What is a watch Plate?

– The Plates or Main Plate were predominantly used to house the movement and hold them the parts together. Since the usage of bridges in contemporary watchmaking have taken over somewhat it has become a rarity to see main plates. Main Plates come in a few versions such as ½ main plate, ⅔ main plate, and ¾ main plate. Some watch brands still use main plates but in their manual wound creations.