The Steel MoonSwatch Project

A customer approached me with a unique idea for a mod. Replace the plastic -excuse me, bioceramic, housing of a Swatch X Omega MoonSwatch with a stainless steel case and sapphire crystal. I thought it would be fun to document the process here. Would love to hear your feedback and comments!

First Stop, the Swatch Store

I'm fortunate enough to live within easy driving distance of a Swatch Store. Purchasing the watch was easy enough - they had plenty in stock.

As soon as I inspected the watch, I discovered the first issue (there are always issues). The plastic case is sealed closed. Evidently, it's laser welded shut at the factory. Removing the movement would be no small feat. With a little bit of elbow grease and help from my razor saw, I got to work.

Halfway there

I carefully removed more and more of the case, taking care not to damage the watch movement.

Success!

Unscheduled replacement of the movement

After about an hour after liberating the MoonSwatch from its plastic case, the watch stopped dead. My working theory is that dust from my razor saw permeated the movement casing and gummed up the works. Next time, I'll ditch the razor saw and use a dremel which produces less dust.

No problem - the project isn't over. Instead of using the factory MoonSwatch (a variation of the ETA G10.212 that I've been unable to procure), I'll replace it with a Sunon P50 movement. The subdial spacing is identical, making it the perfect substitute.

Final Product

Using the replacement movement, I rebuilt the watch and installed it in a stainless steel Speedmaster-style case with sapphire crystal. It looks great and works great!