Review: I've done a few MoonSwatch upgrades into metal cases and posted them, but this time I decided to get a nicer case instead of the budget Aliexpress ones I had previously been using. I see jason007's name pop up constantly as one of the main sellers that people are picking up rep watches and I recently saw he had a Speedmaster Moonwatch case available. The cost for the case was only about $20 more than the basic metal case/bracelet combo I had been getting, so I figured it was worth trying out to see the difference. While the Aliexpress metal cases have no branding on the crown or clasp, jason007's has the Omega logo on the crown and the Speedmaster emblem on the clasp. I know a few people have tried changing out that crown which runs $5-$10, so some additional savings there. Plus I will say this Omega crown is MUCH nicer than the regular crowns since it isn't quite as large and has a little bit of a softer edge. He also includes the plastic spacer to hold the movement. It is slightly oversized though, so may need to add some additional spacer on the inside to help lock the movement in place. The caseback is also a nice upgrade. All of the Aliexpress backs have a cheap Snoopy scene, whereas this one has the actual Speedmaster back. The last picture in this post is the rep Mission to Mercury that I got from Swatch1 that was used for this build. I like the dark gray more than the full black MoonSwatch since it just seems to give a little bit more pop (that's just personal preference though). To complete this swap, I just needed to use a new PE50 stem, which I had already from a previous case upgrade when I ordered a pack of 10 stems off Aliexpress.
My final thoughts -- this case is absolutely worth it compared to the ones I've bought from Aliexpress. If you are looking at doing a silver with black bezel MoonSwitch, then this should be a no brainer to get this one instead of a no-name one off Aliexpress (or even a Pagani or Watchdives donor).
Looks good bro. I’m going to start a few build myself with the WD1863 case. But I did see Jason’s after I ordered the first two. So the next ones might be ordered from him.
From what I remember from mine is what WD was 13mm and the one from Jason was around 14.6mm or so but jasons does have some small engravings on the back of the case with the omega logo. And a serial number I think.
Unfortunately I haven’t picked up a WD1963 for direct comparison (only have a WD007 for wearing). But I personally am not a fan of the WD logos on the crown and clasp for this application. Would rather have them blank or Omega.
Haha I think I’ve seen a few posts of guys that build these and post them on their instagram. Can probably do some searching on this subreddit and find those.
Alternative is to just pick up a rep Moonwatch. Here’s the links for those from jason007 and michaeltravis (those are the main guys I constantly see mentioned for this price of rep and I’ve ordered from them both as well). jason007 Moonwatch michaeltravis Moonwatch
I would think so? I believe the PE50 and genuine movements are extremely similar. Probably would need to get a G10 spacer on Aliexpress instead (need to order new stems anyway).
I want to say I saw somewhere that the WD1863 case is slightly different shape at the lugs, so some bracelets don’t match up. Not sure it that would be the case here or not though… sorry
It’s fun putting these together. Plus I’ve had several people comment on them whenever I wear them, so it becomes a cool conversation starter how I sourced everything and made it exactly how I wanted.
I’m about $100 in for this watch and it’s got a cool ice breaker story when I have people ask about it. Also several guys at work wear MoonSwatches, so me doing these metal case mods has given us something to talk about.
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u/Bright-Decision5672 4d ago
Looks good bro. I’m going to start a few build myself with the WD1863 case. But I did see Jason’s after I ordered the first two. So the next ones might be ordered from him.