Tools and parts

An introductory kit that provides the basics, hand pushers, cushion, rodico, and an air blower.

Expensive, and the one place I would not economise. Badly ground blades slip out of movement screws and mark the plate.

Steel for general work. Keep a cheap brass pair alongside them for anything near a dial, since brass gives before the dial does.

Needed the moment you have to trim a stem to length. Anything that reads to a hundredth of a millimetre is accurate enough for watch work.

Thin enough to get under an SKX bezel without marking the case. Worth having two so you can work round the case in stages.

For screw-down casebacks. The adjustable ones slip if you underdo the tension, so clamp the case properly in a holder first.

Holds the watch steady and keeps the crystal off the bench. Replace it once it picks up grit.

Grips a screw-down caseback without touching it with metal. Slower than a wrench and it will not mark the case.

Lifts all three hands square. Put a dial protector under it every single time, no exceptions.

Thin plastic discs that sit over the dial while you pull hands. Cheap, and they save dials.

For snipping unused dial feet flush. Ordinary wire cutters leave a stub that holds the dial off the movement plate.

A sharp, replaceable blade for lifting adhesive films and making precise cuts. Fit a fresh blade and keep it nearly parallel to the surface when starting an LCD reflector peel.

Grips the NH series movements without putting pressure on the rotor. Plastic holders flex and let the movement twist.

Lifts dust, fingerprints and stray lume off dials and crystals. One block lasts a very long time.

Use this before canned air, which can spit propellant onto a dial.

A smear on every gasket you refit. It helps the seal seat evenly and stops the rubber drying out.

Powder-free is the part that matters. Powdered gloves leave a residue that shows up under a domed crystal.

A drop on the stem thread stops the crown unscrewing itself off the stem.

Often used for camera lenses, two different tips for cleaning smudges and removing dust.

A soft, lint-free cloth for removing fingerprints and residue from LCDs, crystals and other delicate surfaces without scratching them.

Compresses spring bars while fitting the rubber strap between the lugs.

Case set for the budget VH31 build, including a strap. Confirm the supplied movement holder and case contents before ordering.

Usually sold with the crystal, caseback, crown and stem already fitted. Check it is cut for the NH movement family before ordering.

Listing supplied for the Evolution 9-inspired build. Confirm it is designed for the NH35 and check the dial opening, stem height and strap fit before ordering.

Listing supplied for the Snowflake-inspired build. Confirm the case is made for the NH35 and check the dial opening, stem height and bracelet fit.

Listing supplied for the Shunbun-inspired build. Confirm the case is made for the NH35 and verify dial opening, dial feet, date position and hand sizes.

Stainless steel case used in the Mazda Miata and Porsche Casio Royale builds.

Case used in the Daytona Panda Homage build, with a black tachymetre bezel.

Case and three-link bracelet used in the GMT-Master II Batman Homage build, with a blue-and-black 24-hour bezel.

Case used in the blue VK63 build, with a dark-blue tachymetre insert and Snoopy-themed caseback. Confirm the listing's movement compatibility.

Oil listing supplied for this hydromod guide. Confirm its composition, viscosity and compatibility with your watch materials before use.

Clay used to model the textured moon in the circular window of the NASA Moon Casio Royale build.

Three hands and a date. The usual starting point for an NH parts build; match the date window, dial and hands before ordering.

Adds a day wheel to the date. Check the dial openings and day-wheel language.

The NH35 with the date work left out, and an open balance on show through the caseback. The one to buy if your dial has no date window.

Adds a central 24-hour GMT hand and keeps the date. Needs a fourth hand, a readable scale and enough room under the crystal.

Small 24-hour subdial and open-heart layout, without a date. Match both openings and the subdial hand to the movement.

Silver-finish skeleton movement. Choose the case and dial to show the works.

Gilt-finish skeleton movement. Choose the case and dial to show the works.

Grey-finish skeleton movement. Choose the case and dial to show the works.

Three-hand quartz movement with a date. The closest simple quartz match for an NH35 layout, but it needs a case, dial and hands made for the 2115.

Three-hand quartz movement with day and date. Check the calendar position, day-wheel language and dial drawing before ordering.

Dateless three-hand quartz movement with four steps per second. A good choice when you want smoother seconds without an automatic movement.

Spare stems for the budget VH31 build. Match the exact movement version and crown thread, then trim to fit the case.

Three hands, date and a central 24-hour GMT hand. It matches the NH34's functions, but requires its own compatible case, dial and hand set.

Sweep-second quartz movement with a small 24-hour subdial. It matches the NH39's display layout without the open-heart view.

Slim three-hand quartz movement with a date. A thinner alternative when a standard date display matters more than sweep-second motion.

Battery-powered movement with a mechanical-feeling chronograph. Match the dial feet, hands and case to the VK63 before ordering.

Sold as a stack of three. Confirm the hole sizes match your movement family rather than the watch model.

Dial for the budget VH31 build. Check the selected dial's diameter and mounting against the movement and case.

Hands for the budget VH31 build. Confirm all three fittings and hand lengths for the selected movement, dial and case.

Measure the dial against the movement, not the case. Most are sold with several sets of feet so one dial fits a range of movements.

Listing supplied for the Evolution 9-inspired build. Confirm the dial feet, date-window position and hand hole sizes match the NH35 and selected case.

Listing supplied for the Snowflake-inspired build. Confirm dial feet, date-window position and hand hole sizes match the NH35 and selected case.

White dial with three black-ringed subdials, used in the Daytona Panda Homage build.

Hand set used in the Daytona Panda Homage build.

Hand set used in the NH34 Batman build, including the blue GMT hand.

Black dial with white hour markers and a date window at three o'clock, used in the GMT-Master II Batman Homage build.

White main dial with metallic-blue subdials and a date window. Its feet and subdial positions must match the VK63 movement.

Listing supplied for the Shunbun-inspired build. Confirm the bracelet end links and lug fit match the selected case.

Buy a mixed pack. The bars supplied with a bracelet are often a fraction too long for the case you are fitting them to.

Red strap used in the Mazda Miata Casio Royale build, matching the red gel filter over the world map window.

Metal converters used in the NASA Moon Casio Royale build to fit a 20 mm strap to the 18 mm attachment.

Orange sailcloth strap used in the NASA Moon Casio Royale build. Match the strap width and attachment to the selected AE-1200 case.

Blue strap used in the Porsche Casio Royale build, matching the blue gel filter over the display. Select the blue option in the listing.

Orange FKM strap with raised sections and a textured surface, used in the Stop Light Casio Royale build. Select the orange option in the listing and match the attachment to the selected case.

Blue strap used to match the dial and bezel. Check the case's lug width before ordering.

The standard F-91W in blue resin. Module 593 and the LCD are the same as every other F-91W, so any backing or strap mod that works on a black one works on this.

Sold in sheets and cut to size. This is what a negative-display conversion uses: the polariser is swapped through ninety degrees so the ground reads dark and the segments read light.

Silver metal faceplate with a red NASA logo, used in the NASA Moon Casio Royale build.

What the custom backing is printed on. Glossy stock keeps the colours dense behind the LCD, and photo paper is stiff enough to stay flat when the module goes back together.

Printable clear sheets for translucent artwork. Check that the film is compatible with your printer before printing.

Reflective backing for printed transparency-film backgrounds. Smooth the layers before trimming, and keep the metallic edges clear of electrical contacts.

Coloured lighting gel, sold in mixed packs. Cut a piece to the size of the display and lay it over the LCD to change what colour the watch reads.

Goes over the printed backing. It catches the light at an angle and is what makes the print read like a holo card rather than a photograph.