Watch Glossary

A B C D E F G H IJ K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

24-hour indicator
Displays military time by sub-wheels or digital readout.

A
Analog Digital
A watch that has both a digital display and hands of a conventional watch. Usually featured on sport watch styles.

Analog quartz
The most commonly-used term in referring to any analog timepiece that operates on a battery or on solar power and is regulated by a quartz crystal.

Analog Watch
A watch with a dial, hands, and numbers or markers that present a total display of a 12-hour time span.

Atmosphere (Atm)
Unit of pressure used in watch making to indicate water-resistance.

Automatic movement
A movement that is all mechanical and requires no winding because the rotor, part of the automatic mechanism, winds the mainspring every time you move your hand. 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.

B
Baguette
Ladies style watch with a thin, elongated face; usually rectangular in shape but may be oval.

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/lug
A small rod with a sprung pivot at either end to fix the strap (band) to the case.

Base metal
Any non-precious metal.

Battery
Device that converts chemical energy into electricity. Most watch batteries are silver oxide type delivering 1.5 volts. Much longer-lasting lithium batteries are 3 volt.

Battery Life
The minimum period of time that a battery will continue to provide power to run the watch. Life begins at the point of manufacture when the factory initially installs the battery.

Bezel
The surface ring on the watch that surrounds and holds the crystal in place. A rotating ratchet bezel moves in some sport watches as part of the timing device. If rotating bezels are bi-directional, able to move clockwise or counter clockwise, they can assist in calculations for elapsed times.

Bracelet
Flexible metal band consisting of assembled links, usually in the same style as the case. detachable links change the length of the bracelet.

Brass
Copper and zinc alloy used to make the main plate and bridge wheels in the movement.

Buckle
Usually matching the case, it attaches the two parts of the leather strap around the wrist.

Button
Push piece controls, usually at 2 o'clock and/or 4 o'clock on the dial to control special functions such as the chronograph or the alarm.

C
Calendar
A watch feature that shows the date and sometimes the day of the week and the month. It can be displayed through a cut-out window in the dial, as a sud-dial with small hands indicating the day/date feature or by digital readout.

Caliber
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.

Case
The metal housing of a watch's parts. Stainless steel is the most typical metal used but also titanium, gold, silver, and platinum can be used. Less expensive watches are usually made of brass and plated with gold or silver.

Chronograph
A multifunction sport watch with a stopwatch function. Most have two or three sub dials, or minidials, for measuring minutes and hours.

Chronometer
A precision watch that is set in various temperatures and positions, thus meeting the accuracy standards set by an official watch institute in Switzerland. Most watch companies either provide this certificate with a purchase or it can be mailed to you.

Clasp
The attachment used to connect the two ends of the watch bracelet or strap around the wrist.

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
Fold-Over Buckle?See Deployment buckle
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.
Jeweler's Clasp?A closure that is generally used on better bracelets. Also allows it to lie flat.
Sliding Clasp?Also a hook type method but allows for easy sizing of the bracelet by sliding up.
Twist Lock?A closure similar to Jeweler's Clasp used on ladies jewelry bracelets.
Complication
A watch with other functions besides 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.

Crown
Nodule extending from the case that is used to set the time, date, etc. Most pull out to set the time. In water resistant styles, the crowns should screw down.

Crystal
The clean cover over the watch face. Three types of crystals are commonly found in watches. Acrylic crystal, a plastic, is inexpensive and shallow scratches can be buffed out. Mineral crystal is comprised of several elements that are heat treated to create unusual hardness that aids in resisting scratches. Sapphire crystal is the most expensive and durable, approximately three times harder than mineral crystals and 20 time harder than acrylic crystals. A nonreflective coating on some sport styles prevents glare.

D
Day/date watch
A watch that indicates not only the date but the day of the week.

Dial
The watch face. The numerals, indices, or surface design are usually applied; others have been printed on.

Digital
Any watch that shows the time in numbers instead of hands on the dial. The numbers appear in LCD (liquid crystal diode) which shows a continuous reading or in LED (light-emitting diode) which shows time at the push of a button.

Digital Watch
A mechanical or solid state watch in which the time shows through changes of digits, rather than positions of hands on the dial.

Divers Watches
Diver's watches are designed and manufactured especially for divers whose lives depend on the reliability of their watch in the water.
Seiko and Pulsar diver's watches meet ISO (International Standardization Organization) regulations. diver's watches 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, ability to withstand sudden temperature changes, etc.
Seiko and Pulsar diver's watches also have features such as:
Rotating Bezel will only rotate counter clockwise. this is so in case rotated accidentally the bezel will not show an extended diving duration.
For accurate setting, bezel also has a one minute interval click.
Inscribed on the case back is the battery replacement month to prevent the watch from stopping during a dive.
Straps feature extra large buckles for easy fastening and longer length to allow it to be worn over a diving suit.
Bezel is set higher than the surface of the crystal to help protect it.
Large luminous hands and markers are designed for clear readability.
Please refer to the Instruction Booklet for "Periodical Check,""Pre-Diving Check," and "Battery Change Instructions."
Dual timer
A watch that measures current local time as well as at least one other time zone. The additional time element may come from a twin dial, extra hand, subdials, or other means.

