How it all began..
Throughout my childhood, I always had a hobby alongside a burning desire to fully immerse myself into it. My interest in watches started in junior high school with a white G-Shock, the GLX 5600, which was an accessory that all the “cool kids” had at school. Saving every penny I could get ahold of at that age, I managed to buy the watch and it lived on my wrist until the end of high-school. Every exam, every event, every day, this white G-Shock was with me, but it was seen as nothing more than a mere tool - I mean, watches are tools in the end. I didn’t really fall in love with these things until my freshman year of college, which marked the end of my previous hobby ( custom knives ) and the start of a new passion, horology. Like most people, I bought the Seiko SKX007 and a bunch of other Seiko divers to “test the waters” before I fully commit to this new obsession. Clearly, I got hooked and never looked back. Eventually an Omega Speedmaster (sapphire sandwich) made its way into my collection, followed by the pre-ceramic 14060m Rolex Submariner, and the list goes on. Inevitably, I read more about watches, watched countless numbers of videos online, and visited every boutique I could possibly enter. With each new watch, on display or in my own box, the finishing and beauty of these timepieces captivated me - watchmakers were basically my heroes at this point. Sure, collecting and hunting for the “next one” is thrilling and always fun, but I wanted to get even more involved. I always had a tendency to get “hands on” with my hobbies, which meant learning more about watchmaking itself rather than reading about the “next” limited edition that Omega is putting out. Eventually, I bought myself a little Seiko SNK809 and a bunch of cheap tools to get myself started. At the time, there was no “watch modding” or “Seiko modding” community. Aside from a few suppliers, the little niche group of modders we have today was non-existent. This made it incredibly difficult to learn and gather resources about basic tasks - hand setting, dial removal, crystal installation, part compatibility, bezel tolerances, etc. As a result, I had to figure everything out myself. Fast forward a few months, I released a Youtube video online about my first Seiko SNK mod, a “Black Bay” inspired design. From there on, I started to get questions about this whole modification thing, and before I knew it, a community was growing. In hopes of gathering more interest, I released video tutorials on the basic tasks that I wished were available at the time I started. The tutorials were receiving great feedback, but I still got the occasional request to do a mod for someone. One request turned into two, then three, four, ten, and so on. Eventually, it felt reasonable to start offering these services online officially under my Youtube tag “Lume Shot”. Fast forward three years, I’ve been modding watches for myself and customers while continuously learning more about watchmaking itself. By reading Dr. George Daniel’s “Watchmaking” book, taking classes at the “Horological Society of New York”, participating in “JLC Master Watch Making Classes” and indulging in watch repair forums, I’ve developed my watchmaking skills to a level that I can confidently stand behind. By growing my brand, I was able to invest in the best tools by the likes of “Bergeon”, “Horotec” and so on, in order to offer the best services possible. Every watch that is worked on my bench is treated like my own, and every watch that leaves my bench is proudly deemed worked on by “Lume Shot”.
