indeed, that is the base piece. You would think that the dial and chapter ring are plastic, however its actually a metal alloy that has been factory painted.
i tried to keep the dial as open as possible even the second hand tail was clipped in effort to further open the dial. I almost had the lume applied to the chapter ring to even further open the dial, glad i didn't, i really like that diamond at 12. Brand and model had to go on the face so since the day/date window was there i figured that would be the best place for it to help keep the dial open. i think it looks rather stealthy, but then again i am biased.