My New Watch Project And I’m Excited

Farer Watch from internet.

My humble watch collection is fairly traditional but I do hanker after watches that show a dash of colour, so brands like Farer (photo left) and Christopher Ward often catch my eye. I received a project watch this week that may just scratch that itch.

I purchased the watch from Ali-Express (see photo below). It has a stainless steel diver style case, white dial with applied markers, a mechanical automatic movement, in fact everything except a watch strap.

It has a few pluses – screw down crown, 42mm case diameter, white dial (I don’t have a white dialed diver), yachtmaster bezel insert (on my wish list), and a sterile dial and case back (so a neutral watch). The watch movement is Chinese, with little reference information, and I am not a big fan of Cyclops, but otherwise this watch ticks quite a few boxes.

The watch cost A$60.48 including delivery and import GST. I ordered it on 9th January and it arrived at my local Post Office in Australia on 8th February, so an acceptable delivery time given Covid restrictions, The watch was very well packed and included the fancy little bump protector, which reminds me of the one that Victorinox supply with their INOX watches.

So, now comes the fun. Which watch strap do I put on it, and what do I do about the hands? A white dial needs some contrast in my view and this may be a perfect opportunity to add some colourful hands.

There is a side story to this project because this watch is clearly a Rolex Yachtmaster homage. There is nothing terribly unusual about Rolex homages. Some very reputable brands draw their designs from other watches but this one is a little close to a copy so I will delight in transforming it in to something else.

Now, modding a watch brings with it design issues. Design is not easy (that’s why we pay professional designers so much money) and we have all seen modding projects go wrong. Do I install a strap with bling or do I let the hands do that special thing? If I raise the colour profile of both, will I sort of cancel them out? I am thinking of a more muted watch strap and a pop of colour on the hands as a first step.

Stay tuned – I can’t wait.