When it comes to watches, watch case is an essential parts of watch.Many newcomers to the watch industry are curious about what is the case of a watch. What is the role of a watch case? Simply a watch case is the outer shell of the watch movement and watch face which protect the watch mechanism from outside world and keep everything running smoothly.

In this blog, we’ll give you a detailed overview of the watch case parts, meaning, shape, size, and everything else related to the case.

Watch case parts

Watch case parts include many small parts (case body,bezel, watch case back, lug,watch crystal,plastic cover,crown).The lug and bezel are part of the case body and come out of the grinder inside the case body along with the case body.However watch crystal, plastic cover, and watch case back are all small accessories that are produced separately.In terms of function, the case serves as a housing for the movement, and the case protects the watch movement and the watch dial from damage. The case is in turn connected to the crown, which is used to adjust the time, calendar,GMTand chronograph functions.In terms of aesthetics, the watch case is a key aspect of the watch design. The shape, color, and material of the watch case determine the overall look and feel of the watch. Overall, the watch case plays a crucial role in determining the overall quality and aesthetic appeal of a watch.

Watch Crystal

A watch crystal is the transparent glass material that covers the watch face. watch crystal type include watch sapphire crystal, Mineral crystal and Acrylic crystal. Their function is to protect the watch from the external environment and to provide a polished look to your watch.

Watch Lug

Watch lug are where the strap, band or bracelet is attached to the case. The strap is attached to the case through the spring bar to form a single unit.

Watch bezel

The bezel is a ring-shaped fitting that holds the crystal glass in place and is usually made of stainless steel, aluminum, or ceramic. The bezel has various functions such as GMT, Dive, Countdown, Countup, Tachymeter, Compass, etc. The bezel can be motionless, unidirectional or bi-directional.

Watch case back

A watch case back is of the rear cover of the case.It protect internal part of the watch.and when you need to change the battery or repair a watch,the first thing is to remove the case back watch.Most case backs are made of 304 or 316L stainless steel.But some mechanical watches will have a sapphire crystal glass back, through which you can see the mechanical movement at work.

The watch case back type is watch case back press,watch case back screws,Screw-off back and push-down.The customer can customize the case back watch with their own design or documents. Watchessy provide customized watch case cover service and help their guest to add series number on back of watches.

Watch plastic rear cover

The inner watch cover is used to link the watch case body to the movement and the movements are fix into the watch case. The dial is fixed to the movement by the dial foot .And the hands are fixed to the movement by watch hand holder.In this way, the face, the hands, the movement and the case form a whole through the inner cover.
The material of the inner cover of the watch is usually plastic. However, some customers use brass inner cover to enhance the quality or increase the weight of the watch.

Watch Crown

In watch industry, sometimes the crown is also considered to be part of the watch case. Watch crown is made of stainless steel or copper.The crown is used to adjust the time and calendar as well as the chronograph function.

Watch case material

When it comes to case materials, we have many choices. Next we will give an introduction to some common case materials to help you choose some suitable case materials.

Stainless steel case

Stainless steel material has good corrosion resistance and wear resistance, and the price is moderate, very suitable for making a watch case.There are different types of stainless steel (304, 316L, 904L). For example, many dive watches use 316L stainless steel. Rolex watch cases are made of 904L stainless steel.

Titanium watch case

There are different types of titanium, like stainless steel, and the common varieties of titanium shells are grades 2 and 5. Titanium is very light but hard, hypoallergenic and corrosion resistant, and is not affected by magnetism. However, titanium is easily scratched, so frequently worn titanium watches can show minor scratches and wear.

Bronze watch case

Brass and bronze cases have become increasingly popular in the past few years. Brass is made up of 66% copper and 34% zinc. Bronze is made up of copper and 10% tin. Brass cases are softer and heavier than stainless steel materials and are less resistant to corrosion. Over time, the metal in bronze reacts with oxygen or sweat, etc. to produce a copper green color. Therefore many bronze cases also have stainless steel case back.

Aluminum watch case

Compared to stainless steel cases, aluminum cases are softer and lighter in weight than stainless steel. But the scratches of the aluminum case are not as obvious as those of stainless steel. So the case of Apple Watch has both stainless steel material and aluminum case. If you want a watch that is lighter in weight and relatively inexpensive, the aluminum watch is a good choice.

Alloy watch case

Usually, when we say alloy case, we mean zinc alloy. Compared with stainless steel cases, zinc alloy is cheaper, lighter, less corrosion resistant and not hard enough. Generally speaking, only low-end watch cases are made of alloy. Alloy watches are used to make some promotional gifts and so on.

Ceramic watch case

Ceramic is a new material for the watchmaking industry, but ceramic watches are hard, resistant to wear and corrosion. Compared to stainless steel cases, they are lighter in mass and harder to scratch. Also, ceramic watches can be colored in different ways, making them more aesthetically pleasing. The disadvantage of ceramic watches is that they can be catastrophically damaged if they receive a violent impact, such as a cracked or shattered case.

Wood watch

Wooden watches are becoming more and more popular as the concept of environmental protection is gaining popularity. Generally speaking, wooden watches are made of eco-friendly materials such as maple, sandalwood, teak, or materials that can be reborn. Wooden watches are lighter, more comfortable and durable to wear.

Carbon fiber watch

Carbon fiber watches are watches made from materials such as carbon fiber or forged carbon. These materials are known for their superior strength, durability and the fact that they are lightweight.However, carbon brazed dimension also has the disadvantage of being easily scratched as well as not resistant to wear and tear. Scratches on stainless steel watches can be solved by polishing, but scratches on carbon fiber cannot be solved by polishing.

Plastic watch

Plastic is one of the most common materials used in the manufacture of watch cases. Plastic watches are inexpensive, but the Minimum order quantity is high, similar to alloy watches. It is suitable for the low-end market, such as for promotional gifts.

watch case size

Watch case size is one of the most important considerations when buying a watch or starting a watch brand. The case size is the diameter of the case excluding the crown. Generally speaking, children watches are 22-30mm in diameter, women’s watches are 26-38mm, and men watches are between 38 and 46mm. Of course, if you prefer a smaller watch size, you can also choose a 26mm watch. If your personal preference is for a larger watch, you can choose a 48 or 50mm watch.

Wearing a correct and appropriate size of the watch will make people feel comfortable, To give you a more intuitive feel for watch sizes, we offer a watch size chart for your reference.

Watch case shape

Watch case shape represents the design style of the watch and can express the designer’s philosophy. Generally speaking, there are 8 common case shapes:

Round

Rectangle

Tank

Carre

Square

Oval

Carage

Tonneau

Among them, round and rectangular, square are more common. The main reason why most of them are round is that it is easier to see the time in a round case and the watch hand moves around in a circle.

Conclusion-what is the case of a watch

With this blog, you have a comprehensive understanding of what is a case on a watch. If you want to custom watch case or create your own brand, watchessy as a watch case manufacturer can customize a case (case size,shape) according to your requirements and budget.At the same time, we also have different shapes and sizes of women and men watch cases for our guests to choose.