How To Put Drawing On Wristwatch Face

Need to know how to put a drawing on wristwatch face? It is something that not everyone is going to want to do by themselves. Given the level of disassembly that it involves, most will prefer to let a qualified watch maker do it. This article will give the basic process, and let the user decide if they wish to go into further depth and actually perform the task themselves. Another thing to remember, once you glue a drawing to the face of the watch if you wish to change it back, it will entail buying a new face and replacing it.

Items needed to put a drawing on a wristwatch face:

• Watchmakers screw drivers
• Case knife
• Case back wrench
• Watch dial adhesive
• Plastic tweezers
• Loupe
• Hand remover
• Case stand
• Case back press
• Polishing cloth

The process of putting a drawing on a wristwatch face:

1. Remove case back.  Use the proper tools and remove the case back This could entail the case back wrench, screw drivers, or the case knife.
2. Remove stem.  Use the proper tool and remove the stem from the watch.
3. Remove watch movement.  Use tweezers and carefully remove the movement retaining ring. Carefully remove the watch movement, taking care not to damage it, and sit it upon the watch movement stand. While the case is open cover it with a soft clean lint free cloth to insure no dust gets on the inside of the crystal. Also make sure you do not get a fingerprint on the crystal, it will stand out and get worse over time.  
4. Remove hands.  Using the hand puller slowly and carefully remove the hands from the watch. Sit them aside some place safe. They are very delicate and can be damaged easily.
5. Affix drawing to face.  Cut out drawing to match the existing face perfectly. Use watch dial adhesive to affix the drawing to the face of the watch. Go slowly and work carefully, yet fast , the glue is setting up as you work. As the old saying goes, make haste, slowly. The end result is going to depend upon how well you put the drawing in place. Any wrinkles, or having it not perfectly oriented on the face will be very obvious.
6. Set hands in place.  Once the glue is dry use the tweezers and set the hands back in place. Remember to put them in the correct order, hour minute second. You may wish to let the movement work for a days rotation to insure their free moving is not impeded, or they are not too tight.
7. Set movement in the case.  Using great care replace the watch movement in the case. Use the tweezers and put the movement retaining ring back in place to hold the movement secure.
8. Replace the stem.  Gently replace the stem into its place in the movement. It will either snap into place in a detent, or will be screwed into place. If it is screwed into place take great care not to cross thread it.
9. Replace the case back. Use the proper tools and replace the case back on the case. Make sure to replace the gasket if it has one. It is  a good idea to inspect the gasket for damage, if it is damaged, replace it or the watch will no longer be water resistant.
10. Polish the watch.  Use the polishing cloth and remove any finger prints you got on the case.

Those are the basic steps to put a drawing on the face of a wristwatch. It is a very involved process, needing special tools and supplies, often they will cost more than having it done by a professional. If you decide to attempt it take great care to do it properly and orient the drawing properly for a good final product. Good luck.