I really love coming up with interesting collector guide topics these days. In the past on the WRB we had been creating many generic guides for watch enthusiasts but I think it’s time that we start to dig in a little in terms of exciting topics that help our readers curate unique and inspiring watch collections. Today we’re going to be taking a look at a series of exhibition display or caseback watches, that also happen to have a unique interesting twist to their design.
Uses
The exhibition caseback allows you to get a nice view of the mechanical movement of the watch. They happen to be found on very budget watches, as well as ultra high end haute horology watches as well. There’s really a massive variance on the types of watches that feature this type of caseback, although they are usually more valued on watches that have something beautiful to show off. Exhibition display backs can be found on sports watches, dress watches, chronographs, watches with both hand-wound movements and automatic movements, the list goes on.
Drawbacks
There are a couple drawback to the exhibition casebook though. For one, they obviously are not as damage resistant than a full metal caseback. An exhibition caseback is usually made from the same material as the watch crystal, on higher end watches this is going to be sapphire crystal which is inherently prone to shattering if dropped on a very hard surface like a marble counter or tile floors. Another draw back to a see-through caseback is the ability for it to scratch and skew the visibility of the movement, although this is very unlikely since the back of the watch is always sitting against your wrist.
Another often overlooked danger of the exhibition caseback is its use on dive watches. Depending on the watch brand and model the sapphire back can reduce water resistance due to the opening around the window not being as secure as metal, and also its strength not being as strong to withstand deep water pressure. Many high end watch brands producing dive watches with exhibition windows have mitigated this though with various manufacturing technologies and special builds so it’s usually not an issue as you move up in watch price.
Patek Philippe 5370P Split Seconds Chronograph
Let’s start off our list with a heavy hitter. This is none other than the 5370P from Patek, everyones dream watch. Patek enjoys implementing the use of display back windows on many of their watches, and if you’ve been lurking in the watches domaine for some time you’re probably quite familiar why. All of their movements are of course not only in-house produced, but also hand-made. This magnificent watch here is featuring the Caliber CHR 29-535, a split seconds chronograph movement that’s viewable in all its glory from the back of the watch.
The Caliber CHR 29-535 has hundreds of parts, many of which are dedicated to the split seconds aka Ratrappant function, which happens to be one of the most complicated functions to make in a watch. The movement features a column-wheel mechanism for the chronograph functions, and the split-seconds function actually uses two dedicated column-wheels. The way the movement has been engineered enhances its accuracy and smoothness of the split-seconds mechanism.
The movement also incorporates a few Patek Philippe patents as well, for example the horizontal clutch that uses a disc clutch minimizing wear and tear on the rest of the movement.
Not only does this watch show off the movement, but we’re featuring it in our list because of the rest of the watch was well. The case is made of platinum with a case diameter of 41mm and height go 13.56mm. Not a small watch by any means, but when you observe the craftsmanship you’ll immediately understand the attraction to this watch.
Rolex Perpetual 1908
As a Rolex collector myself I have to include one on this list, especially since last year they unveilald for the first time a couple watches with exhibition display back windows. It was quite a surprise to see them add a display back to the platinum Daytona, but the watch we’re featuring here is the new release Perpetual 1908. This is Rolex’s dress watch, taking over where the previous Cellini model left off.
Rolex like to make practical watches, knowing that their owners generally like to wear them often. They opted for an automatic movement even on their 1908 dress watch which I think is great. The movement created by Rolex is the new automatic caliber 7140, visible through the caseback. This new movement uses a Syloxi silicon hairspring, the first time it’s been used in a larger watch such as the 1908. This new hairspring is also paired with a Chronergy escapement. The rest of the movement is classic Rolex, being a superlative chronometer with 66 hours of power reserve.
We’re here to talk about the display back window, but I’ll have to touch on the dial of this watch as well which is just so unique and different for Rolex. The dial is perfectly laid out with a mix of applied markers and Arabic numerals, a nice little applied Rolex crown and logo at 12’oclock and a really gorgeous smalls seconds counter at 6’oclock. One little detail I’ve never seen before on any Rolex is the hour hand that features a big loop hand, and the minute hand is a classic sword shape. This watch has whole lot going on and is in my opinion currently very underrated.
