Simple Watch:
Turning an Apple Watch mechanical
Although the Apple Watch is undoubtedly a masterpiece of product design (especially the first generations), not everyone wants to have a small computer/smartphone strapped to their wrist at all times. As a horology and watchmaking enthusiast, I enjoy the idea of wearing an entirely mechanical time-tracking machine instead.
While H. Moser & Cie have produced Apple Watch inspired mechanical watches in the past, when I saw Jack Spiggle's project of fitting an actual mechanical movement inside of an actual Apple Watch, I immediately loved the idea. In addition, I saw some ways of improving and simplifying the design, and wanted to try it myself.
Below are a few pictures and explanations of the project.
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The finished watch.
How it works
The watch was built from a first generation stainless steel Apple watch case and a Seiko NH38 movement. The watch was stripped down until only the case and crown remained. Holes were filled with epoxy, and some modifications were made to the case, such as milling a pocket and adding a tapped hole to secure the dial.
To transfer the rotational motion of the case's off-centered crown to the movement crown, necessary to wind the movement and set the time, a nitrile rubber belt was used. The case's crown's diameter was increased by adding some epoxy compound and forming a v-groove into it. A custom brass movement crown was machined on a lathe.
The principal innovation from Jack Spiggle's design is the modification of the movement's time-setting spring, and the addition of a lever connected to the Apple Watch's button. This enable the time setting clutch to be engaged by a simple press of the button, which is much simpler, more robust, and retains the water-tightness of the watch.
The watch during prototyping.
Testing the winding and time setting mechanisms.
Building the watch
Below are some pictures of the watch during the prototyping and building process, along with a few explanations.
