— The Modding Bench · Journal
Notes from the bench.
Long-form writing on watch movements, modding culture, the Sydney workshop, and what we've learned along the way.
The story so far
- How The Modding Bench started — Australia's first female-led watch assembly school
- A workshop, not a kit — why we chose to teach watch assembly in person
How a watch works
- How a mechanical watch actually works — explained without the jargon
- The parts of a watch, explained: dial, hands, movement, case, crown, bracelet
- Inside a movement — gear train, mainspring, escapement, balance wheel
- Automatic vs quartz vs manual-wind — which movement type is right for your first build?
- Watch dials, explained: sunburst, matte, skeleton, gilt, lume, applied indices
- The diver's bezel: how it works and why it's the most-modded part of any watch
- Why mechanical watches lose time — and how a watchmaker corrects it
- What a timegrapher measures, and why every finished watch should be regulated
Movements and builds
- Every movement at the bench — eight watches, eight different calibres
- We're expanding the movement lineup — chronographs, smaller watches, and more choice
- Why we use Seiko movements instead of Swiss ETA
- NH35 vs NH36 vs NH38 — which Seiko movement should you build first?
- NH35 vs NH70 — hands-on or skeleton, which is the right second build?
- A short history of the Seiko NH movement family
- How to assemble a Seiko NH35 movement, step by step
- Setting the hands — the most precise step of any watch build
- Five things first-time watch assemblers always get wrong
- Movement, case, dial — how to pick parts that actually fit together
Sydney and the wider story
- What is watch modding? A beginner's guide to the modding community
- Best watchmaking classes in Sydney 2026 — an honest comparison
- Sydney watch class vs watch repair shop — what's the difference?
- What it's like to build your own watch in a single afternoon
- The Sydney maker scene — a guide to Surry Hills' hands-on workshops
- Things to do in Surry Hills on a slow Saturday
- A guide to Japan's vintage watch scene — BB Amemura, Nakano Broadway, Ginza
- Where to source watch parts in Australia (and why we mostly don't)
Gifts and occasions
- Unique gift ideas for him in Sydney under $500
- Couples date night ideas in Sydney for people who hate dinner-and-a-movie
- Unusual bucks party ideas in Sydney that don't involve drinking
- Corporate team building that doesn't feel like corporate team building
- Experience gifts vs material gifts — why making something always wins
- How a mechanical watch saves you from the algorithm