Mantra Watch

Inspired by the Magic 8 Ball, this watch displays mantras when shaken.

Build Process:

1. Watch Body

   The watch body is 3D printed in PETG, which is more waterproof than PLA. It is further sealed with spray-on lacquer.

2. Mantra Dial

   I printed this with a 0.1 mm nozzle for better text resolution. There is a delicate balancing of extruding the text tall enough such that it emerges from the blue dye but is not too tall such that it is snug and does not spin easily. I initially print with ABS (since that’s what I had in white), but it was too stringy to read the text clearly.

3. Crystal Lens

   I initially cut my own lenses from acrylic with a CNC router but crystal lenses are much easier to use and sleeker in appearance. I initially used 36mm, but the mantra dial at that size was too difficult to read.

4. Assembled Body

   The assembled body contains the watch body, mantra dial, and crystal lens and filled with blue salted water. The water is salted so that the dial floats rather than sinks, and the water contains blue food dye to mimic the Magic 8 Ball aesthetic. I initially filled the watch with 90% IPA because the dial seemed to float better in it than in water but found that IPA dissolved the glue seals.

5. Watch Face

   The watch face is printed with a 0.1 mm nozzle for better text resolution. I first print “I am” with white PLA. I then use black PLA to print the dial, which has “I am” removed from its front face. I initially printed with white ABS (since that’s what I had) and found it did not bond very well to PLA due to differing melting points.

How to AssemblE

1. Place the dial into the watch body.

2. Glue the edge of the crystal lens into the body.

3. Use a syringe to fill the assembly with blue salt water through the hole in the base.

4. Glue the “8” plug so liquid does not leak through the base.

5. Snap-place or glue the watch face over the crystal lens.

6. Install watch bands. I 3D printed a flexible watch band and installed it using watch spring bars.