One of the most important steps in choosing your watch is selecting the case. Quite simply, because it is the most important part of the watch, where the design expresses itself. Whether round, square or rectangular, small or large, in gold, steel, or platinum, the case of a timepiece can have a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials.
Luxury watch cases
Although the shape of watch cases is traditionally round, there are also other very common shapes such as square, cushion, barrel, or oval. There are even other types of cases with more extravagant shapes. The shape of the case has a very important impact on the design of a watch, but also on the image it reflects. By far the most classic is the round shape, whether for women or men. Moreover, it is this shape that symbolizes the watch. However, there are also quite a few square or rectangular timepieces. This style is often stricter and there are some watchmaking legends that have cases of these shapes, such as the Tag Heuer Monaco. Concerning oval or cushioned cases, they are much more common for women's watches.
Above all, the size of a watch is not only a question of taste, it also depends on your morphology. It is indeed necessary to look at the size of your wrist (between 14 and 18 cm for women and 15 and 19 cm for men) to know what you will be able to wear (both in terms of style and comfort).
Some people are more attracted to large cases, while others prefer smaller watches. The former will be more visible and considered more "ostentatious", the latter will be more discreet.
For men, most watches are between 30 mm and 50 mm in diameter for the case. However, if one is going for a mechanical watch, then one should go more towards 36 to 50 mm. For women, the size varies more between 20 mm and 42 mm in diameter for the largest cases.
The last important thing to look at is the material of the case. Today, these choices are increasingly important and are no longer limited to metals alone, as some watches have cases in plastic, ceramic, and even sapphire glass.
Stainless steel, the material par excellence for watches, is present in both low-end and high-end watches. This material is appreciated for its resistance and hardness. The majority of watchmakers use 316 L steel, although other alloys exist.
The material of kings, gold is widely used in luxury watches or fine watchmaking. The most commonly used material is 18-carat gold (75% gold). There are several colours of gold with yellow gold, pink or red gold, or white or white gold.
Much rarer than steel and with an image of innovation and technique, titanium is resistant and light. On the other hand, it tends to scratch.
Even more precious than gold, platinum has the great characteristic of being very resistant and of great beauty.
