[Watchmaking] EP.1 Planning - Choose watch movement and watch case

The first step in making a watch dial is planning.


Watch movement and case

Choosing watch movement and watch case will determine the diameter and thickness of the dial you need to make.


Watch movement is related to the thickness of the dial.

The watch dial sits between the movement and the hour hand. If the dial is made too thick, the hour hand may touch the dial and not function properly.

Below image is the spec sheet of NH35 movement. With a 0.4 mm thick dial, there is approximately 0.6 mm clearance from the hour hand. In this case, you'll need to make it less than 0.7mm think, including the height of the indices, considering the tolerance.

If you want to use a thicker dial, you can replace the hour wheel and canon-pinion of the movement, so the hands can be mounted at higher position.



Watch case is related to the diameter of the dial.

Take a look at the illustration below. The top is the back of the case, where the movement is mounted, and the bottom is the front, where the watch crystal is located. The watch dial needs to fit into the case, but be larger than the visible area so that it can be securely seated in the case.

Usually item descriptions in web stores tell the range of dial sizes that can be accepted.

If there is no specification, you can buy the case first, measure it using vernier caliper, and then create the dial. The visible area diameter is also important when designing the watch dial.


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