When choosing a watch, there are several factors that equally impact the overall satisfaction and comfort one will experience with a particular timepiece. While some details are purely aesthetic and entirely dictated by taste, there are two features that require more careful consideration: the watch case size and material.
What is a Watch Case?
A watch case is the housing that protects the inner mechanism of the timepiece. It includes most of the outwardly visible components of the watch and serves both practical and aesthetic functions.
Because of this dual function, watch cases, though they all serve the same practical need, may look entirely different from model to model. The case materials may also differ widely according to the intended use of the timepiece, whether it is a dress watch, diving watch, or fashion watch.
Basic Watch Anatomy and the Function of a Watch Case
A designer watch features many specialized functions beyond just keeping perfect time. These may range from calendar features to chronographs to dual time zones and moon phases. These complications, as they’re called, are all located on or within the watch case, an all-important protective housing and mounting platform.
Though watches may look strikingly different, they share many basic components in common. While it’s not necessary to know every watch part from A to Z, it is helpful to have a working understanding of the basic features of a watch case in order to make a choice that best fits your wrist and lifestyle.
- Bezel: Much like a frame, the bezel surrounds the watch dial and holds the crystal in place.
- Case back: The case back is aptly named, as this component is located at the back of the case. It may be solid or transparent.
- Crown: The crown is a small dial, typically located at the 3:00 position, which is used to set the time and adjust other complications of the watch.
- Crystal: The crystal is the transparent window on the face of the watch that provides protection for the dial. It may be made of several different materials, though many designer watches feature sapphire.
- Lugs: Critical to fastening the watch case to its straps, watch lugs are also an important feature to consider when choosing the correct size watch case.
- Middle part: This is the foundational structural element of a watch. It surrounds the internal movement and serves as the mount for nearly every visible component.
- Pushers and correctors: Pushers are small buttons located on the side of the watch that are used to control various watch functions. Correctors are typically set flush with the watch case and control indications, like a calendar or time zone, and require special tools to prevent accidental adjustments.
Understanding Watch Case Sizes
Designer watches prioritize details to ensure not only a beautiful timepiece but also a comfortable wearing experience. Much like a ring must be the appropriate size, a watch should be sized according to the wearer’s wrist to ensure a proper fit. However, it is not the fit of the band to the wrist that is of primary concern.
While watch straps and bracelets are adjustable, the case size, or diameter across the face of the watch, is not. Watch case size is measured in millimeters with a tool called a caliper and is a standard measurement provided in the product details of a designer watch alongside such information as its resistance, power reserve, and material. Because case size can greatly impact wearability, it is important to pay attention to this detail when shopping for a designer watch.
Watch Case Size and Proportion
While there are no hard rules concerning what size watch a person may wear, most people will find that a designer watch that is proportional to their wrist is most visually appealing as well as comfortable. In general, persons with small wrists will find small case sizes more appropriate, and those with larger wrists will find larger cases feel right.
Finding the Right Case Size
Because “large” and “small” are subjective, having some concrete measurements can help you in your search for your ideal designer watch. While it may be tempting to forgo the math and measurements, putting in a little bit of time during this step can help immensely. The most straightforward guide is to simply measure your wrist circumference in inches, then choose the corresponding case size as follows:
- Small wrists: 6” or less in diameter; watch case sizes 31mm or less
- Medium wrists: 7” in diameter; watch case sizes between 31mm and 39mm
- Large wrists: 8” or more in diameter; watch case sizes greater than 39mm
Another way to choose the right case size is to measure your flat wrist width. To do so, measure the circumference of your wrist in millimeters, then divide by three. Choose a watch case size that is roughly 60-75% of your flat wrist width, depending on whether you prefer a subtle or bold look.
The Importance of the Lug-to-Lug Measurement
When it comes to finding a watch that fits just right, horizontal diameter, or the measured case size, isn’t the only important feature to consider. Watch straps and bracelets are connected to the case by lugs, which may be constructed in any number of ways and may cause the vertical length of the watch case to be markedly different from the horizontal diameter. This vertical length is called the lug-to-lug measurement.
When determining the lug-to-lug measurement, you can measure precisely, or you can simply estimate, as this measurement is not often listed in the product details. The distance from the outermost edge of one lug to the other should be roughly 75% to 90% of the width of your wrist. Whether the lugs are curved or flat will also play a role in the fit.
We recommend beginning with a case size that is proportional to your flat wrist. From there, consider the impact of the lug-to-lug measurement.
The Increase in Case Size Over Time
The designer watch is not immune from the changing tides of fashion, which has seen a marked increase in the size of wristwatches over the decades. Cases have trended larger over time, especially in the 2000s. In the early 20th century, watch cases were petite by today’s standards, with case sizes typically between 31mm and 33mm.
Today, most men’s designer watches have case sizes between 38mm and 46mm, an enormous increase. This preference for larger watches may be partly aesthetic, but these larger watches also accommodate more complications and indications than their predecessors.
