Enthusiasts of every hobby have their quirks, and lots of times what we desire is not rooted in anything other than collective preferences.

Some people make it a "must" to have a screw down crown too, at the end of the day its just a personal choice.

 

I used to be someone who HAD to have a screw down crown until I actually took the time to understand the physics of water resistance and found it doesn’t really matter…that and the fact that I’ve been swimming with my snap back push/pull crown Citizen for YEARS without issue.

 

I had some friction fit backs on watches over the years. Until I got a proper tool, I would put the watch face down on the carpet and kneel on it with one knee. Felt like a ligament snapping in my knee. Then I finally got the right tool.
Maybe some collectors are averse because they don't have the tool, and maybe they wrecked a watch trying to snap the case back together?

 

Timex snap backs take a licking and keep on ticking, well when they are running anyway.
I won't own a daily wear snap on back watch. They are awful for when repairs are needed. Some better brands do use a better seal that isn't a pain to remove or reinstall the back.

 

Nothing wrong with them overall but can be a pain to try to put it back on yourself without proper equipment. Whereas with a screw-on case back you can make do with several things that can be easily acquired.

 

OMG, the backs of vintage Omega Speedmasters I have seen! Look like someone slipped trying to unscrew the back with a pair of scissors.

 

Certina likes them, apparently. Their watches are as competent as any.

 

They are a pain to get off compared to a screw down, and there is a greater risk of damaging the case while doing so, even with the proper tools.

 

If you saw the number of hacked up screw down case backs I get in my shop, you might change your stance on that one...

 

It just seems like a cost savings tactic to me. on a quality diver or sport watch, the caseback must screw down. On a Timex, I’m cool with a snap on.

 

Its just a preference I have.
I prefer unscrewing as opposed to prying off with a sharp edge tool.
I have had some that would not remain snapped, they would pop off on their own.

 

I had stopped wearing a Tissot chrono I loved because it didn't have a screw down caseback and crown and was ... quartz. It was a phase of having to eschew these things so that I felt I was a real enthusiast. Then I realized I still loved the watch and screw the nonsense. Nobody cared what I was wearing. Nobody I am around daily would know the difference between quartz and auto. I was the only one judging and dang it, I loved that watch.

 

Depends on the watch. I think a snap on case back on a panerai is a crying shame and will never purchase one of those models.

 

There is nothing wrong with a snap-on casback if the watch is under $5.00.

I have always thought of snap-on caseback watches as disposable.

 

Hmmm...disposable Patek Philippe?

 

On an affordable quartz, non-diver? I have owned them, no worries


On a more expensive or dives watch, I expect something more competent

 

Every time a snap back is removed, a tiny bit of damage is added, over time this can accumulate to something unsightly.

 

I’ve had really nothing but bad luck with them. More often than not even with the notch they often provide it’s more of a pain/liability to remove than it should be, and then getting it back on can sometimes be the frustrating project from hell. As if it was never made to actually fit.

granted I don’t think I’ve ever played with any on watches over $200 so maybe they’re just not very well put together. But I really cringe if a friend wants a battery change and I see that it’s a snap on. I at least give the warning that I provide no guarantees about scratches or anything else.

 

its simply not as good as a screw on. Functionality wise, it makes it harder to remove/replace, and it isn't as good in terms of how consistently it compresses the gasket. It's a cost-savings solution, and should only belong on watches built to a certain budget. For some reason, a lot of Nomos uses snap on casebacks, while Stowa watches of the same dimension uses either screws or screw on casebacks.

 

It's cheap, and I see zero upside versus a screw down caseback. At least with a push-pull crown you can make some argument that there's no need to worry about cross threading, or the crown not popping out properly to position one (which I've had happen on my own watches) and that the risk of flooding is relatively minimal.

Snap backs though are just objectively worse in every way.

 

It depends. If it is a solar or mechanical watch then I have no problem with them. If it need a battery then most of the time I pass as I don't own or want to own a crystal press in order to change batteries in snap back watches

 

I hate them becuase it is so damn hard to get the back off without scratching something

 

I have a number of snap back cases and have never had any issues with them and water interaction........

