How Red 5 Watch Works Creates Custom Watch Dials with Carvera Air？

For many watch enthusiasts, collecting timepieces is a lifelong passion. For Ron Elkins, founder of Red 5 Watch Works, that passion evolved into something much bigger—the ability to create watches that exist nowhere else in the world.

What began as a hobby over two decades ago has grown into a creative pursuit fueled by craftsmanship, curiosity, and modern digital manufacturing. Today, with the help of the Makera Carvera Air, Ron designs and machines custom watch dials, hands, and components from a wide range of materials, bringing professional-level watchmaking into his own workshop.

Ron's journey into watchmaking didn't begin with CNC machining—it began with curiosity.

His love of watches stretches back more than 40 years, when his uncle gave him his very first watch. That single gift sparked a fascination with mechanical timekeeping that never faded.

"I've always been interested in understanding how things work," Ron says. "When I was twelve, I took apart a television and put it back together. I built my own remote-control cars. Making things has always been part of who I am."

Around 25 years ago, Ron began modifying and refinishing watches as a creative outlet. In 2007, he assembled his first watch from a kit, and the experience inspired him to keep building.

For Ron, the satisfaction comes from turning an idea into something tangible.

"I love having an idea in my head and later seeing it as an actual product I made, can hold, and performs an important function."

That drive to continuously improve eventually led him toward CNC machining.

Before adding CNC to his workflow, Ron had already experimented with a remarkable range of materials.

Steel. Titanium. Aluminum. Brass. Bronze. Wood. Carbon fiber. Resin. Even mammoth tusk.

For him, working directly with materials creates a deeper connection to the finished product.

"That’s why people like independent watchmakers and craftspeople. Knowing that a part of a person was poured into a product adds value," he explains. "You're paying for creativity and time."

CNC opened entirely new possibilities.

Instead of being limited by available parts, Ron could now create components that simply didn't exist on the market—including his own custom dial blanks in virtually any size.

The ability to manufacture precision watch components in a desktop workshop transformed both his creative freedom and his production process.

Ron was among the earliest Kickstarter backers of the Carvera Air, receiving his machine in February 2025.

Interestingly, he had originally planned to purchase another desktop CNC machine.

"I’d actually saved up to buy a competitor’s machine," he recalls. "But when the Air was announced I decided to wait due to the history of Makera delivering the Carvera and the attractive price of the Air."

One challenge had always frustrated him. Finding custom watch dials with the correct dimensions and mounting feet was either nearly impossible or prohibitively expensive.

Rather than relying on suppliers, Ron wanted complete control over the manufacturing process. With the Carvera Air, he finally achieved exactly that.

Today, Ron primarily uses the Carvera Air to produce:

• Custom watch dials
• Dial blanks
• Watch hands
• Chapter rings
• Movement spacers
• Engraving blanks
• Rapid prototypes

The greatest difference compared to his previous tools is simple:

The ability to machine metal accurately.

While his fiber laser remains an important part of the workshop, it has limitations.

Lasers excel at engraving, but they cannot create raised locating pins, mounting feet, or complex machined textures. They also struggle to reproduce reflective surface patterns like traditional guilloche finishes without additional manual work.

The Carvera Air fills that gap.

It allows Ron to machine clean, crisp dial surfaces with precise angles and beautifully reflective cuts that often require no additional finishing.

"The combination of the Air and a fiber laser is great for a small workshop," Ron says. "I’ll create dial blanks with the Air and engrave patterns with the laser. It’s made my life easier." 

Even his 3D printer remains valuable. Before cutting metal, he'll often print a prototype to verify the design, reducing material waste and speeding up development.

Among all the Carvera Air's capabilities, one stands out most. Its ability to machine brass and aluminum with impressive precision.

Brass has been one of the most important materials in watchmaking for centuries, making machining performance especially critical.

"The Air machines brass easily with impressive precision for a desktop machine," Ron explains. Just as importantly, it has significantly reduced production costs.

Instead of purchasing pre-made blanks from suppliers in multiple materials, Ron now manufactures them himself whenever he needs them. That flexibility allows him to experiment more freely and iterate designs much faster.

Despite embracing digital fabrication, Ron doesn't see CNC replacing traditional craftsmanship. Instead, he views them as complementary.

Components can be precision-machined with the Carvera Air before being hand-finished, polished, or engraved. The machine handles repeatable precision. The craftsman adds the artistic touch.

His philosophy is refreshingly simple:

"Work smarter, not harder."

It's an approach that lets creativity flourish while reducing repetitive manual labor.

Ron has long been part of the vibrant watch modding community—a group united by the desire to build something personal rather than settle for mass production.

One of the biggest limitations for hobbyists has always been custom dial manufacturing. Professional dial production has traditionally required specialized equipment that was simply out of reach for individuals.

The Carvera Air changes that equation. "It brings dial making home," Ron says.

With an affordable desktop CNC machine and basic machining skills, enthusiasts can now create one-of-a-kind dials tailored to their own designs.  And that's what modding has always been about. Creating a watch that nobody else in the world owns.

Ron isn't slowing down. His next goal is to continue improving every aspect of his work while preparing for the release of his own watch collection.

The upcoming launch will include bespoke customization options, with the Carvera Air playing a central role in manufacturing many of those personalized components.

For Ron, CNC isn't simply another tool in the workshop. It's an extension of the creative process—one that allows ideas to move seamlessly from imagination to finished watch.

As desktop manufacturing becomes increasingly accessible, makers like Ron demonstrate what's possible when traditional craftsmanship meets modern precision.

Sometimes the most meaningful watch isn't the one you buy. It's the one you create yourself.

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