F
Face
The visible side of the watch where the dial is contained, most are printed with Arabic or Roman numerals. Note: traditionally IIII, rather than IV, is used to indicate the 4 o'clock position.

Flyback hand
A seconds hand on a chronograph that is used to determine lap or finishing times for several competitors. To operate, put both the flyback and the regular second hand in motion, then to record a lap or finishing time, the flyback hand can be stopped. After taking the results, push a button and the flyback hand will catch up to the constantly moving second hand.

H
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.

Alpha Hands: A slightly tapered hand.
Baton Hands: A narrow hand sometimes referred to as a stick hand.
Dauphine Hands: A wide, tapered hand with a facet at the center running the length of the hand.
Luminous Hands: Hands made of skeleton form with the opening filled by a luminous material.
Skeleton Hands: Cut-out hands showing only the frame.
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.

J
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.

K
Kinetic
Based on a revolutionary technology, Seiko Kinetic?watches run entirely on sell generated energy from natural movement of your wrist. It never needs a battery.

L
LCD
Liquid-crystal display. This digital time display is used by longines to give additional chronograph indications.

Lighted dials
Several types of lighted dials are used so that you can tell time in the dark. Recently, a patented night-lite process, called electro-luminesce, lights the entire dial with a uniform light that makes for easy reading in nighttime situations. A side button activates the light. This technology often appears under a name brand such as Timex' Indiglo or Seiko's LumiBrite.

Lugs
Extensions on either side of the bezel where the bracelet or strap is attached.

LumiBrite
Environmentally safe illumination technology that will glow brightly for hours without pushing a button or drawing energy from a battery.

Luminous
Self illuminating paint used on hands and markers.

M
Manual
A hand-wound mechanical watch.

Mechanical
Describes a movement with a balance wheel.

Mechanical movement
A movement based on a mainspring which 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.

Mineral glass
Watch glass that has been tempered to increase its scratch resistance.

Minute repeater
A complication on a watch that can strike the time in hours, quarters, or seconds by means of a push piece.

Moon phase
An indicator that keeps track of the phases of the moon. 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
Iridescent, 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
The inner workings or assembly that make up the main timekeeping mechanism. movements are either quartz or mechanical. This is the engine of the watch.

O
Oscillation
The travel of the balance wheel from one extreme to the other and back again. See Vibration.

P
Perpetual
A type of calendar that automatically adjusts for months of different lengths and indicates February 29 in each leap year.

Plating
Coating a metal base with another metal. In watch making a stainless steel base is coated with gold seven to 20 microns thick.

Platinum
One of the rarest precious metals, platinum is also one of the strongest and heaviest, making it a popular choice for setting gemstone jewelry and watches. It has a rich, white luster, and an understated look. Platinum is hypoallergenic and tarnish resistant. Platinum used in jewelry 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
Brilliant metal surface obtained on the watch-case with fine abrasive.

Power reserve
The time the watch will run with a fully charged power supply. For mechanical watches it is usually 44 hours. For quartz watches it can vary from 18 moths to 10 years.

PVD
PVD = Physical Vapor Deposition. Technique of depositing material under vacuum by gas procedure. The PVD procedure consists of taking ions that have combined with a gas and can then be deposited on the surface to be coated. Although, a PVD coating is extremely thin (approx. 1 micrometer), it enables color to be applied to steel and it also increases its resistance to wear.

Q
Quartz
A natural or commercially synthesized silicon dioxide crystal. used in "quartz analog" or solid state digital watches. when activated by a battery or solar power, the thin sliver of crystal very predictably vibrates at an extremely high frequency (32,768 times per second) thus providing very accurate timekeeping. The main components are: an Electric Circuit Block (Quartz Oscillator and CMOS-IC) and the Mechanical Block (step motor, gear train, hands) and a battery.

Quartz crystal movement
A movement which allows a watch to be worn without being wound. This technology employs the vibrations of a tiny crystal to maintain accuracy of time. A digital quartz has no mechanical parts but is powered by a battery. The cell battery must be replaced about every 1.5 years. Numbers and letters are on a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). Most quartz movements are made in Hong Kong. Japan, or Switzerland.

R
Ratchet bezel ring
A bezel ring which can either turn one way (counter clockwise) or both ways and generally clicks into place.

S
Sand-blasting
Creating a granular metal finish by using a high-pressure jet of sand.

