| Term |
Meaning |
| 24-hour indicator |
Displays military time by sub-wheels or digital readout. |
| Acrylic crystal |
A plastic which is inexpensive and allows shallow scratches to be buffed out. |
| Alarm |
A watch feature that gives off a sound at a user-set time or at regular intervals. |
| Alpha Hands |
A slightly tapered hand. |
| Altimeter |
A watch function that uses changes in barometric pressure to provides altitude readings. |
| Analogue |
Analogue watches use hour and minute (and sometimes second) hands to show the time, not an LCD display. |
| Analogue - Digital |
This is a watch that uses both hands and a digital display to show the time. |
| Analogue quartz |
The most commonly used term in referring to any analogue watch that is powered by a battery or solar power and is regulated by a quartz crystal. |
| Annual calendar |
A watch displaying the day, date, month, and 24 hours that adjusts automatically for short and long months. An annual calendar requires only a single manual correction per year from the end of February to the 1st of March. |
| Aperture (or dial window) |
A small opening in a dial plate through which various information is displayed: date, hours, day of the week. |
| Applique |
Numerals or symbols stuck or riveted to a dial. |
| Assembling and finishing |
The process of assembling and testing all parts of a watch. |
| Atmosphere (Atm) |
Unit of pressure used in watch making to indicate water-resistance. |
| Atomic time standard |
These watches set their time by receiving radio signals from extremely accurate Atomic clocks. |
| Auto repeat timer |
If the watch timer function is set and started, it will countdown to zero, beep with a warning signal and immediately return to the preset time and start the countdown again. This continues until the stop button is pushed. |
| Automatic |
Automatic watches negate the need for manual winding by using the movements of the wearers arm to move an oscillating weight which keeps the mainspring wound up. When fully wound and left to sit, most automatics will have up to 36 hours of reserve power. Mechanical movements are accurate within one minute each day. |
| Baguette |
Ladies style watch with a thin, elongated rectangular or oval face. |
| Balance |
A wheel-like device which, by rotating back and forth, regulates the gear train movement as uniform as possible. This is the most critical moving part of a mechanical watch movement. This includes the balance wheel that rapidly spins back and forth and the balance lever. The lever is the ratchet mechanism that makes the characteristic 'tick' sound as it converts the balance wheel's motion into the precisely regulated increments of movement that run the watch. |
| Balance-cock |
A separate bridge holding the balance and regulator assemblies. |
| Balance-wheel |
The regulating organ of the watch, vibrating on a spiral hairspring. Lengthening or shortening the balance-spring makes the balance-wheel go faster or slower to advance or retard the watch. |
| Bar |
A small rod with a sprung pivot at either end which fixes the strap to the watch. |
| Barrel |
Thick wheel featuring a toothed disc on one face and containing the mainspring of the watch movement. |
| Base metal |
Any non-precious metal such as steel. |
| Baton Hand |
A narrow hand sometimes referred to as a stick hand. |
| Battery |
Also known as a cell. For replacement purposes, the battery number is found on the case back. The voltage in a quartz analogue watch is 1.5V. The voltage in a digital watch is 3.0V. |
| Battery Life |
This is the minimum period of time that a battery will continue to power the watch. Life begins at the point of manufacture when the factory initially installs the battery. |
| Battery Reserve Indicator |
Some Quartz watches have this function. The watch will indicate when the battery is nearing the end of its life. This can often be seen by observing the movement of the hands which will jump 2-4 seconds depending upon the make and model. |
| Bezel |
The ring on the oustide of a watch that surrounds and holds the crystal in place. A rotating ratchet bezel moves in some sport watches as part of the timing device. Some rotating bezels are bi-directional, and can assist in calculations for elapsed times. |
| Bolt (or slide) |
An operating part, on repeater watches, made of the same metal as the case and shifted along the caseband with the fingernail. The repeating-slide winds the spring of the striking mechanism. |
| Bottom plate |
A metal plate bearing the bridges and various parts of the movement. |
| Bracelet |
