The Seiko 7S26 can be modded with a variety of aftermarket dials and other components.
Who still owns a mechanical watch? Well, me for are all that you need to master basic watchmak-one. It’s the original micro-technology. ing skills. A practical use of these skills is custom-
I got hooked on “high-mech” several years izing the look of a watch to your exact require-ago, as I became fascinated with the intricacy ments or style preferences, which brings us to and cleverness of design involved in getting a the family of watches based on the Seiko 7S26 mechanical device to precisely and repeatedly movement.
Photography by Bob Scott
“tick” despite variations in temperature, gravity This rugged, fairly accurate mechanical move-
(i.e. position), and maintenance. ment features a self-wind mechanism, day, date,
Mechanical watches seem almost alive and the usual hour, minute, and second hands.
compared to their digital counterparts, offering Aesthetically, the kindest thing that can be
aesthetic interest and longevity in place of the said of it is “unremarkable.” A product of machine
extreme accuracy and cheaper-to-buy-new-than- finishing and largely robotic assembly, it’s not
repair approach of their quartz cousins. going to make any watch enthusiast light-headed
Mechanical watches are also accessible to the when opening the back. But that also engenders
amateur. A small set of tools and some practice one of its greatest strengths: it’s cheap! New
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