Watch modder collaboration: 47Ronin x Mod Mode Watches

Sad to say, the Covid19 pandemic is still going wild in many parts of the world, however, it is not going to stop us in creating beautiful pieces of wearable art, just to give this world a little more colours and positive vibe. 

For the first time, 47Ronin is collaborating with a Singaporean watch modder: Mod Mode Watches. The two artists come together to combine their aesthetic senses, in-depth knowledge of watches & straps, and skilled craftsmanship. 

The end result? See for yourself, as we unfold below the design concept and the collab story.

A custom made dial with a Samurai!

1. When you first saw each other's works, how do you feel about them?

Mod Mode Watches: What first struck me about 47Ronin watch straps was the seamless harmony between bold thick leather straps and striking colours of soft kimono fabric. I've always been a fan of traditional Japanese influences and art so it appealed to me instantly.

44mm OEM Seiko Samurai Case with custom hand finishing

47Ronin: I was very new to watches when I first started 47Ronin, and I was amused to found that there are a group of people doing modification of watches, pretty much like self assembly of a bicycle, a car, or a desktop computer. I always wanted to collaborate with watch modders, and Mod Mode Watches does not shy away in using bold colours and unconventional designs. This is totally what 47Ronin believes in: believe in your own philosophy. 

Seigaiha or wave crest Japanese print on the dial.

2. What were your thoughts about the idea of having a collaboration with each other? 

Mod Mode Watches: I was absolutely stoked about the possibility and said yes almost instantly. I have considered other collaborations before but am really pleased I went with 47Ronin as my first collab.

47Ronin: I am a huge fan of collaboration. I believe that in collaborations, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. After having numerous collaboration with watch brands, shoes, leather goods, it is my first time collaborating with a watch modder. I knew from the beginning that it would be awesome. 

A 47mm huge watch face

3. What was your thought process when planning for this collaboration?

Mod Mode Watches: I immediately went about planning the two watches for the collab, both with Japanese influences (the use of the Seiko Samurai case and Seigaiha patterned dial in one and the imagery of a Samurai with bright red lume in the other) I wanted both watches to showcase the straps from 47Ronin well as well as flow along into the entire design of the watch itself.

47Ronin: I waited to see the watch faces Mod Mode Watches made before embarking on my part of the collab. I was told one watch is going to need a 26mm strap, while the other is 22mm. Bit by bit, I saw the dials, the cases, etc being put together, as the watches came into shape. As the watches are being built, I started to have some ideas in my mind. 

Hand applied bright red lume

4. What was the design process for the watches?

Mod Mode Watches: I first looked at Tong's work at 47Ronin and considered what sort of feel I would be able to draw out from my builds. That's how I ended up with the angular Seiko Samurai on one and the bolder custom Samurai dial on the other.

Exhibition Case Back | 26mm lug width

47Ronin: For the silver watch with the custom made Samurai dial, I have chosen a piece of thick crazyhorse calf leather which will be strong enough to hold the huge watch with 26mm lug. Kimono fabric from Kyoto with red & golden design is selected to match the red armour of the Samurai and the matt golden dial. 0.65mm dark pink thread is then picked and hand-stitched along the edge of the strap, which would complement the dark pink lume markers on the dial. Five loops around the edges of the strap near the lug would give additional strength to hold the leather together, as well as provide an extra vibe of handcraftedness. The loops also symbolises how the Samurai's armour are being fastened together. 

Crazyhorse calf leather, 4.0mm

47Ronin: For the black watch, a piece of glossy black calf leather is chosen to maintain the overall black theme of the watch. A piece of Kimono fabric with a black base, golden and silver pattern is picked to give a brilliant contrast. Two 0.65mm beige and white threads are hand-stitched with zig-zag patterns towards the lug area. Such zig-zag stitching pattern resembles the grip handle of a Samurai's Katana sword. 

Such zig-zag stitching pattern resembles the grip handle of a Samurai's Katana sword. 

5. What are the specs of the watches you have made for this collaboration?

Mod Mode Watches: Both watches differ slightly. In the black watch, the case was a custom finished Seiko Samurai case done by a contact in Australia. I then built the watch around a Seiko Instruments Inc movement and a Seigaiha dial from another dial producer.