Designer Watch Case Materials Through the Ages
With the invention of the quartz movement, wristwatches transitioned from an exclusive luxury good, almost always constructed of precious metals like gold, to a more affordable product available to the masses. This time period, known as the Quartz Crisis, saw the application of new case materials in watch construction and the opportunity to employ less expensive case materials for the wider population.
Today, quartz timepieces are prized in the designer watch market for their range of functions, accuracy, and lightweight durability. They may be constructed of precious metals or innovative modern alternatives. Quality designer watches of all types, whether mechanical, automatic, or quartz, are made of a variety of different case materials depending on the style and intended use of the watch, including:
- Black carbon
- Bronze
- Ceramic
- Gold
- Rose gold
- Stainless steel
- Titanium
Precious Metals as Case Materials
Those who prefer a traditional look will always be delighted with the warmth and splendor of a classic gold watch. Some designer watches also feature platinum, though high-quality stainless steel has a firm grip on the market, especially in sport and dive watches, which require superior durability.
Contemporary Watch Case Materials to Consider
Watchmaking has a long history of innovation, and modern designer watches continue that tradition. Innovative case materials like ceramic, carbon, and titanium provide sleek aesthetics that are also highly durable.
Ceramic watches are lightweight, scratch-resistant, and may be colored, unlike traditional metals. The rigid nature of ceramic means that, though it may not abrade as easily as metal, it is more prone to shatter upon hard impact. Carbon watches are also lightweight, scratch-resistant, and incredibly durable, though the material’s more modern look may not appeal to all buyers.
Comparing Popular Case Materials
Stainless steel is cost-effective, highly durable, lighter than gold, and resists corrosion, which makes it an exceptional case material for sport and diving watches. Stainless steel is heavier and may scratch more easily than some other modern alternative case materials.
Gold was the historical choice for watchmaking and maintains its desirability today due to the intrinsic value of the metal. Gold is highly corrosion-resistant and hypoallergenic, which makes it an excellent watch case material option. It is not as durable as steel, however, and can be heavy to wear.
Titanium itself is a hard material that easily resists scratches. However, it develops a natural oxide layer that helps protect against corrosion, and this layer may be quite easily scratched and scuffed. While the layer will naturally rebuild, a watch with titanium as its case material may frequently show faint abrasions along the surface.
Hypoallergenic Watch Case Materials for Sensitive Skin
Those with a nickel allergy are often limited in their jewelry and watch choices. Fortunately, the high-quality case materials found in designer watches provide many hypoallergenic options.
Gold and titanium watches are considered allergy-safe, as is 316L stainless steel. This particular type of stainless steel contains such a low percentage of nickel, typically only 10%-14%, that it is considered a hypoallergenic case material option for sensitive skin.
Watch Crystal Types
Just as a timepiece may be constructed of a variety of different case materials at different levels of quality, so too may watch crystals. Watch crystals may be made of three primary materials:
- Sapphire: Sapphire crystals are constructed from a transparent version of the precious stone and offer superior clarity and scratch resistance; sapphire crystals are typical of high-end designer watches.
- Mineral: Mineral (glass) crystals are more budget-friendly while still offering good scratch resistance, though they are not quite as hard as sapphire crystals.
- Acrylic: Acrylic crystals are the most affordable crystal option but are often easily scratched and may yellow over time.
You may also find sapphire crystals on the case back of a designer watch as a way to celebrate precision calibers or complications. This feature is called an exhibition case back and is yet another detail to consider when weighing the merits of different watch case materials.
Watch Case Backs: Exhibition and Solid
A case back may be the most ignored or the most treasured feature of a designer watch, depending on the watch and who you ask. An exhibition case back features a transparent crystal viewing window through which you may observe the inner movement of the watch. The exhibition case back, also called a display case back, is a feature that many collectors love, though some purists resist.
A solid case back does not allow this visibility. Some watch brands, like Rolex and Longines, prefer the solid case back design, prioritizing the watch movement as a tool rather than an aesthetic piece. While an exhibition case displays the internal mechanism, it can add thickness to the case, which can create a bulkier wearing experience and should be considered when selecting your case size.
Watch Cases and Water Resistance
Some watch cases provide an additional layer of protection for the internal mechanisms and movement through graded water resistance. For water-resistant watches, case materials that resist corrosion are of extreme importance. Rubber gaskets, screw-in crowns, and specialized pushers are precisely fitted to the watch case to protect against water intrusion.
The detail of this construction impacts the level of resistance in the watch. Some watches offer no water resistance at all, and some are so meticulously watertight that they can withstand pressure thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface.
Watch resistance is measured in meters or atmospheres and indicates the amount of pressure that the watch can withstand, not necessarily the depth at which one should test it. Some common water resistance levels include:
- 30 meters (3 ATM): Splash resistant
- 50 meters (5 ATM): Rain and brief submersion
- 100 meters and greater (10+ ATM): Suitable for swimming and snorkeling; meets international standards for a diving watch
A designer watch case is a true marriage of form and function. The beauty of the watch rests upon the intricate details held in place by this foundational component, and the wearability of a watch is dependent upon the precise construction and sizing of its case. The case size and case materials of a designer watch play an important role in the overall fit and function of a luxury timepiece.
