Resources

Automatic

A mechanical watch containing a mechanism to recharge the mainspring.

Balance

The heart of the mechanical movement, regulating power into units of time, part of the Escapement

Bezel

A ring around the outside of the front of the case. Used to keep the crystal securely in place, or also can rotate to provide visual functions.

Calibre

Another name for the mechanism that powers the watch.

Caseback

The caseback is the removable rear part of the case, allowing for assembly and servicing.

Chronograph

A watch that contains a stop-watch, enabling time to be measured.

Chronometer

A watch certified by an organisation external to the manufacturer that it has a high level of accuracy.

Complication

An additional function for a watch other than telling the time. Examples include: chronograph, day, date, moon-phase and alarm.

Crown

The knob on the side of the watch case used to set the time or put power into the power reserve through winding.

Crystal

The see-through material used on the front and possibly back and sides of the watch allowing you to see the display and the movement.

Dial

The front facing part of the watch, on top of the movement, allowing for the display of time and providing contrast to the hands.

Display

The part of the watch that tells you the time of the output of other functions. The most common kind is hands with numbers of indices.

Digital

A watch that uses a screen to display the numbers showing the time, and potentially other functions.

Escapement

The mechanisms that regulates the movement and produces the units of time that are used by the display. Also the part that ticks.

GMT

A watch movement that has a third hand which rotates once every 24 hours, to display a different time zone. Pioneered by Rolex in the 1950s.

Hairspring

The hairspring, or balance spring is the spring within the balance movement that returns the balance wheel to the original position, working with the pallet fork to create the oscillation, and the unit of time to regulate the movement.

Horology

The study of clockmaking, watchmaking, and time.

Jewels

The hubs that are used in the movement for the posts that the wheels turn around. Highly resistant to wear they help preserve the accuracy of a movement. The more complicated a watch, the more jewels it may have.

Lugs

The sections of a case which stick out and to which the strap or bracelet is attached.

Lume

This is short for the word Luminescent and is used to describe the material used on hands, dials and indices or numbers to provide a glow-i-the-dark effect to enable the time to be read at night.

Manufacture

This is the term also used to describe a watch making company or brand

Mechanical

A watch powered by energy stored within a spring called the Mainspring, which translates the power stored into movement to display the time and power other functions.

Moonphase

A watch function which displays the current phase of the moon

Movement

The part of the watch that stores power and translates it into a display of time, either mechanical or electrical and powered by Quartz. The movement sits within the case.

Quartz

The catch-all term for electrical, battery powered watches that use a small quartz crystal to create the units of time shown by the display.

Regulator

The part of the watch movement that regulates the motion into units of time.

Rotor

The part of an Automatic movement that rotates to wind the mainspring and ensure the watch retains power.

Ruby

The name for the jewels used in the movement. Once were often real rubies but now are synthetic.

Sapphire

A clear material used instead of glass to protect the dial and allow the display to be seen. This is a synthetic material and is now used in almost all watches.

Spring Bar

The small bar that is between the Lugs to attach the strap or bracelet to the case.

Sub Dial

A term short for Subsidiary Dial this is a smaller dial that shows additional information, such as the seconds or for additional functions.

Tachymeter

A scale, usually on the bezel of a watch, which can be used to measure speed or distance travelled

Water Resistant

Most watches are described as Water Resistant rather than Water Proof and will be constructed to prevent any water entering the case of the watch. This is done using special seals within the case.

Watch Case

The housing in which the mechanism of the watch sits. This protects the watch movement.

Wheels

The small wheels or gears in the movement that transmit the power from the Mainspring through the Balance and onto the Display.