AW Labs

AW Labs Independent watchmaker & machinist documenting the journey of creating mechanical watches from scratch. My philosophy: Watches. Made. Once.

With the plastic versions validated. We move on to steel. Hopefully we’ll have finished steel buckles next week to tie t...
05/22/2026

With the plastic versions validated. We move on to steel. Hopefully we’ll have finished steel buckles next week to tie the whole watch together!

I haven’t posted much this week but it’s still been busy. With the case pressure and watch hand adhesion issues resolved...
05/21/2026

I haven’t posted much this week but it’s still been busy. With the case pressure and watch hand adhesion issues resolved. I’ve turned to the custom buckle and shipping/packaging.

I used my Form 3 to quickly iterate a few different buckle options that match the silhouette of the indices on the watch. Each client gets to pick a strap of their choice that matches their aesthetic. This means the buckle also needs to be scalable so that it can work with any strap preference.

For the shipping, I’ll once again be utilizing the services of to cut a custom foam insert that will hug the enclosure so that their is absolutely no movement during shipping and plenty of padding to ensure it arrives anywhere in the world safely.

There are only 4 slots remaining for Origin in this founders Edition Run.

Fixed a few things re-ran a second rotor. This time instead of machining the logo fully through I just cleared the plate...
05/15/2026

Fixed a few things re-ran a second rotor. This time instead of machining the logo fully through I just cleared the plated layer so the brass can be seen through and has as a contrasting effect. It makes it way easier to read and I think it looks much better. What do you think?

Loving how the test rotor looks attached to one of the development mules. Every detail brings it ever closer to reality....
05/13/2026

Loving how the test rotor looks attached to one of the development mules. Every detail brings it ever closer to reality. Speaking of details….the date window. This is probably the third iteration and I think I finally nailed it. Previous cyclops version reflected too much or obfuscated the date disk. This new version is significantly easier to read and does a better job of fitting the aesthetic. What do you think?

05/12/2026

A good first run on rotor engraving. Brass is so nice. I never want to go back to 316L 😂

05/09/2026

With all the leaks sorted. Now we can move on to some of the more fun decorative items like the rotor and the strap buckle

Making quick use of my Form 3 to print up an air blade for the mills camera. A couple splices into the MQL air line and...
04/30/2026

Making quick use of my Form 3 to print up an air blade for the mills camera. A couple splices into the MQL air line and we’re good to go! No more chips building up on the lens

I call this. Rapid decompression
04/29/2026

I call this. Rapid decompression

Playing around with a new camera rig during pressure testing. I can’t get over the level of detail.
04/28/2026

Playing around with a new camera rig during pressure testing. I can’t get over the level of detail.

04/27/2026

Always nice when you can both make a process easier and add more fun details.

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