Silver:

Mechanical Seagull Movement | Sapphire Crystal | Waterproof to 10ATM | 47mm | Exhibition Case Back | 26mm lug width | Custom Dial with hand applied lume

Black:

Seiko Instruments Inc Automatic Movement | Sapphire Crystal | Waterproof to 20ATM | 44mm OEM Seiko Samurai Case with custom hand finishing | 22 mm lug width

Seiko Instruments Inc Automatic Movement | Sapphire Crystal 

Mod Mode Watches: In the silver watch, I contacted a talented dial maker with my own specifications for a larger dial (38.9mm to be precise) and requested a Samurai motif with custom red lume. That brought out the spirit of the build and I thus decided to go with more muted elements for the rest of the watch so as to let the dial and the coupled 47Ronin strap shine through.

47Ronin: For the silver watch:

Materials:

• Crazy horse mocha brown calf leather
• Japanese textile kimono fabric from Kyoto
• Dark pink stitching (hand stitched)
• Black stainless steel pre-v buckle 

Measurements:

• Length: 125/75 (can be customised according to wrist size)
• Lug: 26mm
• Buckle: 26mm
• Thickness: 4.0mm

The name in Chinese character is laser engraved on the loop.

47Ronin: For the black watch:

Materials: 

• Black calf leather
• Japanese textile kimono fabric from Kyoto
• White & Beige stitching
• Black stainless steel butterfly clasp buckle 

Measurements:

• Lug width: 22mm
• Longer strap: 125mm
• Shorter strap: 75mm
• Thickness: 2.5mm
• Buckle: 22mm

47Ronin logo is laser engraved on the loop.

7. Were there any challenges when building the watches and straps?

Mod Mode Watches: With everything that is happening around the world, the main challenge was waiting for delivery. With that many parts coming from different parts of the world, I had to work with multiple delivery partners. Later, I had an issue with one of the movements and ended up having to wait again for a replacement to arrive.

47Ronin: A usual challenge when crafting custom straps is having leather that is too thick which makes it difficult or impossible to fix the strap onto the lug. As I prefer to use the thickness leather possible, in order to give the best durability for the straps, this is often a challenge when working with thicker leather. 

The watches in display among tools used by watch modder Mod Mode Watches, and watch strap artist 47Ronin. Can you tell which is for which?

8. What do you think of the straps 47Ronin has crafted for the two watches? What are the features you like or dislike or wish to have?

Mod Mode Watches: My favourite element would have to be the fabric colours Tong has chosen. The colours are outstanding especially when they catch the light. I also really appreciate the custom length as I frequently find myself in the situation of having watch straps / bracelets that are just slightly too big or slightly too small.

9. Overall how do you feel about the collaboration with 47Ronin?

Mod Mode Watches: I am absolutely thrilled with the outcome of the collaboration and look forward to working with 47Ronin on more projects in the future.

10. What are the future plans for your business?

Mod Mode Watches: The aim of Mod Mode Watches has been to bring back the fun of modding or building without having to sacrifice a kidney. From day one, our mission has always been to ensure our prices remain fair and accessible so everyone can have a little custom element in their watches they wear all day. Whether it is a simple swap of a crown or a full custom build, we want everyone to feel welcomed. At the end of the day, we hope to build a community of watch building fans who just want to have a good time.

11. Finally, last question. How long have you worked as a modder? What kind of mod work do you do? What are your styles? How did you start being a modder?

Mod Mode Watches: I started modding when I came across an article about customised watches being built in people's homes. After researching, I realised I had a few "mod friendly" watches I could try out some basic mods. From there I was hooked. These days I focus more on custom builds that are different from "crowd favourites" or "homages" to famous watches. The commissioned builds I take on nowadays have to appeal to me with a unique design sensibility.

For anyone who is interested in starting to mod their watches no matter how simple, my advice is simple:

1) read up, watch videos, analyse carefully

2) try with parts you're not afraid to mess up - do not start digging into your precious family heirloom immediately

3) feel free to approach me with any questions. No question is too basic or too easy, I am always pleased to share.

Order this watch & strap combo at:

Custom Watch & Strap combo with 47Ronin#323 Black calf leather (22mm, White & Beige stitching)

Price: USD$1080

Order this watch strap at:

47Ronin#323 Black calf leather (22mm, White & Beige stitching)

Price: USD$280

 * Contact us for customised lug width, length, and thickness (Whatsapp +65 86567631, hi@47ronin.co)

Order this watch & strap combo at:

Custom Samurai Watch & Strap combo with 47Ronin#321 Mocha brown calf leather (26mm, Pink stitching)

Price: USD$880

Order this watch strap at:

47Ronin#321 Mocha brown calf leather (26mm, Pink stitching)

Price: USD$280

 * Contact us for customised lug width, length, and thickness (Whatsapp +65 86567631, hi@47ronin.co)

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