Mechanical Watch: Exploded View

Artistic impact and desirability

• Many commenters find the piece stunning and would gladly buy one, imagining it in museums, watch boutiques, or as a desk object.
• It especially appeals to people who love the mechanics of watches but don’t necessarily want to wear them.
• Some see it as a physical counterpart or tribute to high‑quality interactive explainers on mechanical watches.

Commercial potential and pricing

• Several people urge turning this into a product or limited series, suggesting prices from a few hundred dollars up to $10k+ for bespoke pieces.
• Others argue the labor (15–20+ hours, high skill) makes it economically marginal compared with a well‑paid day job; the “no competition” angle doesn’t guarantee viable demand.
• Consensus: high‑end one‑offs for wealthy collectors or brands might be realistic; mass‑market seems unlikely.

Resin, UV, and finishing challenges

• Experienced resin users warn that most epoxies yellow over a few years even if “UV‑stabilized,” usually gaining an orange tint.
• Alternatives (polyesters, aliphatic polyurethanes) are more UV‑stable but smell bad or are harder to work with.
• People discuss using UV‑filter glass or cylindrical covers, but refraction and distortion quickly become a problem.
• Several outline how to sand and polish to a perfect cube (progressive grits, flat glass backing, polishing compounds, possibly power sanders), but the author cites space, dust, and tedium constraints.

Suspension, refraction, and construction methods

• Layer‑by‑layer casting is proposed repeatedly; others point out the article’s explanation: many layers, time‑consuming, and visible refractive boundaries.
• Ideas include:
  • Using nylon supports (already close to resin’s refractive index).
  • Trying fluorocarbon, index‑matched adhesives, or nanoparticles to tune resin index.
  • Casting epoxy rods as invisible supports (reported as brittle and hard to cut cleanly).
  • Gel‑like resins or very viscous/UV‑cured media; commenters note buoyancy and air‑bubble issues.

Preserving vs “sacrificing” watches

• Some feel it’s almost sacrilegious to entomb a functional mechanical watch.
• Others note that there is a large surplus of inexpensive pocket‑watch movements; many are effectively practice material for repairers, so using one for art is not seen as a major loss.

Watch culture and related ideas

• Discussion branches into:
  • Modern Chinese movements (e.g., PT5000, ST19) as accurate, affordable clones.
  • How to start watch repair as a hobby (tools, practice movements, courses).
  • Buying Chinese homages and vintage pieces, with cautions about fakes and “Franken” watches.
• Commenters also reference related art and explainers (resin‑sliced objects, 3D laser blocks, videos on exploded phones and watch mechanics) and fantasize about a working “exploded” clock, perhaps via hidden movements or future 3D displays.