De-branding wrist watch dial?

Bane

Bane

Bane

Soldato
Joined
10 Jun 2005
Posts
2,604
I'd like a uncluttered looking wrist watch if it's possible to remove the manufacturer name, water resistance, and other similar specification you often get on the dial. But without damaging the underlying surface coating.

One example I was recently considering is a French Connection watch, if I could remove details from the inner circle of it.
FC1050SSM_zps632de127.jpg


Others brands included Timex.
 
Often generic watches like this have replaceable parts. you'd need to ask about on watch forums and see if anyone knows what watch it really is and if and how easily obtainable a plain face would be.

There's lots of watch modding going on and plenty of dials and hands going around for the common movements / cases.

To be honest though. Starting off with a "FC" watch isn't the best starting place. I'd bet there are better watches, more easily modded for the same sort of money. Have a look at the Seiko Kinetics or Citizen Ecodrives.
 
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It can be done but it will depend on your starting point (ie whether the original watch can be taken apart easily without damaging it) and whether replacement unbranded parts are available. There is an huge market, for instance, in modding Seiko diver watches for which there are plenty of aftermarket dials, hands etc etc. For something like an FC watch, however, it is probably botched together and there will be nothing available to mod it with!

The alternatives will be:

(a) make your own watch (as said above);
(b) buy a sterile watch like the Parnis below; or
(c) get someone to mod your chosen watch for you.

It would be worth asking the same question on a more watch specialised forum such as WatchUSeek as well.

bdm6wx.jpg
 
Thanks for the replies.

I thought it might be easy to do using, for example, a cotton wool bud and an alcohol based solvent. Providing it just took off black text and not the surface covering of watch dial.
 
New old stock watches?

By removing the logo are you trying to get a watch that looks anonymous as such, or even unique?

If so have you considered buying a new old stock watch? There are websites that specialize in watches that are old stock / never warn. If you choose correct you'll have something that's removed from modern branding, yet the quality maybe better then modern items of more money.

For example I recently picked up a circa 1981 Tissot F1 divers (like the one below) brand new, ok it has Tissot on it, but otherwise no one can identify it to anything due to age. This watch was built when Tissot and Omega shared the same quartz calipers, it uses a caliper 2031. The reason for the 'F1' in name is due to when Tissot sponsored Lotus in 1970/80's. Ok I went of subject a little, but would still hunt down something old and rare, then trying to deface a modern watch.

http://www.retro-watches.co.uk/watches/11-07/images/49-(4).jpg
 
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Bane said:
Thanks for the replies.

I thought it might be easy to do using, for example, a cotton wool bud and an alcohol based solvent. Providing it just took off black text and not the surface covering of watch dial.
Click to expand...

You're right, it can be done with alcohol/acetate, though whether or not the dial will be discoloured depends on the dial. The key is just to be patient and gently swab at it.

I don't know how much your chosen watch costs but I imagine FCUK watches sell at rip-off prices so I wouldn't be keen on experimenting on one...
 
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