Read This Before Engraving Your Modded Watch
Anyone can upgrade a watch by replacing watch parts, but you can also make it more personalized by engraving something meaningful to you in its “empty spaces”.
Seiko Mod Watches are a lot of fun, and you might want to engrave yours to make it even more unique.
Of course, like engraving wedding rings, most of the time, this is about commemorating a significant personal event and making the watch more meaningful. In fact, a watch is a perfect gift for someone you care about.
Source: Facebook
However, if you can't do quality watch engraving yourself, you may damage your timepiece. Consider if engraving a watch is a good idea, and who is the best person to do the work.
Why Engrave a Watch?
Watchmakers have spent decades refining and designing perfect cases, so we don’t want to wreck it, right?
Let's take a look at the dos and don’ts of hand-engraving a watch!
What You Should Do
Consider all the aspects of engraving a watch, especially an expensive one. It would be great if you spend more time kicking around a few ideas with friends, or making a list of possible inscriptions before doing an engraving.
Then, you should consider the font for a monogram or a message engraving. If your typeface is timeless, you will be able to appreciate the words as the years go on. Your new watch will probably be your constant companion for many years to come, and you may even be passing it on to your next of kin as a family heirloom so if you still insist on engraving it, at least keep the design simple and tasteful.
Source: @xlusiv on IG
Consider using the metal bracelet links for an engraving rather than the case back. If you want to get rid of the engraving, you can simply swap the engraved link out for another link. In addition, this is also an option for those who want to show an engraving to the public because you can change the engraving whenever you want.
What You Shouldn’t Do
For a watch with a plain case back crafted from steel, it can be hand-engraved with whatever inscription you want. On the other hand, if it has a sapphire case back with clear glass that lets you see the movement inside, it will be trickier.
With a sapphire case, you’ll need to drop it off to a specialist engraver and use a laser to engrave on the glass. This is also more expensive as well as depending on the complexity of the mechanism, you might not even be able to see the inscription once it’s been carved in.
So, engraving on a sapphire case back is normally not a great idea.
Also, don’t engrave anything too personal if your watch is expensive and you would like to make it an heirloom in the future.
Uh-oh, is that your PIN code? We advise against engraving that on your watch too.
Instead, you can try tastefully engraving your family name on the case back. This can add some real gravitas to your timepiece and may be more meaningful for your great-grandson.
Some Watch Engraving Ideas You May Like
Important Dates in Your Life
One of the most common reasons for engraving a watch is to commemorate an event or a specific milestone in life such as an anniversary or to mark an accomplishment, for example, you can engrave the date you got your dream job or date of retirement.
Your Name or Initials
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Is there any other way to make an item more personal than to stamp your name on it? In our opinion, there’s no clearer proof that you are the proud owner of a watch than to have your name engraved somewhere on the watch. If you have a name that’s too long to engrave, you can also just add in your initials, which adds an air of mystery to the watch.
Quote or Motto You Live by
In addition, engraving an inspiring quote is also a way to motivate yourself or someone.
Of course, how many characters you have in an engraving is also one of the factors that affect how much it costs to have a watch engraved. If it’s just a few characters, it is often cheaper than an engraving which has a lot of characters and a long sentence.
More letters means the engraver will need to do more work. In addition, the more letters you need, the smaller they will be, therefore, this will also make the engraving more complicated. In this case, the engraver needs to be more precise as it is harder to engrave tiny letters than larger ones.
Symbol or Image
Engraving a symbol is also another great way that you want to make your watch more personalized. Your family crest or similar will be a meaningful engraving, especially if your watch is inherited by other generations in the family.
Should You Engrave Your Modded Watch?
Well, it’s up to you. If you want to engrave an expensive or collectible watch, making any engraving will reduce its value unless you are a celebrity. If you are already into Seiko mods, you probably aren’t worried about making a few mistakes.
If you're Marlon Brando, please engrave as much as you want! Source: Time and Tide Watches
On the other hand, it will be better and easier to engrave a modded watch, because you can swap out the parts if you don't like your work. You can also play with an aftermarket caseback, and see how good you are at the art of engraving.
Because a case back is small, too much engraving may not be as nice as you envisioned it to be when it’s done. Complex designs may prove to be difficult to read and may look cluttered.
In addition, how long it takes to engrave a watch depends on where you engrave it. The most common place to engrave a watch is the caseback as this is usually where there is the most room as well as usually also the flattest area.
Getting started with a Seiko mod watch is a great option as there are a lot of quality case backs at affordable prices for Seiko watches in our online store. Check out all the Watch mod parts we offer, including blank case backs.
In fact, if you decide to use one of our aftermarket watch cases, you can have fun engraving, and not worry about damaging OEM Seiko Watch spare parts.
We have a wide range of SKX007 parts, and loads of other options to choose from, and with namokiMODS, you don’t have to worry about finding the right parts for your project watch.
Happy modding!