NSH-002

Custom Watch: “Minute Vector”

I wanted to build my own version of the discontinued SKX013. The goal was a stealthy, non-reflective design with high readability. I selected hands that work best for me—a prominent minute hand and an almost invisible seconds hand. Nothing reflective except AR-coated sapphire.

Finding the right parts took time. It wasn’t easy to get non-shiny components that still looked clear. I tried out different dials, hands, and cases, making sure they all worked together. The challenge was keeping everything low-key but still functional.

Case Material	Stainless Steel
Width	38 mm
Thickness	12.6 mm
Lug to Lug	44 mm
Weight (Watch Head)	68 grams
Strap Width	20 mm
Movement	NH36
Lume	C3 (Green)
Crystal	Sapphire with Clear AR
Bezel	Unidirectional Count-Up
Bezel Insert	Fully-lumed Ceramic
Crown	Screw-Down
Lowest Water Resistance	100 m (Due to the the slim caseback)

Gallery

Parts

Part	Description	Cost	Supplier	Notes	Alternate Part
Bezel	SKX013 Coin Edge Bezel - CT236CE Black	$36	Crystaltimes		Watch & Style
Bezel Insert	CI0044 SKX013 Ceramic Bezel Insert - Flat Lumed SKX Style	$45	Watch & Style	Good quality	Best quality
Case	SKX013 Watch Case - CT706 Black	$50	Crystaltimes		Watch & Style (includes caseback, gasgets, spring bars, etc.; a great value)
Caseback	SKX Slim Caseback – CT273 Black	$20	Crystaltimes		Caroline Mods Store
Chapter Ring	030 SEIKO AFTERMARKET BLACK CHAPTER RING MINUTE TRACK SKX013 DIVERS 7S26-0030	$21	Generic	OK quality; a little "blue"; some registration issues with the printing near the date cut-out	Crystaltimes; A great quality piece, but it was too dark to match the OEM dial, so I went with the generic replacement
Crown	SKX013 Crown – CT210 Black + S	$26	Crystaltimes	Bigger than most SKX013 crowns, but a great size: 4.0mm long × 6.1mm ø
Crystal	28 * 2.8mm Flat Big Chamfer Sapphire Crystal - Clear AR	$20	Generic
Dial	SEIKO OEM Dial SKX013	$85	Tokeilab	Cha-ching!	There are many knock-off dials, but I think they're inferior (smaller lume area, weaker lume, etc.)
Hands	Green Luminous Watch Hands for NH35 NH36 Movement Watch	$4	Fashional Watch Online Store	Only used the hour and minute hands; Excellent lume; I hand-painted the base of the hour hand black.
Hands	Watch Hands C3 green super lume Luminous fit NH35	$3	Mechanical Watch Assembly Store	Only used the second hand; hand-painted the center of the hand because there was a brass post hole
Movement	Made in Japan NH36 Movement, Seiko NH36A Dual Calendar Mechanical Movement 3/3.8 o'clock Crown, Watch Repair Replacement Parts	$34	AliExpress	Had non-OEM day wheel and needed to be replaced; see note on Day Wheel entry
Movement Wheel, Day	NH36A 4 o'clock Kanji Day Wheel Disc (White)	$23	Namoki Mods		Any OEM 3.8 O'Clock day wheel; non-OEM wheels have a different color and text weight and will not match the date wheel
Strap	Quick Release FKM Watch Bands Men Women Diving Watch Accessories Premium Grade Fluorine Rubber Watch Strap 20mm	$11	Generic	These are good, generic FKM straps; 20mm
		$378

Notes

Links are provided as helpful suggestions only; I have no affiliate relationship with any vendor or supplier.
Gaskets, springs, adhesives, stems, and other "consumables" are included with each item unless noted otherwise.
Prices are in US dollars.
Listed prices do not factor in tax, shipping, and discounts.
Updated July, 2024

Build Notes

The back of the hands is painted with titanium white acrylic artist's paint to increase the lume’s opacity and brightness.

The base of the hour hand is painted with Mars black acrylic artist's paint to prevent the white from showing behind the minute hand. The brass post of the second hand was visible from the face, so it was painted black too.

Removing the stem once the hands are installed is awkward, and dropping the movement into a holder risks damaging the dial or hands. This technique acts as a third hand.