We're bringing sexy backs...

It will come as no surprise that I like to link my blog posts to my current stock, and scrolling through what’s on the website, I think it’s time to turn things around and take a closer look at some sexy case backs!

Last week, I was extremely excited to list four Moritz Grossmann watches, although at the time of writing, one has already sold, and another has a viewing booked. The Atum shown below as a simply beautiful Grand-feu white enamel dial, however, in contrast to this, the exhibition case back reveals the intricately finished Calibre 100.1 in-house movement. Much like many of the Moritz Grossmann movements, the 100.1 is based on an old pocket watch, featuring a three-quarter bridge decorated with Glashütte ribbing, and a ratchet wheel also decorated, with three bands of snailing. But perhaps the most noticeable piece is the balance cock, which has been hand-engraved with an elaborate floral design. Looking closer, you’ll be able to see that the text has also been hand-engraved. There are a number of other intricate finishes and technical features to be enjoyed within the Calibre 100.1 movement – please visit our listings for images or the Moritz Grossmann website for more details.

Let's move on to another jaw-dropping movement – the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph. From the front, the black dial remains relatively legible, almost simple, yet the unusually lowered subdials and the addition of a pulsometer scale, along with the text “FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH”, suggest there is something a little more exciting going on behind the scenes. Turning over the watch, the exhibition case back reveals the real beauty of this piece – the manual-wind calibre L951.5 movement. More than a movement, the 306 components resemble a city, its layers intricately intertwined. Untreated German silver plates and bridges have expertly chamfered edges and are decorated with blued screws and golden text. A hand-engraved balance cock sits proudly alongside the striped finishing. It really is a movement that you could get lost in.

However, movements of this stature don't really make for a daily beater, so the likes of Panerai and Omega have created sturdy, everyday movements, that are still visually appealing.

Firstly, the Panerai Luminor Marina 3-Day does what it says on the tin. Under a relatively simple plate, twin barrels provide enough power to keep your watch going for an impressive 72-hours.

For the 2020 Seamaster Diver 300, Omega have done away with their solid "Hippocampus" case back in favour of an exhibition case back, revealing their Calibre 8800 movement. With quite an impressive resume, this automatic movement is a Certified Master Chronometer and approved by METAS. It’s fitted with a Co-Axial escapement, a free sprung-balance with silicon balance spring, is resistant to magnetic fields reaching 15,000 gauss, and offers a 55-hour power reserve. Furthermore, it’s been beautifully finished with Geneva waves in arabesque. It’s no wonder that they wanted to show it off!

Two brands that prefer to keep things a little more covered up are Rolex and Tudor. For the most part, their case backs tend to be plain, without decoration, and covering up their movements – perhaps giving a nod to how seriously they take their water resistance.

Not everyone is so serious, and the likes of Girard-Perregaux, Arcanaut and Sarpaneva like to have a bit of fun. The 2025 Girard-Perregaux collaboration with Bamford Watch Department resulted in the very playful Deep Diver. With a presentation box designed to look like a swimming pool, the brands decided to also engrave the case back with “WATERPOOL RESTISTANT”.

Not being satisfied with just having a fully luminous dial for their “Bonehead”, Arcanaut also added a luminous "GlowPatch" to their case back.

And lastly, adding a bit of mystery to the limited production of the Sarpaneva Korona KO Ruler of Water, the case back is engraved with the words “One of the Few”.

But case backs aren’t only there to entertain us. When it comes to vintage pieces, they can give an indication of the life of a watch. With that in mind, we are pleased to bring to the market two very special vintage watches.

The 1973 Breitling Chronomat 8808 is in wonderful vintage condition. The lines of the case are still sharp, and the case back engraving is still crisp – this watch has had a very easy life.

The same can be said for the 1999 Porsche Design, whose wonderfully decorated case back is still covered up by its original sticker.

We love a case back – whether it’s a window into the soul of our watches, or canvas to express a brand's design flair.

I want to know, which is your favourite from the watches featured, and also what is your favourite case back of all time? Comment below!