Sapphire
Synthetic corundum crystal with a hardness second only to diamond. Transparent sapphire is used for scratch-proof watch glasses.

Sapplex Crystal
Combination of sapphire and hardlex crystals.

Screw down locking crown
A crown which aids water resistance by sealing the crown against the case. The seal is achieved by the matching of a threaded pipe on the case with the crown's internal threads and gasketing while twisting the crown to lock it into place.

Seal
Synthetic gaskets that seal the joints between parts of the case and keep out the wet.

Shock resistance
If shock resistance is specified on a watch case, a watch can withstand normal wear and tear, even during strenuous sport activities.

Skeleton case
A transparent front or back that permits viewing into the inner workings of the watch.

Slide rule bezel
A rotating bezel that is printed with a logarithmic scale and assorted other scales and is used in conjunction with fixed rules of mathematics to perform general mathematical calculations or navigational computations.

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 State
A timepiece with no moving parts. All digital watches are 100% solid state. Analog watches combine solid state circuits with moving parts.

Split-seconds
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.

Split time measurement
Measures the elapsed time of a certain moment of an event.
If you want to know the elapsed time at a certain point during a track meet, you can tell exact time by using this.
The chronograph keeps running while split time is being displayed. Therefore, when split time is released the display returns to original measurement of total elapsed time.
Stainless steel
An extremely durable metal alloy (chromium is a main ingredient) that is virtually immune to rust, discoloration, and corrosion; it can be highly polished, thus resembling a precious metal. Because of its strength, stainless steel is often used even on case backs on watches made of other metals.

Sterling Silver
A white and highly reflective precious metal. Sterling refers to silver that is 92.5 percent pure, which should be stamped on the metal, sometimes accompanied by the initials of the designer or country of origin as a hallmark. Although less durable than stainless steel and other precious metals, sterling silver is often employed in watches that coordinate or look like sterling jewelry. A protective coating may be added to prevent tarnish.

Strap
A watch band made of leather, plastic or fabric.

Subdial
A small dial 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
A watch that is accurate to ?0 seconds per year. a science that starts with quartz crystal oscillators working with a patented integrated circuit technology, assuring their accuracy up to 20 times more accurate than conventional quartz watches.

Sweep seconds-hand
A seconds-hand mounted in the center of the dial instead of a subdial.

T
Tachymeter (also tachometer)
A watch function that measures the speed at which the wearer traveled by means of a numeric scale on the watch bezel of a chronograph. Frequently used to determine a speed of a car over a measured distance.

Telemeter
A watch function that finds the distance of an object from the wearer by measuring 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
The "space age" metal, often with a silvery-gray appearance. Because it is 30 percent stronger and nearly 50 percent lighter than steel it has been increasingly used in watch making, especially sport watch styles. Its resistance to salt water corrosion makes it particularly useful in diver's watches. Since it can be scratched fairly easily, some manufacturers use a patented-coating to resist scratching.

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.

V
VHP
Very High Precision. A quartz movement with a temperature sensor to keep rate variations to within extremely narrow margins. The movement corrects itself to a precision of ?0 seconds a year.

W
Waterproof
An illegal and misused term: No watch is fully 100 percent waterproof.

Water resistant
A watch bearing the inscription "water-resistant" on its case back can handle light moisture, such as a rainstorm or sink splashes, but should not be worn swimming or diving. If the watch can be submerged in water, it must state at what depth it maintains water-resistance, i.e. 50 meters (165 feet) or more on most sport watches. Below 200 meters, the watch may be used for skin diving and even scuba diving depending upon the indicated depths. Sometimes water-resistance is measured in atmospheres (ATM), which is equal to 10 meters of water pressure. (Some European-made watches use the term "bar" instead). Straps other than metal bracelets may not be water-resistant. New water-resistant versions of nylon, rubber, and other synthetics are a trend in sport watches.
Watches come in different water resistant depths and diver's depths:

Water resistant?Will withstand splashes of water or rain but should not be worn while swimming or diving.
Water tested to 50 meters (165 feet)?Suitable for showering or swimming in shallow water.
Water tested to 100 meters (330 feet)?Suitable for swimming or snorkeling.
Water tested to 150 meters (500 feet)? Suitable for snorkeling.
Water tested to 200 meters (660 feet)?Suitable for skin diving.
Diver's to 150 meters?Meets ISO Standards and is suitable for scuba diving.
Diver's to 200 meters?Meets ISO Standards and is suitable for scuba diving.

White Gold
Created from yellow gold by incorporating either nickel or palladium to the alloy to achieve a white color. Most watches made of white gold will be 18k.

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.

Y
Yellow gold
The traditionally popular gold used in all gold or gold and stainless steel or other precious metal combinations. Yellow gold watches may be found in 14k or, as found from most European manufacturers, 18k