I would like to make my own watch kind of like the Breitling navitimer with my own dial, sapphire crystal, but original movement is too expensive for me, can somebody help me please !

[@DrPronghorn]

You might be able to find parts to match the look that would fit the Seagull movement like the one I used here. If you research chronograph movements, you might find another one that will work for your price and function goals. Good luck!

[@MichaelWilliams-mo1vv]

I have this exact watch bought from a company called Alpha Europe. Did you get the impression that the display back glass seems a little flimsy?

[@DrPronghorn]

I haven't had any issues with it. The back glass is plenty strong on the one I have.

[@MichaelWilliams-mo1vv]

Thanks for the quick response. I think the watch is great value at the price. I paid about £175 which included postage. The only issues I've noticed is that the screw down crown is slightly tricky to operate. The chrono seconds hand seems a tad short. Normally with a chrono the sweep hand should reach all the way to the edge of the dial. I'm slightly alarmed to see my suspicions confirmed that the movement is only held by the plastic spacer. It should really be held by screws. I've seen near identical watches sold by various micro brands so it seems as you've discovered they are available as an assembly kit.

[@DrPronghorn]

@@MichaelWilliams-mo1vv Not as a kit per se. I sourced the different parts from different vendors on eBay, with some coming from Eastern Europe, some from the UK, and some from Hong Kong. I suppose someone could be offering it as a kit, too.

[@MichaelWilliams-mo1vv]

Yes Alpha Europe sell the complete watch but also sell the movement, case, bracelet, dial and hands as separate/replacement items.

[@Danielo197]

What are you pushing on to remove the crown stem

[@DrPronghorn]

There's a tiny button right next to the stem that you push to let the stem out. I used my smallest screwdriver to push it.

[@madvillain505]

how do you remove the crown stem from the movement?

[@DrPronghorn]

If I recall correctly, there is a button to press with the tips of a set of tweezers.

[@kakakarim]

What’s going on with that second hand not being able to stick on there? I’ve been struggling

[@DrPronghorn]

In my case, it was both a lack of experience and the poor quality tweezers I bought as a newb. I have far fewer issues now, with better tools and more patience.

[@kakakarim]

@@DrPronghorn any fixable solution other than replace?

[@DrPronghorn]

You can buy a better tool for precisely mounting the chronograph seconds hand, but I think with these Seagull movements, there may be enough play in them that it won't park consistently no matter what. It doesn't bother me enough to take it apart and fix it right now; maybe if I do another chronograph, I'll buy the hand setting tool and then take this one apart and try again.

[@ivcruz422]

I tried clicking on the links so I can try this project. 2 of the links don't work 😢 is there a way you guide me in the right direction. Thank You

[@DrPronghorn]

You can just search for the key words on eBay and find new listings. The parts seem to come and go from different vendors, so I don't try to keep the links current

[@ZeginMakesMusic]

You shouldn't put the movement inside of the case, rather you should lower the case down on top of the movement.

[@DrPronghorn]

That makes so much more sense! Thank you for explaining it to me. I'll follow this assembly pattern from now on.

[@ianrusso8790]

put a name on it like starvin marvin

[@DrPronghorn]

I mean, I do call it my "coronagraph"...

[@richardcloudbase]

where are your finger cotts lol

[@DrPronghorn]

I was too cheap to buy them then... I have some now!

[@mytheen2129]

பேப்பர் ரூபா வாட்ச் கேஸ்கட் கிடைக்குமா

[@DrPronghorn]

I'm not sure I understand your question, I'm sorry.

[@giovanni344]

Hai dovuto interrompere il video per mettere la lancetta dei secondi...?! ma che video dimostrativo è ..?

[@DrPronghorn]

It was very hard to put in the second hand, with the camera also in the space. I've gotten some better at working with watches since then.

[@Mikesmeyer88]

Any watch/ movement with the wasted space of a 24 hour hand is just laughable. I call it the idiot dial because its "to be used for setting the date" so you know am and pm. Idk who thought it was a good idea or who thinks people actually want it. No one wants them.

[@DrPronghorn]

They're intended for people who are traveling so far by airplane that they need to be sure of AM/PM in their home time zone. They can also be useful for folks living beyond the arctic circle or in caves for extended periods. I will admit it's not much use for the average person like me.

[@Cetrifuga1945]

No no no no no no no no

[@DrPronghorn]

Why not?

[@Mikesmeyer88]

So really its even more useless because it only records minutes,

[@DrPronghorn]

If you choose to look at it that way

[@davidcrandall1285]

This is not watchmaking!

[@DrPronghorn]

Fair enough. How would you describe it?

[@Ba_Yegu]

He even fixed an issue which hindered the chronograph movement to run properly on the watch, so that's very much watchmaking. Those oopsies with the hands qualifies him only as a Watchmaker Apprentice though. ; ) In the days of old the watchmakers designed and built watches from scratch and even hand made their own tools in the process as they needed them, but those days are far gone... (Not that there still weren't those masochists who prefer doing things in the old way.)

[@davidcrandall1285]

It's tantamount to an erector set or one of those make it yourself radio sets I made as a kid. Watch making is a highly technical skill that takes Six to eight years to learn!

[@davidcrandall1285]

Two to three years of training is dedicated to fabricating gears. Then the student must pass a rigorous test to become a certified watch MAKER,not an assembler.Modding is similar to painting by numbers

[@davidcrandall1285]

Then, after six to eight years and passing rigorous tests,the junior "watchmaker" must apprentice for years!