OUCH! My watch is HOT
I must admit it feels strange to wind my 6105 HOT diver. It doesn’t seem right. 6105’s are not supposed to do this, yet we all secretly wish they did. Giving a 6105 the ability to be wound by hand is a pretty radical operation, yet watchmaker Randall Benson has made it happen. By scouring the world for parts and utilizing some proprietary watch-making skills, Randall Benson has put a unique twist on the art of modifying Seiko divers.
My first exposure to modified Seikos was back in 1998/1999 when Hyunsuk Seung started showing off marvelous creations on the MWR forum that he designed along with his watchmaker Mr. Chung. Mr Seung modified his watches to emulate collectible historical military timepieces. His modifications included bead blasting and dial/hand swaps. These watches were groundbreaking in that we had never before seen high quality modifications like this from anyone before. Unfortunately for the collectors, most of Hyunsuk’s modified watches were one offs done for his own personal collection and not for sale. Every now and then he would sell one which was always snapped up quickly.
Hyunsuk 6309&6105 Hybrid Divers
The Hyunsuk watches created quite a buzz and illustrated that there was an interest in tastefully modified watches. Soon thereafter, Jack at IWW started bead blasting cases out of an old motorcycle shop and an MBA student named Bill Yao began producing custom parts for Seikos and other ETA based watches. An industry was born.
Being a Seiko collector and watchmaker, it was only a matter of time before Randall Benson began his own custom shop called Hands of Time Productions or HOT. After having restored and built a multitude of 6105’s, Randall was inspired to improve upon what was already a good design. He looked at the weaknesses of the standard 6105; crystal, crown system, and lack of hand wind capability and set about improving them. His first watch, the XO5 released in 2004 incorporated everything he knew about improving the venerable 6105. Although he was originally inspired by the Seiko 6105, today Randall is performing HOT modifications to 6309’s as well. To date, he has created over 25 of these highly customized watches. Buyers can pick from an almost unlimited number of dial, hands and case treatments. Each HOT is an individual project between the buyer and watchmaker.
HOT #1 The X05 photo R. Benson
Another benefit to this blasting technique is that it better absorbs the day-to-day impact marks that all watches are subject to. Whereas normal bead blasted cases show off scratches after time, the HOT finish almost hides marks, and you could say it even develops a patina. Of course, for those who like the traditional look, Randall can deliver a HOT with a normal bead blast and apparently is working on a new finish which is completely different than anything we have seen before.
Finally, for those who want to add an extra personal touch to their HOT watches, there is an option for custom case back engraving. Normally, I would never consider getting a watch engraved, but in this case, I could not resist.
The screw in crown conversion that is utilized on the HOT was a direct influence of the Triple Lock system used by Rolex in their Submariners. Many (Randall included) point to the Rolex system as the best out there. In addition to the system integrity, Randall was concerned about long term maintenance and stated that “All crown systems wear with age, I wanted to provide a crown system that was completely replaceable when the time comes, and I succeeded in doing so with this conversion.” For those who have operated a Rolex Triple Lock crown, you’ll instantly see and feel that Randall has accomplished his goals admirably. The action is first rate with no feelings of uneasiness that you get with many screw in crown systems. The threads engage with a positive action and this along with the appearance of one of the large gaskets in the unscrewed position instills a measure of confidence in the system that you do not get with many watches across any price range.
It is a good thing that the crown on this HOT is so robust because it is very hard to resist constantly unscrewing it to wind the watch . The winding feel is very tactile, and not unlike the feel you get with an ETA 2824. In fact, it feels very much like the GS grade movement in a 6159.
Modifying the 6105 movement to enable the hand wind option is a difficult procedure. Not only is it labor intensive, but it requires parts that are not readily available. The hand wind modifications are done on a very limited basis and can take up to a year for Randall to source the parts and modify the movement so its recommended that you contact HOT about the availability and time frames for this work. When asked if he was looking into utilizing the Seiko 6R movement in future HOT products, Randall coyly answered “Maybe, I am always trying to stretch the possibilities.”
Those who do opt for the hand wind option are rewarded not only with a 6105 unlike any available from any other watchmaker but also get their HOT delivered in a custom metal watch box along with a choice of military straps. When I received my HOT, it felt more like I was getting something brand new rather than a 35-year-old watch which had been modified, and in essence, I was.
Although the movement was an old workhorse, it had been completely overhauled. With all HOT watches, movements are completely disassembled in house with each part individually inspected and replaced if needed. Overhauled movements are then tested extensively to provide optimum power reserve and timing. Randall’s goals for his watches are to attain a minimum of 45 hours power reserve with a daily timing deviation of +/- 5 seconds per day. Randall is a fanatic when it comes to timing and if once delivered, your watch doesn’t meet standards, he will want it back to make it perfect. Last but not least, the HOT watches are pressure tested to 120 meters. All of this is backed by a one year warranty.
With more and more people entering the modification business, it is becoming harder to differentiate from the crowd. By utilizing his extensive watchmaking knowledge and love of Seikos, Randall has succeeded in developing custom watches which could proudly be displayed in any collection. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go wind my 6105.
February 16th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Pete, Great write up. Everything is on point. Glad you got it. They are fun to wind aren’t they?
February 17th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Outstanding review Pete. As usual, you put the watch into a historical context, combined with your signature photography skills.
I’m glad you included a picture of HOT No. 1. Your version without the MKII and T logos appeals to me. Do you know if Randall has considered putting an original logo on future HOTs? Randall’s ingenuity in using Southern California desert sand for case finishing is interesting. Do you think sand from other places, like North Africa, would produce a noticeably different finish?
Your review helped me appreciate the amount of work that goes into these watches—from the case finish, to the customization of the movement (to allow for hand winding), to the redesigned crown. Randall has dialed in with this product. The minute hand with red outline, and red bezel accent, work well with the NATO strap. The industrial feeling display box complements the whole package perfectly.
Thanks for this review, one worthy of this custom watch.
February 17th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Great pictorial of a very tastefully modified 6105. After reading your article and examining the photographs in detail, I can’t help but feel impatient with the 6309 and 6306 that I sent to IWW. I plan to modify the 6309 to a customized look and restore the 6306 to its original state. That tactical beadblast finish completely changes the look of the watch and I can imagine that a handwinding 6105 calibre must give the watch a whole different character.
February 17th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Thanks guys. After having handled a number of modded watches from different watchmakers, I see that many of them do have a signature and I wanted to illustrate the Randall Benson approach. Hyunsuk Seung had a distinct look for his watches, and Jack at IWW does as well. I’m hoping to do a writeup of IWW soon and then I’ll get a chance to point out some special characteristics of the IWW approach to the genre.
Randall, if you read this, Bryan had a good comment/question about the HOT logo and also media used for blasting. Let us know your thoughts.