Nomos Zurich World Time
Nomos is known for creating really amazing high horology watches at somewhat accessible prices. The Zurich World Time is actually at the top end of their catalogue, and along with its prestige it features a cool world time complication.
Normally on world time watches you’ll see the names of cities etched onto the exterior bezel, but Nomos likes to things their own way while patenting at the same time. The Zurich that we’re featuring here has the cities etched on a disc inside the outer section of the dial. This is due to the unique construction of the in-house automatic caliber DUW 5201. This movement is quite the marvel in its own right, and lucky for us is totally viewable from the rear of the watch. One of this movements standout features is not a function or a part, it’s the simple fact that they built it so incredibly thin, just like many of the other watches in their catalogue. This allows Nomos to build elegant and thin cases to house the movement.
The caliber DUW 5201 includes a proprietary escapement known as the Nomos Swing System. Other notable parts in this movement are the balance spring, escape wheel, and pallet – all of which are designed and manufactured by Nomos, which is quite the feat for a relatively new and small German watch brand. The movement is also expertly hand finished with some decorative features that you can see through the caseback window.
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional
Yes the Omega Speedmaster is mentioned too much, it’s already such a popular watch, so much so that it’s been counterfeited excessively as we touched on in our Speedmaster authentication article. When there’s massive popularity there’s usually good reason that follows. With the Speedmaster that couldn’t be more true.
Not only does the iconic Moonwatch fill watch enthusiasts hearts with its rich history, it also captivates them with its stunning hand-wound caliber 3861 movement – which is visible through its sapphire caseback. This movement is a significant upgrade to the previous 1861 movement, and now you can admire it. Mind you, take note that there’s two variants available, one of which has a solid metal caseback so choose your watch wisely.
Not only does this movement look incredible and complex, it’s also quite easily serviceable, which can’t be said for all the watches on our list. Along with the Nomos Zurich World Time, the Moonwatch is also on the more affordable end of the spectrum if you’re looking for a watch with a stunning movement.
The rest of the watch is near perfection for a sporty chronograph, and has been reviewed countless times by experts in the industry. It really has the whole package a watch collector desires, which is excellent build quality, great fitting proportions, a strong brand name, a fascinating movement – and a long storied heritage.
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222
The Historique 222 is a bit of an outlier in the group, and I’ve chosen it not only for its display back capability but also its general stunning solid gold design appeal. This is an integrated bracelet watch from one of the most prestigious watchmakers in the world, although not generally considered part of the holly trinity of watch brands, they certainly could be.
This is another watch that takes a modern twist on a classic produced by Vacheron way back in 1977, designed by Jörg Hysek to commemorate the 222nd anniversary of Vacheron Constantin. As you can probably tell, this is a watch that competed with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus. Fast forward to today, and it’s quite apparent this watch didn’t win the battle against the sought after Royal Oak and Nautilus, although the 222 has made quite a resurgence in popularity since its new launch. This can be partly due to the fact that the other two watches are nearly impossible to buy at retail, and some watch collectors are going after the next best thing which is the Historiques 222.
Watch politics aside, there’s no denying the stunning retro design this watch has, and lucky for us again that the movement is viewable through the display back window. The movement that we’re gazing at here is the caliber 2455/2 and it’s quite the work of art. This watch is quite a bit sportier in appearance than the first few watches on our list, but it’s still incredibly refined.
The bezel has a kind of engine turned look to it, making it very unique and complimenting the integrated look from the Gérald Genta era. The dial pairs really nice as well, retaining the all gold hue, and using applied stick markers very symmetrically around the dial. The watch case, bezel and bracelet have plenty of design details and so I think it was a great idea to keep the dial relatively simple as you can see here.
Conclusion
This about sums up our list of exceptional watches with sapphire display casebacks. Of course it would be possible to add more watches to this list, which I may do in the future. I think the five mentioned watches above really embody the top tier of display back watches, all of them are showing off some of the most incredible mechanical movements that exist in the luxury and haute horology watch space. It would be nice to hear from our readers below in the comments, is there any watch model that you would like to see added to this list?
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