So, I’ve been obsessed with this idea for a while: a no-date submariner. You know, those classic diver watches are cool, but that little date window? Always bugged me. Clutters up the dial, and who even remembers to set it on a watch you don’t wear daily? Not me. I just wanted that clean, symmetrical look.
Getting All The Bits Together
This wasn’t a walk in the park, let me tell you. It meant spending hours, and I mean hours, scrolling through websites, trying to find all the right pieces. It’s like a treasure hunt, but for watch parts. Here’s what I ended up chasing down:
- A solid stainless steel case – had to be that classic submariner style, of course. Getting the right finish and size was key.
- The dial. This was the big one for me. Strictly no date window! Just a clean, black surface with some nice bright markers. Finding one that wasn’t cheap-looking took some digging.
- Hands. You gotta have those Mercedes hands for the proper look, right?
- A movement. I decided to go with an automatic one. Some people get movements with date wheels and then go through the hassle of removing them. I lucked out and found a movement that was already made without a date function. Saved me a headache there, or so I hoped.
- Then all the other little things: a sapphire crystal, because I’m clumsy and scratch everything; a nice ceramic bezel insert; a good screw-down crown; and a decent steel bracelet to tie it all together.
The Actual Build – Sweating the Small Stuff
When the little packages finally started showing up, it felt like a mini Christmas. I spread everything out on my little workbench, and honestly, it looked pretty intimidating. First job was prepping the movement. Carefully took it out of its protective case. Then, the dial. Oh man, this part. You gotta line up these tiny dial feet with even tinier holes in the movement. One wrong move and you bend a foot. Got it on straight after a few deep breaths.
Then came the hands. I swear, this is where most home-brew watch projects go to die. Or at least where most of the swearing happens. Pressing these tiny little hands onto microscopic posts. Hour hand first, then the minute, then the sweep second. All perfectly aligned, all without scratching the dial or the hands themselves. I must’ve reset the minute hand about five times. I’ve got this cheap hand-press tool, nothing fancy, but it eventually did the trick. Got them all lined up at 12, looking sharp.
Next, stuffing all that into the case. Before that, the crown stem needed trimming. They always ship ’em way too long. So, measure twice, cut once. Well, more like measure, snip a tiny bit, test, snip again, test again. Finally got the length right so the crown would screw down nicely. Then, carefully eased the movement, with the dial and hands attached, into the case. There’s usually a plastic spacer or some tiny clamps to hold it in. Fiddled with that for a bit until it was snug.
Finishing Up and The Big Reveal
Screwed on the case back tight, making sure the rubber gasket was seated properly. I mean, I’m not taking this thing deep-sea diving, but a little water resistance is good, right? Popped on the bezel and the ceramic insert I picked out. Then came wrestling with the spring bars to get the bracelet attached. Those things love to fly across the room.
And then, finally, there it was. My very own, custom-built, no-date submariner. Holding it in my hand, looking at that super clean dial without any date cluttering it up – man, it just felt good. It’s not perfect, not like something from a Swiss factory, but it’s mine. I made it. Every time I glance at it, I remember the whole process, the bits of frustration, the little wins. And hey, it actually keeps pretty decent time too, which is always a plus!
It was a pretty satisfying little project, all said and done. A bit of a pain at times, especially those darn hands. But totally worth it to get the exact watch I’d been picturing in my head. No fuss, no date, just the time, looking clean. And I didn’t have to empty my bank account for some fancy brand to get it. Plus, being able to say “Yeah, I built that” is pretty cool, not gonna lie.
