The watchmaker's bench
Learn to make a watch
Everything we learned building a mechanical watch you can wind on your phone, written for anyone who wants to design one. Start with how to make a watch, or jump to a topic.
Make a watch
Make a watchHow to make a watchWhat it really takes to make your own watch — the parts, the design choices, the ways to build one for real, and how to prototype your design for free before you spend a cent.Make a watchDesign your own watchA practical, step-by-step guide to custom watch design — from purpose and proportions to dial, hands, movement and name — plus how to try every idea on your iPhone.Make a watchBuild your own watch: kits, mods and where to startEverything a beginner needs to build a DIY watch from a kit: which parts to buy, how movements, dials and hands fit, the tools you need, the steps and the common mistakes.Make a watchWhat is a grail watch?A grail watch is the one you dream about owning. Here's where the term comes from, how collectors find their grail, and how to design your own grail watch today.Make a watchCan your Apple Watch be a mechanical watch?Apple doesn't allow third-party watch faces, but you can still wear a mechanical watch on your wrist — wound with the Digital Crown and powered by your movement.Make a watchGifts for watch loversThoughtful gift ideas for watch enthusiasts at every budget — from watch rolls, straps and loupes to workshop experiences and an app to design their dream watch.
Watch design
Watch designParts of a watch, explainedA labelled guide to the parts of a watch — case, lugs, bezel, crystal, crown, dial, indices, hands, strap and the movement inside — and what each one does.Watch designWatch case shapes, explainedA guide to watch case shapes — round dress, diver, field and pilot cases, plus tonneau, cushion, octagon, tank, oval and jewel — with history and sizing tips.Watch designWatch case materials: steel, titanium, gold and moreSteel, titanium, 18k gold, black PVD, ceramic, bronze and platinum compared — how each watch case material looks, wears, scratches and ages on the wrist.Watch designWatch dial finishes, explainedSunburst, linen, enamel, guilloché, mother of pearl and fumé — what each watch dial finish is, how it's made, and how to pick a finish and colour for your watch.Watch designWatch indices and numerals, explainedBaton, Roman, Arabic, dot, diamond and California hour markers — plus applied vs printed indices, railway minute tracks, lume, and why watches write four as IIII.Watch designWatch hand styles: a guide to 18 types of watch handsDauphine, Breguet, Mercedes, syringe, sword and more. What each watch hand style looks like, where it came from, and which dials and cases it suits best.Watch designWatch straps and bracelets: every type, and how to chooseLeather, rubber, nylon, three-link, five-link, beads of rice and Milanese mesh. How each watch strap and bracelet type wears, and how to find the right lug width.Watch designWatch terminology glossaryPlain-English definitions of 79 watch terms, from amplitude and bezel to tourbillon and vph — everything you need to read spec sheets and talk shop with collectors.
How watches work
How watches workHow does a mechanical watch work?A mechanical watch runs on a coiled spring, a train of gears and a tiny oscillating wheel. Here's how each part works, explained in plain English with a diagram.How watches workAutomatic vs manual watchAutomatic watches wind themselves as you move; manual watches need a daily turn of the crown. Compare thickness, ritual, cost and reliability to pick yours.How watches workHow to wind a mechanical watchHow many turns, how often, and whether you can overwind it. A simple guide to winding hand-wound and automatic watches safely — plus when a watch winder helps.How watches workWatch power reserve, explainedPower reserve is how long a fully wound mechanical watch runs before it stops. Typical figures, how 8-day watches work, and what the dial indicator means.How watches workWatch beat rate, explainedWhat 21,600 or 28,800 vph really means, why the seconds hand steps instead of gliding, and how beat rate affects accuracy, power reserve and service life.How watches workHow to set a mechanical watchSet the time, date and GMT hand on a mechanical watch the right way — crown positions, hacking seconds, the 9pm–3am date danger zone, and syncing to the second.
Complications
ComplicationsWatch complications explainedWhat a watch complication is, and how each one works — date, day-date, small seconds, power reserve, moon phase, GMT, chronograph, perpetual calendar and more.ComplicationsMoon phase watches: how they work and how to set oneHow a moon phase complication tracks the lunar cycle, why the classic 59-tooth disc drifts a day every few years, and how to set the moon phase on your watch.ComplicationsGMT watches explained: how to read a second time zoneWhat a GMT watch is, how the 24-hour hand and bezel work, the difference between "flyer" and "caller" GMTs, and how to set and read one when you travel.