Watch Terminology
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A mechanical movement that is wound through the motion of the wearer's arm during normal daily arm movement; sufficient activity is required to build up a power reserve. Also known as a "self-winding" watch.
Band
The part of the watch that secures the watch to the wrist. The two common types of bands are Strap (i.e. leather) and Bracelet.
Bezel
The rim which secures the crystal in place on the watch case and may be set with diamonds or other stones. Bezels may also be rings which are graduated to track elapsed time, as in a diver's watch. Some bezels are rotating and can be turned to perform different types of timekeeping.
Cabochon
The ornament, often a dome-shaped or faceted precious stone such as a ruby or emerald used to accent the winding crown. Also, the raised dome-shaped markers used to indicate the hours on some watch dials.
Calendar
The windows or subdials on the dial of a watch that display the day, date, month and/or year.
Case
The metal housing that contains the internal workings of the watch (the movement, dial and hands).
Chronograph
A watch that includes a stop watch feature: a timer that can be started and stopped to time an event.
Chronometer
A timepiece that has met very high standards of accuracy, tested and certified by the C.O.S.C. (an official watch institute in Switzerland). Each chronometer comes with an individual certificate of precision.
Crown
The tiny knob on the winding stem used to move the hands to set the time on the watch, and to wind a watch with a manual movement.
Crystal
The transparent "glass" which protects the dial of the watch. There are three common types of crystals: acrylic, mineral and sapphire. A sapphire crystal is the most expensive, scratch-resistant and durable type of crystal.
Deployment Buckle or Clasp
A buckle or clasp with a two or three piece inner element that folds onto itself securing the two ends of a strap or bracelet. This type fastener allows the wearer to slip on or remove the watch from their wrist with ease.
Dial
Also known as the watch "face." It gives a watch its beauty and character, based on the material from which it is crafted and the style of the numerals, markers, texture and other details that define it.
Diver's Watch
A sport watch built to withstand underwater pressure, often worn by scuba divers. Among other features, these watches are typically equipped with a screw-down crown that creates a strong seal to prevent water from penetrating the case. Must be water resistant to 20 ATM (the pressure equivalent of being 200m or 660 feet under water) to be classified as a Diver’s watch.
Dual Time/Second Time Zone Bezel
A rotating bezel which can be used to indicate the hour in a second time zone, distinct from the time indicated by the hands on the dial.
Gasket
A rubber or plastic ring that is used to seal the watch case against dust, moisture and water. Typically used on in conjunction with the crown, crystal and metal case.
Guilloché
A type of design in which thin lines are engraved in a crossed or interlaced pattern to create a decorative textural effect on the dial of the watch.
Hand-winding movement
Another name for a manual wind mechanical movement. See "mechanical movement".
Jewel
A small synthetic sapphire or ruby placed at various points in a mechanical or quartz watch movement which have been drilled, chamfered and polished to serve as bearings for watch gears reducing friction of mechanical parts to a minimum.
Lugs
Extensions from either end of the case that hold the pin used to fasten the strap or bracelet to the case.
Luminous hands
Watch hands coated with a substance, such as Tritium and Superluminova , that makes them glow in the dark. They are especially common in sports models for better visibility underwater.
Manual movement
A type of mechanical movement, also known as a "hand-winding" movement, in which the mainspring of the movement must be wound by hand daily, using the crown. See "mechanical movement".
Mechanical movement
A watch movement comprised of a series of turning cog wheels and jewels, expertly calibrated by hand. A mechanical movement may be:
- "automatic", also known as "self-winding" (wound by the motion of the arm during daily wear)
- Or "manual", also known as "hand-winding" (requiring regular/daily winding of the crown by hand).
Minute Repeater
A function on a watch that can announce the time in hours, quarter-hours, and minutes by means of a push button. An audible chime sounds when the push piece or button is depressed.
Moon phase
A window, often half-moon shaped, in a watch dial that shows the current phase of the moon. This distinctive feature is usually seen in combination with other calendar-related features.