A flexible metal band consisting of assembled links which allow the bracelet to articulate and mould itself comfortably to any wrist. |
| Bridge (or bar, or cock) |
A metal movement part that is attached to a bottom plate and holds at least one bearing of a rotating part. |
| Brushed Steel |
Stainless Steel with a Matt 'brushed' effect finish. |
| Buckle |
The fastening for a strap, consisting of a rim and tongue. It attaches the two parts of the leather strap around the wrist. |
| Button |
Push piece controls to control special functions such as the chronograph or the alarm. |
| Cabochon crown |
A rounded semi-precious stone or synthetic material, usually black, fitted into the watch crown as an ornament. |
| Calendar |
A watch feature that shows the date and sometimes the day of the week and the month. This is usually displayed in one of 3 ways - through an aperture window in the dial; or as a small sub-dial with small hands indicating the day/date feature; or by digital readout. |
| Calibre |
The dimensions of the watch. Caliber describes the size and configuration of the movement and can now indicate the shape, origin and constructor as well. |
| Cambered |
Refers to a curved or arched dial or bezel. |
| Carat (Karat) |
Degree of purity of gold: Pure gold is 24 carat, 18 carat is an alloy of which 75% is gold, 14 carat is 58% gold and 9 carat is 37.5% gold. |
| Carillon |
Striking mechanism, or chime, that involves two or more bells of varying tones. |
| Case |
The container housing the movement of the watch and protecting it against dust, moisture, jarring and other hazards. Usually consisting of the caseband, the bezel, and the caseback. |
| Case back |
The cover on the back of a watch which protects the movement. A case back normally snaps back into place or in the case of a waterproof model will screw down to ensure water cannot permeate the seal. Information regarding each watch can usually be found on the outside of the case back. |
| Caseband |
The watchcase edge between the bezel and caseback. Also called the middle. |
| Central piece |
Central part of the watch-case, which houses the movement. |
| Chamfer (or bevel) |
To take down a sharp angle into a flat edge which often produces a luminous strip along the contours of the chamfered part or area. Hand chamfering results in particularly clean recessed and protruding angles. |
| Chronograph |
Is a multifunction sport watch with stopwatch functions that measures elapsed time. Most have two or three sub-dials on the face, for measuring seconds, minutes and hours. Some use a second hand independent of the watch's timekeeping which rotates one revolution a minute, and can be started, stopped, and returned to zero by buttons on the caseband. Totalizers can be used to display total elapsed time from minutes into hours, and even days. |
| Chronometer |
A Standard set by the Official Watch Institute of Switzerland (COSC). The watch would have been rigorously tested for its accuracy at various temperatures and in different atmospheres and is supplied with a certificate. |
| Circular Graining |
A surface decoration of slightly overlapping concentric circles, often found on the bridges and base of watch movements and even occasionally on dials. |
| Clasp |
The fastening mechanism for bracelet watches. The clasp attaches the bracelet at either end. |
| Clockwise |
The direction of movement of the hands of a clock. The definition of clockwise came from the way the shadow indicator moves on sundials in the northern hemisphere. When the Europeans and Chinese made mechanical timekeepers, they made the hands move the same way because that was the way people were used to reading time. |
| Complications |
A watch with supplementary time mechanisms besides basic time keeping. For example, a chronograph is a watch complication. Other complications coveted by watch collectors include: minute repeater, tourbillion, perpetual calendar, or split second chronograph. Complications belong to three main categories: those that provide extra time indications; those that strike or chime the time of day; and those that provide a variety of astronomical indications. "Grand Complication" watches feature mechanisms from all three above categories. |
| Corrector |
System to set the time on a watch by means of the crown. |
| Cosmograph |
As with a Chronograph, except that the Tachymeter function is found on the bezel of the watch. |
| Côtes de Genève |
The term means "Geneva ribbing" which are regular, parallel strokes that impart a ribbed aspect to the surface of given parts, often the bars and bridges of a movement. |
| Countdown timer |
Measures remaining time from a preset period of time. |
