Open Heart Dials...why"

I don’t have a rational reason why I dislike them, but I totally agree. I’ve never seen one I would ever want to wear. 

Completely agree - so many beautiful watch faces ruined with open-hearts. Bulova has half a catalog worth of watches that could be saved from just from removing it.

An exhibition caseback is marvelous in every way except when you're actually wearing the watch when it's rendered completely useless. I'm not a massive advocate of the open heart but I do see the point. I own the Seiko Presage below and, whilst I agree the dial might look better without the big hole, I do actually get to see the balance doing its magic without having to take the thing off. I like that. I can understand why some wouldn't, but I do.

I dont get open heart dials either. But I also don't get ¾ length trousers (THEY MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE F*CKING OLIVER TWIST!) or ripped jeans so 🤷. I think it could be the symmetry of the dial is why we don't like it. For example I like simpler watches, so when i see @gasworks pressage I can't help but think of how gorgeous that would be if it was symmetrical. Same with most date windows

I do understand that. But I'm prepared to concede symmetry for a view of that fascinating little heartbeat. 

I wouldn't want it on all my watches but in this case, for me, it adds something.. another point of interest. I still have the rest of the dial, markers and hands to admire... and it is lovely, my phone photography (phoneography?) doesn't do it any justice. 

I'm with you on the 3/4 length trousers though. 

As long as I makes you smile when it's on your wrist, it's a good looking watch 👍. Wear it in good health my friend

Mentioned by @gasworks , even with a display case back, I’ll only see the movement when i take the watch off, this way i still get a small glimpse at the heartbeat. Sometimes I can understand the dislike for asymmetry on the dial, but I just make the mental compromise for seeing the innards.

Well, even if it's not everyone's preference, the visible mechanism might draw in those unfamiliar with mechanical watch movements. The mechanism is visible without having to specifically look at the caseback, which could lead to more people becoming aware of, and appreciating mechanical watches.

Open heart is the new fidgit spinner toy. When you want the time you can pick out the hands amid the clutter. On the upside get high and  stare at it. With the new legality its bound to get giggles. 

I never realized I have the same thoughts lately. Thank you for bringing it up. 👍

Many times I think it can look forced and like it's only there to give an otherwise boring watch a bit of character. However this is my husbands Frederick Constant, which I think pulls off the open heart very nicely.

I don't understand it neither, I don't even like the balance wheel on top of the dial of most MB&F. I prefer a nice dial and a nice case back/open case back. No need to see the movement from the top of the watch. I'm pretty boring when it comes to watch design, but I like how boring I am 😂

I don’t understand why we still wear watches or trousers, so that is why I’m banned from most branches of Watches of Switzerland…

Personally I’m not a fan unless it’s a proper Tourbillon, and there is no way I’m affording something like that, so this is a type of watch that will not be finding it’s way into the collection any time soon. I’m not a fan of exhibition case backs as they serve little purpose, and a lot of movements are pretty boring so I don’t need to see the gubbins, it serves no particular hold over me to watch the movement go round. If it were a pendulum, or something much more organic, then maybe I would want to see it, but otherwise it’s just a wheel and a spring. You would think I am more mechanically-sympathetic to the form of the watch movement, considering how much I bang on about “check the movement”, and “f*** pin-pallets” but I think I’m just comfortable knowing they work rather than constantly checking up on them. So, expect to see pictures of me wearing an open heart Bambino or something similar in the next 6 months because I’m constantly doing the opposite of what I say. 

I agree. ”Open heart” dials look like fake tourbillon 

Hey, do you wear your husband’s watch often? Coz I keep trying to make my wife wear my watches, and she won’t bother even with the smallest one (a 35mm longines heritage conquest). Any tips for me?

Agree with this. The trouble is that many open hearts look into ugly movements. A lovely tourbillon is a different matter but an undecorated seiko or Orient movement (to name a couple of examples) doesn’t really add much to the face 

You get to enjoy the movement when wearing the watch. What's wrong with that? If you don't like seeing the movement, why not buy a quartz?

hello, i guess different strokes for different folks works here. we as a human cannot love or hate the same spesific things or style, so it is what it is

Indeed... If it's just about being beautiful and symmetrical why not just strap a butterfly to one's wrist. 😁

Symmetry is not a requirement of good design. Far from it.

What are you trying to say? I don’t think it’s fair to assume one is a Luddite or Philistine if we don’t wish to see the movement. I don’t desire to see my car’s engine as I drive so does this mean I should take the bus? As I also can’t see the bus engine, should I therefore take a horse? Must I flay my horse to see the muscles and tendons before I gallop off into the sunset (on another horse having maimed the original horse to satisfy myself of its inner machinations)? Perhaps then my only form of transport is a bike? You can appreciate how things work without having them visibly displayed to you, it’s a perfectly valid stance.

I tried that, but it flew away. It also stole my ice cream. In hindsight I think it might have been a goose instead of a butterfly, I might have been in the pub most of the afternoon.

Symmetry is not necessarily important, but there are certain ratios more pleasing to the eye than others. A goose isn’t symmetrical, but it’s still evil and guards the gates of Hell when Satan goes on his coffee break. Also, some people don’t want to see the gubbins. I’m sure this is not a very odd take is it?

I love wearing his watches and since I have no sense of taste or style I am quite happy wearing watches that would generally be considered too big for my wrist. To be fair, as a watch enthusiast with a tiny wrist I would be excluded from sooo many cool watches if I stuck to 'the appropriate size'.

 Your wife probably has more class than me and if she's decided that delicate 28mm watches are the ones for her, then fair play to her.

Top tip: Let your wife wear what she wants. Maybe take her shopping for a watch of her own and maybe it will spark an interest in trying different sizes. Even better, take her shopping for shoes or guitars or whatever else she is into instead, feeling safe in the knowledge that your watch collection is safe and sound (and where you last left it) and your wife is enjoying her 'thing' even if it's not your 'thing'. 

Happy wife, happy life bruv. Always. 👍

Yup - aesthetic fail.  Full skeletor or great dial are what I go for.  Exception for tourbillions of course!

Sounds like I should get an open heart watch.

What killed it for me, was that open heart watches were pushed on shopping channels as having a fancy complication, when it was really just a window into a standard movement. It felt a bit like a gimmick.

Haha true that! After all, my watch obsession is my own. Her obsessions lie else where.

On her part, she tries very hard to make me like her favourite bands, which I get bored pretty quickly with. I guess we both want to involve each other in our personal happinesses.

Maybe one day she will pick up the Longines and actually like it, and maybe I will learn to enjoy the beats of Cowboys from Hell. Until then, I know we will keep trying to recruit each other into our hobbies!

I reckon most non watch enthusiasts would be hard pressed to tell the visual difference between a balance spring and a tourbillion, and would have no idea what the actual difference is, or level of complexity involved. I think in part this explains the popularity of open heart watches. They look like expensive watches they have seen elsewhere.

Nothing wrong with liking either, both or neither. Most of the time I don’t like open heart or exposed tourbillion designs but there are exceptions.

I also agree. it just doesn’t work visually, maybe interesting but not appealing 

For me it's lime a date. So many watches do date complications wrong, and it ruins the dial.

However when done right, it looks gorgeous and elevates the entire dial. There aren't many times I've seen an open heart that I like, but when I do they look lovely