In a single afternoon, with your own two hands. Choose your case, dial, hands and bezel from over a million combinations. Walk out wearing a working automatic timepiece you assembled yourself.
Most "build your own watch" experiences are mail-order kits with an instruction sheet. We do it differently. You sit at a real workbench in Surry Hills, with real tools, beside someone who knows how every movement we offer comes together.
You'll choose your build the same way a watchmaker would: case first, then movement, then dial, hands, crown, bezel, strap. By the time you walk out, you'll know what makes a balance wheel oscillate, why a hairspring matters, and how to set a perfectly aligned hour hand on the very first try.
And the watch on your wrist will be the proof.
The workhorse Seiko movement. Self-winding, hackable, with a date complication. Beginner-friendly. The perfect first build.
A shorter, slimmer cousin to the NH35, often paired with rotating bezels. Great for sport-watch builds and dive-style cases.
A skeletonised movement. The gear train and balance wheel are visible through the dial. The most striking of the four. Slightly more advanced.
A precision quartz movement for those who prefer reliability over ritual. Slim, accurate, and surprisingly satisfying to assemble.
"Cases, dials, hands, bezels, crowns and straps. Every build is yours alone — no two students will leave with the same watch."
Coffee, settling in, an introduction to your movement and the anatomy of a watch.
Walk our parts library. Choose your case, dial, hands, crown, bezel and strap.
Movement, dial, hands, casing. Each step demonstrated, then guided. We don't skip ahead.
Set the time, regulate the movement, and confirm everything is keeping time on a timegrapher.
Wrist shots, paperwork, your care guide and a glass of something to celebrate.
A small workshop in Surry Hills, a short walk from Central Station and Crown Street. Full address and door code go to your inbox 48 hours before class. Street parking is metered until 6pm; the closest paid lot is Goulburn Street.
All tools, parts and movements are provided. Wear something you can move in — assembling a watch is fiddly, not formal. We supply magnification loupes for anyone who needs them. If you wear glasses, bring them.
Filter coffee, tea, and sparkling water through the afternoon. A glass of natural wine or a non-alcoholic alternative at wrap. We don't supply lunch — most students eat beforehand. Tell us about allergies when you book.
Corporate workshops & private bookings available for groups of 4+. Get in touch.
The Modding Bench is run by [name], who has personally assembled over twenty custom watches across the Seiko NH35, NH05, NH70 and VJ24 ecosystems. She knows the parts, knows the pitfalls, and knows how to walk a first-time builder through every step without making it feel like an exam.
It's a craft normally taught behind closed doors, by men, to men. The Modding Bench is something else.
None at all. Most of our students have never opened a watch before. We provide every tool you need and walk you through each step. If you can hold a pair of tweezers steady, you can build a watch.
Standard classes run about 3.5–4 hours. Premium builds with a bezel or skeleton movement take 4–5 hours. We don't rush — the goal is for you to leave with a watch you trust.
You won't be the first. Most builds involve at least one rebuild step — that's part of the craft. Every class includes one rebuild attempt at no extra cost. If a part is genuinely damaged, we replace it at our cost (you'll pay only for the part).
Yes. We test every finished watch on a timegrapher before you leave, regulate it if needed, and confirm it's running within spec. The Seiko NH35 typically runs at -20 to +40 seconds per day out of the box. With a regulation pass, most of our builds settle within ±10 seconds.
Everything. The movement, case, dial, hands, crown, strap, all tools, instruction, and the watch itself to take home. There are no hidden parts fees. Premium-tier builds also include a second strap and a small care kit.
For our standard classes, no — we want the experience to be predictable and well-supported. For private bookings (groups of 4+) and our advanced workshops, you can supply your own compatible parts. Get in touch and we'll discuss.
Yes. Vouchers are available for any tier and never expire. They make excellent birthday, anniversary or "treat-yourself" gifts. Email hello@themoddingbench.com for details.
We run classes from a workshop in Surry Hills, Sydney. The full address is shared with you after booking. We're a short walk from Central Station and Crown Street.
We're opening doors in Surry Hills soon. Join the waitlist for early-bird pricing, first pick of class dates, and behind-the-scenes content as we set up the studio.