| Crown |
The button that extends from the case that is used to set the time, date, etc. Most pull out to set the time. In waer resistant styles, the crowns should screw down.Used for setting the watch hands (often called the button). |
| Crystal |
The transparent cover on a watch face made of glass crystal, synthetic sapphire or plastic. Better watches often have a sapphire crystal which is highly resistant to scratching or shattering. |
| Dauphine Hands |
A wide, tapered hand with a facet at the centre running the length of the hand. |
| Day/date watch |
A watch that can indicate the day of the week as well as the date. |
| Deployment Buckle |
A three-folding enclosure, which secures the two ends of the bracelet and allows enough room for placing the watch on the wrist when fully deployed. When closed, the buckle covers the two-piece folding mechanism. |
| Dial |
Disc or plate made of metal or another substance, inscribed with various markings, including obvious indications for the hours, minutes and seconds. Uniquely varied in shape, decoration and material, they are inscribed with numerals, figures, symbols, divisions and other information. |
| Dial Window (or Aperture) |
A small opening in a dial plate through which various information is displayed: date, hours, day of the week. |
| Digital |
Any watch that shows the time in numbers instead of hands on a dial. |
| Directional compass |
The geographical direction can be displayed by rotating a bezel or digital readout on the face of the watch using the location of the sun. |
| Diver's |
Water resistant to 200 meters - Meets ISO Standards and is suitable for scuba diving. |
| Diver's Clasp |
A clasp that is suitable to wear over a diving suit. |
| Diver's Watches |
Diver's watches are designed and manufactured especially for divers whose lives depend on the reliability of their watch in the water. Diver's watches meet ISO (International Standardization Organization) regulations and must meet various standards regarding water resistancy, pressure resistancy, readability in the water, time presetting function (rotating elapsed time bezel), anti-magnetic ability, anti-shock, rust resistancy in salt water, manageability in water and the ability to withstand sudden temperature changes. |
| Dual Time Zone |
A watch that can display at least 2 time zones by means of a Subdial, an extra hand, a bezel, a secondary digital display or a second complete movement and display. |
| Dual timer (or Duo Time or Travelcentric) |
A watch that measures current local time as well as at least one other time zone. |
| End of Energy (E.O.E.) |
System used with the AHP alerts the wearer of accumulator discharge by causing the seconds hand to jump every four seconds instead of every second. The accumulator can the be recharged by turning the crown. |
| Ebauche |
A French term for a movement blank, which is an incomplete watch movement before its assembly is completed, and comprises the main plate, the bridges, the train, the winding and setting mechanism and the regulator. Not part of the ebauche is the timing system, the escapement and the mainspring. |
| Eco-Drive |
A watch that never needs a battery. Citizen Eco-Drive technology harnesses the power of light - from any natural or artificial light source - and converts it into energy which is stored in a permanently rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It recharges continuously in any kind of light to run forever. |
| Eco-Drive Infinitum |
These watches run for approximately 5 years once fully charged (Ladies model 2 years), and feature a perpetual calendar accurate to February 2100. When this watch has not been exposed to light for a certain length of time, the functions begin to shut down. This saves power and extends operating time. In the mean time, the movement's integrated circuit keeps track of the current time and date. When the watch is once more exposed to light, the hands and date immediately resume their correct positions. |
| Eco-Drive Vitro |
The glass acts as the light energy cell. Located on the top of the glass are very fine strips of amorphous silicon virtually invisible to the naked eye. Electricity is generated as soon as light strikes the glass from the outside and again as it reflects back off the dial. Vitro' runs for approximately six months once fully charged. |
| End of Life (EOL) |
Indicates the end of life of a battery within a quartz watch by succesive jumps of the seconds hand of 4 seconds or a flashing digital display. |
| Equation of time |
