The ideal caseback?!

I like seeing the movement and like when they do something interesting with the look of it like with these two.

I like a full saphire Crystal caseback, like this on my Dekla deckwatch (manual wind):

I am also intrigued by, but don’t yet own, a “hunter” style caseback:

Whatever makes the watch the thinnest. Unless it's a very decorated high end movement, I don't care much for it.

I have replaced the exhibition caseback of all my Seiko 5s with thinner aftermarket caseback and shaved off 1mm in the process. They sit better on the wrist and if I want to look at the movement I'll just open them up.

Wow, those two watches look amazing and very original! From which brand are those models?

Wow, 1 mm? Does an exhibition caseback account for that much? I had no idea...

The first is a Le Jour Rally Monte-Carlo and the second is a Vilhelm Prism.

Personally I don't see a need for display case backs, any more than I would need a see-through hood/bonnet on my car. I trust that the watch I bought has a good enough movement inside even without having to look at it. Actually, I think the extra piece of glass just makes the watch look more fragile.

So, personally I prefer a solid case back. Some decoration on it would be fine, but I imagine I would rarely look at it so it's not important.

Nice comparison. 😂 IMHO the see-through caseback is part of the experience of our little machines, that also tell us the time (more or less accurate).

Plain polished gold. I guess it gets a hallmark, but the less text the better.

I agree with you, it's not like you will see it when on your wrist. I love screwdowns with a small engraving, like seikos or specialized g shocks like the frogman or the rangeman do, it's a cool little touch but not over the top.

Screw down, solid steel, with model no. and necessary specs so future generations don't have to guess. Having the specs on the caseback also gets them off of the dial.

I'm also hoping Hercules didn't screw it on so I can change the battery myself.

You've started it now. In 6-8 months time, there"ll be about a dozen Watch Crunchers posting photos of their new see-through hoods that match their see-through casebacks.

It makes a difference in the wearing experience for me. Especially if you're gonna wear divers on a NATO, the reduced bulk underneath the watch is a game changer.

Original SKX/5KX caseback vs Thin aftermarket caseback

I can imagine some car enthusiasts would actually like that. 😄

I personally like see through caseback on automatic watches. For quartz, I love seeing designs and patterns.

I like a closed caseback with a deeply sculpted emblem. With very rare exceptions, I find exhibition casebacks very silly, like putting a glass hood on a car. Cool if it's a mid-engined Ferrari with a beautifully designed motor, but goofy on a Honda with a mass-produced workhorse under the hood.

curved to follow the shape of my wrist.

Really, I think some cheap mass produced watches can look amazing.

I'm not a huge fan of an exhibition caseback with a rotor. Although I do have a few. It's not something I stop to stare at.

It's not a price-based equation to me, it's whether the movement is in any way interesting or complementary to the overall design of the watch case. There are some great examples at all price ranges for sure. But since the vast majority of mechanical watches are powered by an ETA/Sellita/STP/etc clone I don't think it's worth the added cost, thickness, or loss of real-estate where an actual piece of design can tie the case together just to have a look at yet another generic movement.

That would just be wrong...

I understand now, and have to say I fully agree 👍

I prefer my casebacks the same way I prefer my girlfriend's lingerie.

See through.

In all seriousness, you are paying for the movement, you might as well see it. And you can get good water resistance and a thin case profile with a see through case back. The Monta Noble (150m, 9.7mm thick) is a perfect example.

I like my Senators open case back.

Weiss cal 1003, such a beast of a movement. This is a 42mm watch, and I love how the movement fills the entire case back.

I know it is a cliche answer and probably used in other comments but for me it is L951.1/6 in ALS Datograph. This is so deep, well finished and beautiful I would probably wear the watch more often on other side or constantly take it off just to look at the movement😂

*picture from Hodinkee article

There's only so many display/exhibition casebacks you can see before getting bored of them. (For me atleast, since at the price range I operate at it's unlikely to have much in the way of decoration.) For this reason, I prefer a nice engraved caseback with something cool to match the theme of the watch, or even just some branding is fine if it's executed well.

1. Yes. Fish don't wear watches.

2. A fancy caseback could be a (more expensive) option on certain watches. But the way things are these days, they'd probably charge you more $$$ for the plain caseback.

How about her movement?

I love exhibition casebacks, as long as the movement is aesthetically pleasing. That Nomos is simply beautiful!