Mo is the man behind Watch Tomb. Supported by his wife, he creates 'new' Seiko watches with modified original and replacement parts. Combining different components and colours he produces one-off and unique timepieces not available direct ‘off the shelf’. Perfect for vintage Seiko enthusiasts and eco conscious watch lovers alike.

His Seiko 'Mods' are in high demand. What started out as a personal interest in mechanical watches, became an obsession and finally a full business venture. Today Mo spends his days at his dedicated Watch Tomb studio office enjoying every minute of the day creating these iconic timepieces. 

Where it all began

As a child in the 1970s and 80s, I had less interest in academia and enjoyed woodwork and making things using tools and my bare hands. My younger mind was often fascinated by the cogs, wheels and mechanisms that seemed to bring my electronic and motorised toys to life. As a student, I pursued engineering and worked with engines and gearboxes in a mechanics garage.

I later joined the London Underground and worked for many years as a train driver. The monotonous nature of a driver’s job demanded mental stimuli that led me to seek a regular hobby. That hobby was watches.

Interest and Experimentation with Mechanical Watches

Although I owned many watches, my interest in mechanical watches began around the time my wife gifted me a Rotary chronograph for our wedding anniversary. From there my watch collection grew, as did my wife’s impatience at the space it took over. I kept the timepieces that I was not ready to give up and slimmed down my collection.

Slowly gaining confidence at solving problems with watches, I attempted repairs on all my ‘nonstarters’, that is, watches that had all the parts present but refused to start. If I’m really honest, my early confidence at attempting repairs came from seeing my wife casually take off the back of a Seiko 5 automatic and reposition the balance wheel until it sprang to life. It was as if she knew exactly what to do. Was it a fluke? A woman’s touch? Or perhaps she was a watchmaker in some former life? I never found out.

I also sought the advice of friendly watchmakers and scoured internet forums and YouTube videos for tips and information. I started with repairing easy mechanical watches and a few that were battery operated. Many of my repairs, in fact, needed minor fixes or replacement parts. With my limited but sure knowledge, I repaired watches for my relatives, friends and eventually some very trusting collectors. Being ‘self-taught’, every nonstarter remained dead as a doorknob or started going at some point of my exertion.

Seiko timepieces and the niche of Seiko Mods

By 2012, I had amassed a small collection of mostly swiss watches including Breitling, Rolex, Movado, IWC, Omega, Bulova, Oris, and some pocket watches (conversions). Around the same time, my growing appreciation for Seiko watches brought me into contact with dealers in the far East. I began sourcing vintage Seiko divers and chronographs not available in the UK market. 

Around 2015, I resigned from my job and travelled abroad with my wife. My interest in watches continued and I moved on to sourcing better quality watches and parts from larger dealers. By 2019, I was mostly modifying vintage and newer Seiko watches modified with aftermarket replacement parts. This niche appears to have grown out of a desire for one-off and unique timepieces not available directly ‘off the shelf’. Without knowledge in design or colour theory, I took an intuitive approach to choosing parts and colour combinations to modify my watches that I thought would appeal to my target customers. Gradually the demand outstretched my ability to supply and my workstation became cramped with my various projects.

Job Satisfaction for A Job Well Done

By autumn 2020, the year of SARS-CoV-2, Covid19 for short, I rented a small office to dedicate time to my modification projects that soon became my day job. My wife’s assistance in packaging and administrative tasks freed up my time to source parts, experiment and improve on the build of my modified watches. Now as I sit at my workstation in my dedicated office, I think of all the watches I have repaired and modified over the years ticking away on the wrists of men going about their business all over the world. I have never felt happier doing a job.

Mo (Founder)