The amount of time used to compensate for the difference between true solar time to the mean, or civil, solar time at any given time. |
| Escapement |
The mechanism that 'releases' the energy that maintains the oscillations of the balance wheel. |
| Etablissage |
French term for the method of manufacturing watches and/or movements by assembling their various components. It generally includes the following operations: receipt, inspection and stocking of the "ébauche", the regulating elements and the other parts of the movement and of the make-up; assembling; springing and timing; fitting the dial and hands; casing; final inspection before packing and dispatching. |
| Etablisseur |
French term for a watch factory which is engaged only in assembling watches, without itself producing the components, which it buys from specialist suppliers. |
| Face |
The visible side of the watch where the dial is contained, most are printed with Arabic or Roman numerals. |
| Factory |
In the Swiss watch industry, the term "manufacture" means a factory in which watches are manufactured almost completely, as distinct from an "atelier de terminage", which is concerned only with assembling, timing, fitting the hands and casing. |
| Flyback hand (or retrograde date hand) |
Usually, a hand indicating a date or time against a scale which then 'flies back' to catch up with another date or time. One example is a seconds hand on a chronograph that is used to determine lap or finishing times for several competitors. Both the flyback and the regular second hand are set in motion, then to record a lap or finishing time, the flyback hand can be stopped. After taking the results, with the push of a button the flyback hand will catch up to the constantly moving second hand. Another example is a hand that 'flies back' to the beginning of the month after reaching the 28th, 29th, 30th, or 31st day of the month. |
| Frequency |
The number of vibrations a second, in hertz (Hz). |
| GMT |
Greenwich Mean Time, used as universal standard time. |
| Gold |
Gold is a metal that is used as an alloy frequently in watch making. The amount of gold is measured in Carats. |
| Grand strike (or Grande sonnerie in french) |
Mechanism that can automatically sound the hours and quarter hours and which repeats hours, quarters and minutes on demand. |
| Guilloché |
A style of intricate engraving that is popular on watch dials, usually very thin lines interwoven to create a surface texture. |
| Hallmarks |
The authorised stamp impressed on gold or silver watches that indicate the authentcity of the precoius metals used in the watches construction. |
| Hands |
The pointing device anchored at the center and circling around the dial indicating hours, minutes, seconds and any other special features of the watch. |
| Hard metal |
A scratch-resistant metal comprised of binding several materials, including titanium and tungsten-carbide, which are then pressed into an extremely hard metal and polished with diamond powder to add brilliance. |
| Helium Escape Valve |
A Decompression System allowing helium to escape from inside the watch. Used by professional divers in decompression chambers. |
| Hook Lock |
Two separate units each fitting on either end of the bracelet which allows the watch to be laid out. One end of the closure hooks onto the other to secure the two ends of the bracelet. |
| Horns |
The parts on a wristwatch case, usually joined to the central piece, to which the straps are attached. |
| Horology |
The art and study of watch making. |
| Hourly time signal (or hourly chime) |
Single beep/chime which indicates the hour, every hour when it is engaged. |
| Jewel |
In watchmaking, a synthetic ruby used for making low friction bearings in which the delicate pivots of the movement wheels run in. In some deluxe watches, sometimes sapphires or garnets are used. Expensive watch movements are jeweled from the barrel to the balance, and all automatic work, date and complication movements are expected to be jeweled. |
| Jeweller's Clasp |
A closure that is generally used on better bracelets. Also allows it to lie flat. |
| Jewels |
Synthetic sapphires or rubies that act as bearings for gears of a mechanical watch. A quality hand wound or automatic mechanical watch contains at least 17 jewels. |
| Jumping hours |
On a watch dial, the digital numbers representing hours appearing through a small aperture or window. |
| Keeper |
The leather loops on a leather watch strap which keeps the end of the strap in place once it has been fastened. |
| Kinetic |
Based on a new technology, Seiko Kinetic watches run entirely on generated energy from natural movement of your wrist. It does not require a battery. |
