Open heart and skeleton

Three ways to show off the movement: a display back (exhibition caseback) is sapphire or mineral glass in the case back, so you can see the rotor and movement when you turn the watch over — whether a watch has one is listed in the item's specifications. Open heart is an opening in the dial so you can see the balance swinging from the front. Skeleton is a movement where the plates are cut away to the bare minimum, so you can see the gears all the way through.

It requires a mechanical movement — a quartz movement is a circuit board and nothing much to look at. See watches with a visible movement and automatic watches.

If you have a question about a particular watch, ask Nord, our assistant, at the bottom right — or write to us.