Glossary

Fine Swiss Watch Glossary & FAQs Frequently Asked Questions

12-Hour Recorder (12-Hour Register):

A sub-dial on a chronograph that can record time periods of up to 12 hours.

30-Minute Recorder (30-Minute Register):

A sub-dial on a chronograph that can record time periods of up to 30 minutes.

Alarm:

The watch alerts you with beeps at a pre-set time.

Analog:

A watch that shows the time using hour and minute hands.

Anti-magnetic:

Refers to a watches ability to withstand outside magnetic influences (based on its design and materials used in manufacturing). All watches can be influenced by magnetic fields if strong enough.

Automatic winding (or self-winding):

Adjusted:

This refers to a watch fitted with a complication or feature which winds the mainspring with the motion of the wearer's wrist.

Balance wheel:

A specialized compound wheel which by oscillating regulates the timing fast or slow of the watch or clock.

Band With:

Measures the distance between the case lugs. Therefore, band width may not necessarily be the exact width of the watch band, as a bracelet or strap can have tapering widths. When swapping watch bands or purchasing replacement bands, the band width of the new band must match the distance between the case lug.

Battery:

A dry cell similar to that used in a flashlight which is used to power electric and electronic watches. (Example quartz watch).

Battery End-Of-Life Indicator (EOL):

A function that signals an impending battery failure in a Quartz watch by means of the second hand jumping in two- or four-second intervals. The watch has approximately two weeks before battery failure.

Bezel:

The ring that surrounds the dial, or face, of a watch. Commonly constructed of gold, gold plate or stainless steel, the bezel may be adorned with diamonds on a jewelry watch. On sports watches, it often has calibrated markings and the ability to rotate in either one or two directions. The primary purpose of the bezel is to hold the crystal covering the face of the watch in place.

Bi-directional Rotating Bezel:

A bezel that can be used for mathematical calculations or keeping track of elapsed time through either a clockwise or counterclockwise movement.

Calendar:

A watch that indicates date of the month, day of the week, etc., as well as time.

Caliber:

Is used to refer to the size, shape, style of a watch movement. Different watch manufacturers tend to use their own identification system to number their calibers.

Case (watch case):

the metal case in which the works of a watch are housed.

Case Measurement:

An approximate watch measurement from one end of the watch to the other that does not include the crown. On average, men's watches have a case width or diameter of 35 millimeters, which is just under 1.5 inches. Women's watches have a case width or diameter of 34 millimeters or smaller. The thickness measurement refers to the width between the case back and the top of the crystal.

Centre seconds:

An hand at the center of the dial that indicates seconds, along with the hour and minute hands. It moves the fastest, it is also usually the thinnest of the three hands.

Chapter ring:

a ringlike band on the dial of a clock that bears the numerals or other symbols of the hours.

Chronograph:

is a watch that has a stopwatch function. It will have two or three additional registers. The simplest chronographs have a register for 30 minutes, and a center-mounted second hand.

Chronometer:

is a high-precision watch displaying seconds whose movement has been tested over a period of several days, in different positions and at different temperatures, by an official neutral body. Movements that has been certified by the Swiss official Chronometer Control (C.O.S.C)." .

Complications:

Additional features beyond the simple display of hours, minutes, and seconds on a wrist watch. Features such as perpetual calendars, moon-phase displays, alarms, repeating mechanisms, and chronographs functions. A watch that is complicated usually consists of many parts, quite possibly, greater than a thousand parts.

C.O.S.C:

is the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, which is responsible for testing and certifying the accuracy and precision of wristwatches in Switzerland.

Cosmograph:

The cosmograph differs to the chronograph in that the tachymeter is on the bezel rather than on the outer rim of the dial. This was invented by Rolex to create a more modern look to the watch.

Countdown Timer:

The counting backward aloud from an arbitrary starting number to indicate the time remaining before an event or operation.Some countdown timers sound a warning signal a few seconds before the time runs out. These are useful in sporting events, such as yacht races. Crown:

It is the button on the end of the spindle that is used for adjusting the time and/or date on an analogue (non digital) watch. Generally the winding is done with the crown flush against the watch, pulled out once it adjusts the date (if it has one) and pulled out a second "click" it adjusts the time.

Crystal:

A protective cover that protects the face of a watch made of glass crystal, synthetic sapphire or plastic Sapphire is the most expensive and durable crystal, appr. three times harder than mineral crystals and 20 times harder than acrylic crystals.

Depth Alarm:

An alarm watches that sound when the wearer exceeds a preset depth level, usually Divers wear depth alarm.

Dial:

The face of a watch. On the dial there are numbers or symbols that indicate the hour of the day in a clockwise fashion.

Digital:

A digital display simply shows the time as a number, for example, 12:30 instead of a short hand pointing towards the number 12 and a long hand 30/60 of the way round the dial. The digits are usually shown as a seven-segment display. In general, functions in digital watches work by push-buttons, either on the side of the watch case, or on the surface of the watch itself.

Diving watch:

A diving watch is a watch designed for underwater diving that features, as a minimum, a water resistance greater than 1.0 MPa (10 atm), the equivalent of 100 m (330 ft). The typical diver's watch will have a water resistance of around 200 to 300 m (660 to 980 ft), though modern technology allows the creation of diving watches that can go much deeper.

Escapement:A mechanism consisting on an escape wheel and an anchor used to control movement of the wheel and to provide periodic energy impulses to a pendulum or balance.