| Kinetic |
Seiko Kinetic watches run entirely on self generated energy from natural movement of your wrist. They never need a battery, being independent of conventional storage batteries. |
| LCD |
Liquid-crystal display. This digital time display is used to give additional chronograph indications. |
| Lesser strike (or Petite sonnerie in french) |
Striking-mechanism setting limited to the automatic strike of hours. |
| Lever |
Any pivoting element and anchor-shaped part made of steel or brass that is part of the escapement. |
| Lighted dials |
Several types of lighted dials are used so that you can tell time in the dark. |
| Lugs |
Projections at either side of the case where the bracelet or strap is attached. |
| Lumi Brite |
Environmentally safe illumination technology that will glow brightly for hours without pushing a button or drawing energy from a battery. |
| Luminous |
Illuminating paint on the batons, numerals and/or hands of certain watches which allows them to be seen in the dark. |
| Luminous Hands |
Hands made of skeleton form with the opening filled by a luminous material. |
| Manual |
A hand-wound mechanical watch. |
| Manufacture |
In the Swiss watch industry, this French term refers to companies where the watch manufacturer produces all the major parts and components of a watch in-house. Opposite from a 'manufactory' which refers to an 'assembler' who merely puts together movements from parts acquired elsewhere, times and adjusts the movements, and fits on the hands and cases them up. |
| Mechanical movement |
Describes a movement with a balance wheel. A movement based on a mainspring is wound by hand; when wound, it slowly unwinds the spring in an even motion. An automatic mechanical requires no winding because of the rotor, which winds the mainspring every time you move your body. |
| Military or 24-hour time |
When time is measured in 24-hour segments. To convert 12-hour time into 24-hour time, simply add 12 to any a.m. time. To convert 24-hour time into 12-hour time, subtract 12 from any time from 13 to 24. |
| Mineral crystal (or Mineral glass) |
Comprised of several elements that are heat treated (or tempered) to create unusual hardness that aids in resisting scratches. |
| Minute repeater |
A complication on a watch that can strike the time in hours, quarters, or seconds by means of a push button. |
| Mirror polish |
Extremely meticulous and elaborate polishing operation resulting in a flawlessly bright and smooth surface, absolutely free from scratches and blemishes. |
| Moon phase |
An indicator that keeps track of the phases of the moon through an aperture on the watch dial. A regular rotation of the moon is once around the earth every 29 days, 12 hours, and 44 minutes. Once set, the moon phase indicator accurately displays the phase of the moon. |
| Mother-of-Pearl |
Irridescent, milky interior shell of the fresh water mollusk that is sliced thin and used on watch dials. While most have a milky white luster, mother-of-pearl also comes in other colors such as silvery gray, gray blue, pink, and salmon. |
| Movement |
This is the engine of the watch. The assembly making up the principal elements and mechanisms of a watch or clock: the winding and setting mechanism, the mainspring, the train, the escapement, and the regulating elements. In other words, the inner workings or assembly that make up the main timekeeping mechanism. Movements are either quartz or mechanical. |
| Oyster |
Invented in 1926 by Rolex. At the time it was described as the first waterproof, airtight and dustproof watch. Named Oyster due to its shape. |
| Pallet |
Steel or brass part of watch that controls the small rotation of a ratchet wheel. |
| Perpetual calendar |
A complication displaying the day of the week, the date, the month - also correcting for leap years - and the phases of the moon. Operating on the 400 year cycle, perpetual calendars require no manual correction before February 2100. Perpetual calendars are almost always self winding since they convert the movement of the wrist into energy that can be stored and powers the watch. If worn constantly, they are one of the most useful of all complications. |
| Pink Gold (or Rose Gold) |
Gold Metal with a pink/rose tint. |
| Platinum |
One of the rarest precious metals, platinum is also one of the strongest and heaviest, making it a popular choice for setting gemstone jewellry and watches. It has a rich, white luster, and an understated look. Platinum is hypoallergenic and tarnish resistant. Platinum used in jewellry and watches is at least 85 to 95 percent pure. Many platinum watches are produced in limited editions due to the expense and rarity of the metal. |
