Pocket watches · Case
Open-Face Watches
VerifiedPocket watches with no hinged cover over the dial, protected only by the bezel and crystal, typically wound and set at 12 o'clock relative to the dial.
Mechanism
A case configuration rather than a movement type; open-face movements are laid out with the seconds train in line with the crown at 12.
Typical characteristics
- Crown at 12 o'clock
- Subsidiary seconds usually at 6 o'clock
- Lighter and thinner than an equivalent hunter case
Identification characteristics
- No front lid; crown positioned at 12
- Seconds subdial position relative to the crown distinguishes an open-face-configured movement from a hunter movement re-cased as open-face
Collector significance
The standard configuration for railroad-grade and everyday pocket watches by the twentieth century.
Known variations
- Sunk (recessed) crystal
- Flush crystal
- Wire-lug conversion to wristwatch (see conversion watches)
Photographs
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Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Cutmore, M., Watches 1850-1980
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.