6 Tools You Need When Modding Your Watch’s Internals

If you are a watch lover, chances are you have heard about watch modding. Modding is what many watch enthusiasts grow into to maximize their timepieces’ utility and uniqueness and reflect their personality.

Reasons to mod a watch aside, there are specific tools you will need to mod watches easily and reduce the risk of damaging them. This is even more true when it comes to working on the watch’s internals. That’s because, while a watch may be built like a tank on the outside, its internals are quite fragile. The fact that the components inside a watch are extremely tiny doesn’t make things any easier, either.

The risk of damaging a watch during modding is high, and any mistake you make when working on the internals can result in a broken watch that does nothing more than look good on your shelf. For that reason, it pays to know the right tools to have in your arsenal to make sure you’re modding your watch’s internals effectively and minimizing the risks. Here are the essential tools you will need to carry out internal watch modding properly.

1. Oil

Oil is critical to ensure that your watch’s movement can run smoothly without any hiccups, allowing the watch to maintain its accuracy. Many options are available when buying oil, such as the Moebius 9010 Oil and the Moebius 941/5 Grease. Different options work with various movements, so pay attention to the differences to pick the right one.

2. Tweezers

A tweezer’s primary use is to pick up the tiny screws used to hold the watch together. You will want to work with antimagnetic tweezers, such as plastic tweezers for quartz movements or No. 5 tweezers for picking up hairsprings. If you do not want to purchase too many tweezers, then go for a No. 2 and No. 3 tweezers. These two are great for pretty much all your tweezer-related tasks.

3. Dust Blower

When you see dust on your watch’s components, you may be tempted to blow it away with your breath. However, this is to be avoided because the mist from your breath will ruin the movement. As such, we highly recommend buying a rubber dust blower. Do be careful when using it, as you may blow away parts of the watch by accident.

4. Screwdrivers

You will need a screwdriver to remove a watch’s screws. We recommend investing in good quality screwdrivers to ensure they last long and unscrew your watch with ease. In terms of size, you should look for an 80, 100, 120, or 140. You can get away with using a screwdriver set so that you have access to various sizes at all times.

5. Movement Holder

Once the movement has been removed, parts of it will stick out, putting them at risk of getting damaged. A movement holder is essential to hold these parts in place and mitigate that risk. Some movement holders are specific to certain brands, so you might need to look for suitable options that can work with your watch.

6. Watch Hand Lifting Lever

To mod your watch, you will need to remove its dials and hands. You can easily do this with a watch hand lifting lever. These tools come in various sizes, all of which are built for different hand sizes. Be sure to research what size your watch’s hands are and purchase the right option.

Conclusion

You can keep an eye out for many other tools to add to your watch-modding arsenal, from Rodico and peg wood to even a watch cleaning machine. All these tools will help make your watch-modding hobby easier and more enjoyable.

That said, nothing beats being able to look at a watch after pouring countless hours into it, seeing its glory, and feeling proud of what you’ve accomplished, all thanks to the help of the tools you have.

We are Seiko mod specialists that provide various Seiko mod parts, such as sapphire crystals, case backs, bezels, and more. If you are looking for Seiko mod parts in the US to mod your watches, check out what we have to offer!