Suite 411, Kingfisher Centre, Burnley Road, Rawtenstall, Lancashire, BB4 8EQ, United Kingdom
info@artfullodger-liverpool.co.uk
0845 123 55 34
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Artful Lodger Liverpool Ltd Suite 411, Kingfisher Centre, Burnley Road, Rawtenstall, Lancashire, BB4 8EQ, United Kingdom info@artfullodger-liverpool.co.uk 0845 123 55 34 |
Watch TerminologyIt can sometimes be confusing decifering the terminology used when talking about watches. So we have explained everything as easilly as possible for you below. Please browse through our watch terminology guide if you need help with any watch related phrase.A Analogue Analogue refers to one of the types of way a watch shows the time. If it uses "hands" (rather than a digital display of numbers) then the watch is analogue. Alarm A watch feature that sounds an alarm. This is set by the user. More common in digital watches. Altimeter A watch function that uses changes in barometric pressure to provides altitude readings. Analogue Digital A watch that has both types of display, digital numbers and analogue "hands". Analogue quartz The most commonly-used term meaning the watch is powered by battery or solar power and is regulated using a quartz crystal. Aperture Means the date is displayed within the watch. Atmosphere (Atm) Unit of pressure used in watch making to indicate water-resistance. The higher the number - the higher the 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 has a timer function which is then set it begins to count to zero. Once this happens it will beep with a warning signal and start the countdown again. This will continue until the stop button is pressed. Automatic / Automatic Movement Automatic watches do not need manual winding. They use the movements of the wearers arm to move an oscillating weight which keeps the mainspring wound up. If they are fully wound up and left to sit, most automatics have around 34-38 hours of reserve power. Mechanical movements are accurate within one minute each day. B Baguette Baguette watches are thin, oval or rectangle-faced watches. 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 at either end of the strap which attaches the strap to the watch. Base metal Any non-precious metal such as steel. A term used to describe what a watch is made of. Battery Also known as a cell. For replacement purposes, the battery number is found on the case back (back of the watch). The volt in a quartz analogue watch is 1.5V. The volt in a digital watch is 3.0V. Battery Life This refers to the minimum period of time that the battery will last in a watch without needing replacement. Battery Life begins at the point of manufacture where the battery is installed. Battery Reserve Indicator The watch will indicate when the battery is nearing it's end of its life by causing the movement of the hands to jump 2-4 seconds depending upon the make and model of the watch. This function isn't available on all watches in fact onlyin some quartz watches. Bezel The ring on the outside of a watch that surrounds and holds the watch-face in place. A "rotating ratchet bezel" can slide around and is often used as a timing device. these are more common in sports watches. Bracelet Much like it says, a bracelet is a form of strap that is made of flexible, metal links, allowing the watch to fit around any wrist. Brushed Steel A "brushed" effect finish on a Stainless Steel watch. Buckle The fastening for a strap, much like a belt, has a rim and tongue. It secures the two parts of the leather strap around the wrist. Button Controls (usually at the side of the watch) used for the special functions such as the alarm or timer. C
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 which is usually displayed in a small cutout on the watch face. Alternatively sometimes the date is shown with a series of smaller "sub-dials" showing the day, month and year, or using a similar digital display. 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. Cambered Refers to a curved or arched dial. Carat (Karat) Carat is used to describe purity. usually with watches this means 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. Case Essentially the chassis of any watch, keeps the watch parts inside and attaches to the straps. 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 be a screw down variety to ensure water cannot seap through the seal. Information regarding each watch can usually be found on the outside of the case back. Chronograph A chronograph is a multifunction sport watch with stopwatch functions. Usually they consist of 2 or 3 small dials on the face for measuring seconds, 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 fastening mechanism for bracelet watches. There are many types of clasps
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. Countdown timer A function that counts down from a set time to zero. This is user-set. 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 water resistant styles, the crowns should screw down. Used for setting the watch hands (often called the button). Crystal The clean cover over the watch face, commonly known as the glass. Three types of crystals are commonly found in watches.
