Building a Watch That Tudor Should Have Made
The Tudor Black Bay 36 was my dream watch. I finally got my hands on a first-generation model and wore it for a year, but over time, certain design choices started to bother me. The case felt too slab-like, the edges were sharper than I preferred, and even the bezel had an uncanny resemblance to a cheap Rolex homage. Eventually, I decided to sell it. However, after parting ways with it, I found myself missing the watch. Rather than buying another, I set out on a different path—to build my own version, incorporating all the elements I loved about the original while refining the aspects that didn’t quite work for me.
Sourcing components
I initially hoped to use a Rolex Explorer 1016 case for my build, as that was what I had originally wished my Black Bay 36 felt like. Instead, the BB36 ended up feeling more like a cheap Explorer replica. My initial plan was to create a Franken build using an Explorer 1016 case that could fit an ETA 2824 movement (the movement used in the gen BB36), allowing me to source a genuine dial and hands. I reached out to Raffles to see if they had a compatible case, but unfortunately, the only option without drilled-through lugs was designed for DG and Miyota movements, ruling out the possibility of using an ETA 2824. This meant I had to pivot my approach and look for alternative components.
Here’s what I ended up using:
The Build
Start by preparing the dial. The Raffles dial comes with dial feet for both Miyota and ETA movements. Identify the ones that are for your movement of choice.
For my build, I ended up using a Miyota 8215, so I had to remove the extra ETA feet. For removal, I used the stock Ender pliers that I got with my 3D printer and sanded down the excess if needed.
The next stage is to prepare the movement. As mentioned, I used a Miyota 8215 instead of the ETA 2824, which I typically use. The Miyota comes with a plastic movement ring that snaps onto the movement. Its purpose is to secure the placement of the movement inside the case.
If you left the correct dial feet on, the process of marrying the dial and the movement should be pretty straightforward. Just slide the dial onto the movement until the feet are fully inserted in their designated locations, and that’s it.
To secure the dial to the Miyota movement, there are two screws that need to be tightened. Their position is on the side of the movement and is pretty easy to find and fasten.
The next step is to place the hands. I am using my own set of 3D-printed tools to press the hands onto the post. I’ll post links to the STLs of my tools soon. I’ve printed them out of PLA, PETG, and ASA, respectively. Since I am not really handy with tweezers, I use sticky putty to navigate the hands to the appropriate location.
You’re almost done! The difficult part is over. The next step is to remove the caseback and prepare the case for final assembly. The final tricky part is to remove the stem from the movement. First, carefully move the stem to the time-setting position. You’ll see the seconds hand stop moving if it’s in the right position (this applies to the Miyota 8215 and all movements that have the hacking feature). This is crucial to ensure that you don’t mess up the keyless works of your movement.
Slowly and steadily place the case over the movement and carefully flip them over on the case’s crystal.
Now you’re ready to secure the movement to the case. A side note: at this stage, you should also refit the stem back to the movement to initially secure it to the case. For my build, I ordered a pre-cut stem to the right dimension so I didn’t have to cut it to size on my own.
At the very end, place the crown on the stem and secure it with jeweler’s cement or a superglue solution. Place the rubber seal on the case and screw the caseback on.
In my build, I also bought a bracelet for the watch. The final step was to install the bracelet with the curved end links, and that’s all it took to build the Tudor Black Bay 36-inspired rep that Tudor should’ve built in the first place.