Mother-of-pearl
The iridescent lining of the interior shell of a freshwater mollusk that can be thinly sliced and used to create a watch dial. While mother-of-pearl generally has a milky white luster, it is also available in other natural pearlescent colors such as gray, blue and pink.
Periodic maintenance
To ensure your watch’s water resistancy, we recommend inspection and maintenance of the case seals and gaskets every 12-24 months. This will help keep the watch movement safe from air, dust, and moisture, which over time can get into the watch and affect its ability to function properly.
All watch movements will require periodic maintenance. We recommended that a mechanical movement be inspected for possible servicing every 3 to 5 years and quartz movements at each battery change.
Perpetual calendar
A calendar feature on a watch that automatically adjusts to account for the different number of days in each month, and for leap years.
Power reserve indicator
An aperture or subdial on a mechanical watch, often wedge-shaped, that indicates how much longer the watch will operate before requiring winding.
Pusher
A button that is pressed to operate (start/stop) a mechanism. Pushers are usually found on chronographs and timepieces with minute strikers and alarms.
PVD coating
The letters are an abbreviation for Physical Vapor Deposit, a high-tech vacuum-coating procedure that produces wear-resistant finish.
Quartz movement
A watch movement where time is "tuned" to, and measured by, the extremely rapid and consistent vibrations of a quartz crystal. The quartz crystal is powered by a battery. Also known as an Electronic Quartz Movement.
Repeater
A device that chimes the time when a button is pushed, or a slide is pulled. See Minute Repeater.
Screw-down crown
A crown that screws down into the case tube making the watch more water resistant. Provides the best underwater shock protection (against rocks, accidental knocks, scrapes, etc.) to prevent water leakage. To set the time on a watch with a screw-down crown, the crown must first be unscrewed before it can be pulled out to any hand-setting position.
Self-powered quartz movement
A movement that converts mechanical energy generated by the force of gravity and natural movements of the wearer's wrist into electrical energy which is stored in an accumulator which powers a quartz movement.
Self-winding movement
Another name for an automatic mechanical movement. See "Automatic" and "Mechanical" movements.
Shock resistance
To be qualified as "shock resistant", a watch must have demonstrated the ability to withstand an impact equal to that of being dropped onto a wood floor from a height of three feet during testing.
Skeleton case
The dial of the watch is "cut out" to allow the inner workings of a watch's movement to be seen through the transparent crystal and dial on the front side, or a transparent crystal case back. In a watch with a “skeletonized” movement, the rotor, wheels and other moving parts are also painstakingly cut away, creating an elegant transparency all the way through the case.
SKU number
Abbreviation stands for "Stock Keeping Unit"; an identifying number used when taking inventory. Same as the watch "model number".
Sweep seconds hand
A seconds hand that is mounted in the center of the watch dial (vs. one positioned in a sub-dial). A "true" sweep seconds hand is found only on mechanical watches, and has a motion that is undetectable to the human eye. On a quartz watch, the advance of the seconds hand is discernable in tiny step-by-step jumps.
Tachymeter
A feature found on chronographs consisting of a calibrated scale, usually found around the perimeter of the dial, that can be used to measure the wearer's speed of travel over a pre-determined distance. Also known as "tachometer".
Tank-style Watch
A rectangular watch case with heavier bars on either side of the dial.
Technical reference number
A number (used in addition to the SKU number) that provides coded information on the watch's attributes: case metal, plating; movement size and type; bracelet style; dial color, material, style, etc. Usually engraved on the case back.
Tonneau watch
A rectangular watch that has two gently bowed or convex sides.
Tourbillon
A construction system in a mechanical watch that eliminates timekeeping errors caused by the slight difference in rates at which a watch runs in the horizontal and vertical positions. A rare and sophisticated feature.
Water resistance
The ability of a watch to withstand water pressure to a stated depth.
Winding Stem
Element transmitting motion from the crown to the gears governing movement winding and hand setting.