 

with the right tools, which don't cost much, they're not bad. I don't own any but have changed numerous batteries in my father-in-law's many press-on case back watches. His watches with press-on case backs all seem to be fashion-type watches - Orvis, watches branded from golf tournaments or fancy cars.

on the flipside, i'm intrigued by monoblock watch cases.

 

I just find screwbacks a lot easier to remove/replace than their press fit brethren.

 

Crystals are pressure fit, so why not case backs? If you can make a crystal water tight in a dive watch using a interference gasket why wouldn't you think you could use it on the back as well?

 

I think there's a lot of misunderstanding going on in this thread regarding what a "snap on" case back is, and what it's capable of. First, press fitted case backs come in many different designs, from cheap flimsy case backs with no seals, to case backs with nitrile O-rings, to sturdy case backs with rigid plastic gaskets. All of these are very different in quality and capabilities.

In terms of damage to the case back, in my experience there's no difference in the amount of damaged case backs I see between the two styles. Damaged case backs don't happen because of the design, but because of the lack of proper tools and techniques by whoever opens them.

Opening a pressure fitted case back is no more difficult than opening a screw on case back, if you know what you are doing and are properly equipped. Where people get into trouble is trying to use improper equipment and methods, such as using a tool the "pry" off a pressure fitted case back. You should never pry - use the tools you have as a wedge, open up a gap all the way around the case back, and if the case back doesn't lift off, switch to a thicker tool to use as a wedge to open up that gap more. You need a range of tools to do this on different case backs, starting with a single edged razor blade to get into very tight seams, and going up in thickness from there.

Installing them is also just as easily done, with the right press and dies. Again people get into trouble trying to improvise some home made solution using a bench vise or something similar. That's when people show up with the watch parts in a bag and ask me to fix it. Note that I charge extra if you bring me the watch in pieces in a bag.

Here's some examples...vintage case back where the O-ring goes inside it, and then the case back snaps in place:



These work when the sealing surfaces are in good condition, but are not capable of high water resistance ratings generally.

People who claim that they "don't work as well" do miss a key point though, and I'll illustrate that with this design:



This is a press fitted case back that uses a hard plastic gasket. When the case back is pressed in place using a press, that gasket is compressed and provides a very strong and tight seal. People may think "But it only presses in place, how good can that be?" Well, this is the exact same way that the crystals of a typical dive watch are held in place. A hard plastic seal that holds the crystal in place by compression, so if it can work for a crystal in a dive watch rated for 300 m, 600 m, or more, it can also work for a case back...



Just like pressing the case back in, it requires a heavy press with good dies, and the forces required to press these in are substantial:



I would argue that a press fitted case back of this style, with a hard plastic gasket is actually far more consistent with how it compresses the gasket than a screws down case back that can be under or overtightened. In the case of a press fitted case back like this, there is no guesswork - you mount it, press it until it seats, and the design takes care of the rest. No need for torque specs like there are for screw on case backs.

As is often the case on watch forums, people tend to project there own preferences into arguments for or against certain designs, but if looked at purely from a technical standpoint, these are as effective as other designs clearly.

If anyone needs tips on how to open or close these beyond what I've already talked about, let me know and I'll do my best to assist.

Cheers, Al

 

...use the tools you have as a wedge, open up a gap all the way around the case back, and if the case back doesn't lift off, switch to a thicker tool to use as a wedge to open up that gap more. You need a range of tools to do this on different case backs, starting with a single edged razor blade to get into very tight seams, and going up in thickness from there.



Cheers, Al

i am your biggest fan, and enjoy every educational post you make, including this one. However, what you describe above is the very reason why its worse. This long process above would be so much easier with a screw on case back or like a Casio, using 4 corner screws.

 

+1 to the crowd that avoid them because they are more of a PITA to get apart and put back together than most screw-down casebacks

 

Absolutely what he said !!!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Nothing wrong with them in what they are designed to do. Massive amount wrong with them when it comes to getting them on and off when screw backs are easy to manage with a cheap tool. The tool you need is not as cheap and they are a pain in the butt regardless. So, why bother?