| Polished |
Shiny Stainless Steel used in many fashion pieces. (As opposed to Brushed). |
| Power cell |
Another term for battery. |
| Power reserve |
The time the watch will run from being fully charged. For mechanical watches it is usually 44 hours. For quartz watches it can vary from 18 months to 10 years. |
| Quartz |
When activated by a battery or solar power, a thin sliver of crystal very predictably vibrates, providing very accurate timekeeping. |
| Racks |
The striking mechanism incorporates three round-shaped parts called racks: one for the hours, one for the quarters and one for the minutes. |
| Ratchet (or Rotating bezel ring) |
A bezel ring which can either turn counter clockwise (Uni-Directional) or both ways and generally clicks into place. Different types of rotating bezels perform different functions. |
| Repeater |
A watch mechanism that sounds hours, quarters or minutes or repeats them on request. First designed to help the wearer to tell the time in the dark, they were always the most complex of watches and were the most difficult to miniaturize to fit into a wristwatch. |
| Rolesor |
Stainless Steel and 18ct Gold Case and Bracelet on a Rolex. |
| Rotary Reversible TM |
A complicated case design with a practical raison d'etre, (first and famously invented by Jaeger le Coultre to protect the glass and dial from damage on the polo field or hunting field) where the case can be reversed so that the case back is uppermost. |
| Rotating Bezel ring (or ratchet) |
A bezel ring which can either turn counter clockwise (Uni-Directional) or both ways and generally clicks into place. Different types of rotating bezels perform different functions. |
| Rotor |
In automatic winding mechanisms, an unbalanced, semicircular metal turns freely in both directions winding the mainspring. |
| Sapphire Crystal |
Scratch-resistant man-made material (synthetic corundum) used for watch crystals, fitted over the dial and sometimes set into the case back. Transparent synthetic sapphire is used for scratch-proof watch glasses as it has a hardness second only to diamond. |
| Sapplex Crystal |
Combination of sapphire and hardlex crystals. |
| Screw-Locking Crown (Also Screw-in Crown) |
Watches which are water resistant for 100m and above have screw down crowns to prevent moisture entering the case. |
| Seal |
Synthetic gaskets that seal the joints between parts of the case and keep out moisture. |
| Shock-absorbers |
Spring devices in balance-wheel bearings that divert shocks away from the fragile pivot and allow the balance-wheel to return to its original position after shocks. If shock resistance is specified on a watch case, a watch can withstand normal wear and tear, even during strenuous sport activities. |
| Skeleton |
Watch in which the case and various parts of the movement are cut away to reveal the watch's mechanical elements. |
| Skeleton case |
A transparent front or back that permits viewing into the inner workings of the watch. |
| Skeleton Hands |
Cut-out hands showing only the frame. |
| Slide rule bezel |
A rotating bezel that is printed with a logarithmic scale and assorted other scales to perform general mathematical calculations or navigational computations. |
| Slide (or bolt) |
Found on the case middle and operated with a fingernail, the slide triggers or locks a function or mechanism. The repeater slide also serves to wind the striking mechanism. |
| Solar Cell |
Seiko Eco-Drive watches use a micron thin disc of amorphus Silicon under the dial to convert light energy into electrical energy through the photovoltaic process. The electrical energy is then stored in a rechargeable battery. |
| Solar-powered |
A type of quartz movement where the batteries are recharged via solar panels on the watch face. They have a power reserve so they can run even in the dark. |
| Solid End Links (SEL) |
Some recent Rolex watches have solid links on the bracelet. |
| Solid State |
A watch with no moving parts. All digital watches are 100% solid state, whilst analogue watches combine solid state circuits with moving parts. |
| Split-seconds |
Measures the elapsed time of a certain moment of an event. A second chronograph that runs concurrently with the first but can be stopped independently to record an intermediate time. It the catches up to run with the first hand again. |
| Spring Bar (or pin) |
A metal pin, telescopic in design is used on most strap designs to fasten them to the watch case. The spring bar slots into the lugs of a watch case. |
| Stainless Steel |
