Well I do alot of watch part and trinket pen blanks and I too use Jewler pliers to start bends. I have several sizes. I use a metal dapping block that has various sized half round grooves. I use the transfer punches from Harbor Freight. It takes finesse to get proper shape. Not all watch dials are meant to bend well. Some are not meant to be cast because they have a paper dial. Some have parts that fall off very easily when bent. Some dials are too thick or the metal is not bendable. One thing I always do with all watch dials is on the back side I transfer the 12 and 6 o'clock marks and then draw a line straight down and use that as my reference to bend on that line to center the dial on the tube. I hate seeing these watch dials that are off center because that just tells me they were looking for more of a Steampunk look and haphazard is allowed. If using mechanical wind watches and then use all the gears and parts then again some just do not bend well. Good luck.
