What Happens If ......??
I have always wondered what happens to the Bell and Ross BR-03 models (etc) if you unscrew the little screw on the case back which has the instruction 'Do Not Unscrew'!
What is the answer??
Most people seem to think it holds the crown in place which is usually internal. It appears to have a rubber seal underneath which would keep the watch waterproof. There is a exploded view of the watch hereOriginally Posted by Junior
http://forums.timezone.com/index.php...=3595824&rid=0
I've just followed the link and was astounded when I looked at the size of the movement compared to the size of the case. Over 50% of the case appears to be empty. I guess this is true of most watches nowadays, but it's a stark reminder when one see's it demonstrated like this...
According to B&R it's the "Screw to access button for disassembling the crown"...see: link.
Yep. a 25.6mm movement (ETA 2892 or 2824) in a watch 44-46mm would take up only 32% of the area outlined by the case. In practice it takes up much more than that, as a case that big is usually very thick for WR... but not always!
The 42mm square case is bigger than a 42mm round watch, which exacerbates the problem. A 42mm square watch covers the same area as a 47mm round watch, assuming it's a perfect square although they're always rounded on the corners to some degree. B&R's 46mm square watches are equivalent in surface area to a 52mm round watch. An ETA 2892 in the 46mm version is around a quarter of the size.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
I believe that the position of the date window is normally a tell tale sign of the size of the movement and in this case the date window is closer to the centre of the watch than is perhaps proportionate to the watch face so I was expecting a small movement but the reality is a bit shocking. I'll bet that the same is equally true of quartz movements. Thinking about it, it's surprising that they put view backs on some of these watches as the disparity must be clear.
During my <ahem> 'journey' through the hobby I've started to graduate more naturally towards smaller cased watches. I have a Speedmaster MarkII and took it in to compare to one of the recent re-releases which is of course bigger. The new model is nice but the upscaling of the case doesn't really feel right - at least to me. I did the same with a Bulova Astronaut I own with one of the new ones, which again is significantly bigger and ungainly from my perspective. I have largish wrists (7 3/4") and can probably get away with bigger watches, but smaller watches, especially those originally designed for smaller proportions, feel more aesthetically pleasing somehow.
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