A Metal alloy which is known for its resistance to rusting. The most common metal used in watch making. |
| Stamp |
A precision tool that has stamps and presses components of a movement, through shaping, bending, blanking and cutting them. |
| Strap |
The band that holds the watch to the wrist. |
| Subdial |
A small dial found within the main face of a watch that is used for any of several purposes, such as keeping track of elapsed minutes or hours on a chronograph or indicating the date. |
| Sun/moon indicator |
A wheel on a watch partially visible through a cut-out window indicating a sun and moon on a 24-hour basis. |
| Super accurate |
Using a patented integrated circuit technology, some watches are capble of assuring their accuracy up to 20 times more accurate than conventional quartz watches, being accurate to ±10 seconds per year. |
| Sweep seconds-hand |
A seconds-hand mounted in the center of the dial instead of a subdial. |
| Swiss Made |
In order to qualify as 'Swiss Made' a watch must have been assembled, adjusted and subjected to official tests in Switzerland. At least 50% of the value of all parts, and its movement must have been made in Switzerland. |
| Tachymeter(or tachometer) |
Often used in the motor industry to measure the speed of a car over a specific distance. Functions via a scale on the bezel of a chronograph. Average speeds or hourly production rates can be calculated over a period of observation of less than 60 seconds. |
| Tank watch |
A particular desing of watch with heavier bars on either side of the dial, inspired by the tank tracks of World War I and first created by Louis Cartier. |
| Telemeter |
A watch function that enables the distance of an object from the wearer to be measured by timing how long it takes sound to travel that distance. Like a tachymeter, a telemeter consists of a stopwatch function and a special scale on the dial of a chronograph. |
| Titanium |
A stronger and lighter metal than Stainless Steel and increasingly used to make watches. It is 30% stronger and nearly 50% lighter than steel, making it ideal for watch making, especially sport watch styles. Its resistance to salt water corrosion makes it particularly useful in diver's watches. |
| Tonneau watch |
A watch with a barrel-shaped case with two convex sides. |
| Tourbillon |
A device in some mechanical watches that eliminates timekeeping errors caused by slight variations due to shifts in gravity when a watch changes position during use. The round carriage or "cage" of the tourbillon holds the mechanisms that rotate the wheels, and thus the hands of the watch, in a continuous rate of once per minute. |
| Train |
A set of wheels and pinions in a watch movement. |
| Twist Lock |
A closure similar to Jeweller's Clasp used on ladies jewellery bracelets. |
| Vibration |
Describes the movement of a pendulum or other oscillating element, limited by two consecutive extreme positions. The balance of a mechanical watch making five or six vibrations per second vibrates at 18,000 or 21,600 times per hour. |
| Water resistant |
A watch classed as this is able to withstand splashes of water or rain but cannot be used for swimming or diving. Water resistence informs the user as the the durability of the watch when put into contact with water. Usually water-resistance is measured in atmospheres (ATM), which is equal to 10 metres of water pressure or 1 bar. |
| Water tested to 50 meters : 5ATM : 5bar |
Suitable for showering or swimming in shallow water. |
| Water tested to 100 meters : 10ATM : 10bar |
Suitable for swimming or snorkeling. |
| Water tested to 150 meters : 15ATM : 15bar |
Suitable for snorkeling or skin diving. |
| Water tested to 200 meters : 20ATM : 20bar |
Suitable for Scuba diving. |
| Waterproof |
An illegal and misused term. No watch is considered 100% Water Proof and watches are not allowed to be termed as such. See Water Resistant for correct terminology. |
| White Gold |
An 18k alloy of yellow gold with nickel or similar metal. |
| White On |
An analogue watch that is able to display digital functions at the touch of a button. An easily legible white numeric display appears on the inside surface of the crystal when any digital function is activated. |
| World timers |
A watch with a dial that indicates up to 24 time zones around the world, usually found on the outer edge of the face or sometimes on the bezel. Time zones around the world are indicated by major cities. |
| Yellow Gold |
Either 14k or 18k. The traditional gold used in watch making in both all gold or bi-metal combinations. |
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