Day/date watch A watch that can indicate the day of the week as well as the date. Dial or Face The dial sits on top of the movement and is the most predominant feature on any watch. The dail is what gives the watch a distinctive "look". Digital Any watch that shows the time in numbers instead of using hands. 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 Clasp A clasp that is suitable to wear over a diving suit. Divers Watches Divers 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 and must meet various standards regarding water resistance, pressure resistance, readability in the water, time presetting function (rotating elapsed time bezel), anti-magnetic ability, anti-shock, rust resistance in salt water, manageability in water, and ability to withstand sudden temperature changes, etc. Dress Watches Dress watches are a more formal or glamorous style of watch traditionally worn with evening wear. Usually unburdened with features but attractive dial. May contain diamonds etc... Dual timer, Duo Time or Travelcentric A watch that measures current local time as well as at least one other time zone. E Eco-Drive Eco-Drive watches never need a battery. Citizen Eco-Drive technology harnesses the power of light - from ANY source - natural or artificial, 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 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. 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. E.O.L. End of Life. In quartz movement watches, the battery should be changed when the seconds hand which starts to jump every four seconds. E.O.E. End of Energy. 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. Expanding Bracelet A spring metal bracelet that expands to fit different wrist sizes. 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. Fashion Watches Designed as much as a fashion accessory as a time piece, fashion watches offer affordable stylish designs. Flyback hand 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, push a button and the flyback hand will catch up to the constantly moving second hand. G
GMT Greenwich Mean Time, used as universal standard time. Guilloché A style of intricate engraving that is popular on watch dials, usually very thin lines interwoven to create a surface texture. H
Hallmarks The authorised stamp impressed on gold or silver watches that indicate the authenticity of the precious metals used in the watches construction. Hands The pointing devices that circle 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 which allows helium to escape from inside the watch. This is also used by professional divers in decompression chambers. Horology The science of time measurement, including the art of designing and constructing timepieces. Hourly time signal Single beep/chime which indicates the hour, every hour when it is engaged. I 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 Keeper The leather loop on a leather watch strap which keeps the end excess of the strap in place once it has been fastened. Kinetic Seiko Kinetic® watches run entirely on self generated energy from natural movement of your wrist. It will never need a battery. L LCD Simply stands for Liquid-crystal display. Leather Strap A watch strap made from natural leather. 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 Self illuminating paint used on hands and markers (and sometimes even watch faces). used to give the watch "glow in the dark" feature. M Manual A hand-wound watch. Mechanical movement A movement based on a mainspring which is wound by hand; when wound, it slowly unwinds the spring in an even motion. Mechanical kinetic watches require no winding because of the rotor, which winds the mainspring every time you move your body. Mineral glass Hardened watch glass (or crystal) that is scratch resistant. the second most scratch resistant form of watch glass available. Minute repeater A complication on a watch that can strike the time in hours, quarters, or seconds by means of a push button. Moon phase An indicator that keeps track of the phases of the moon through an aperture on the watch dial. Found on some digital watches. 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 lustre, mother-of-pearl also comes in other colours such as silvery gray, gray blue, pink, and salmon. Movement The inner workings or assembly that make up the main timekeeping mechanism of the watch. Movements are either quartz or mechanical. N O P Perpetual A type of calendar on a watch that automatically adjusts for months of different lengths and indicates February 29 in each leap year until the year 2100. Platinum One of the rarest precious metals, platinum is also one of the strongest and heaviest, making it a popular choice for setting gemstone jewellery and watches. It has a rich, white lustre, and an understated look. Platinum is hypoallergenic and tarnish resistant. Platinum used in jewellery 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. Pocket Watch The pre-cursor of the modern wrist-watch, the pocket watch is designed to be attached to a chain and carried in a pocket. Traditionally given as a retirement gift. Power cell Another term for battery. A term not usually used in the UK. 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 (alot of it depending on the quality of the watch). Promaster Promaster watches undergo rigorous safety tests and fulfil the stringent quality standards on water and shock resistance, visibility and strap strength, as determined by the International Organisation for Standardisation. Q Quartz When activated by a battery or solar power, a thin sliver of crystal very predictably vibrates, providing very accurate timekeeping. R Ratchet / Rotating bezel ring A bezel ring which can either turn one way (counter clockwise) or both ways and generally clicks into place. Different types of rotating bezels perform different functions. Usually associated with sports watches. Rotary ReversibleTM 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. S Sapplex Crystal Combination of sapphire and hardlex crystals used in the watch. Sapphire Transparent synthetic sapphire is used for scratch-proof watch glasses as it has a hardness second only to diamond. Screw down locking crown Watches which are water resistant for 100m and above have screw down crowns to prevent water entering the case. Seal Synthetic gaskets that seal the joints between parts of the case and keep out the wet. 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. which is why most sports watches are fitted with this feature. 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 to perform general mathematical calculations or navigational computations. Solar Cell Seiko Eco-Drive watches use a microns thin disc of amorphous Silicon under the dial to convert light energy into electrical energy. The electrical energy is then stored in a rechargeable battery. Solar-powered A type of quartz movement. The batteries are charged by solar panels on the face of the watch. They have a power reserve system so the watch can run in the dark. Solid End Links (SEL) On some recent Rolex watches they 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. Sports Watch Sport watches usually more rugged and durable than other watches and are frequently equipped with additional features that are tailored to particular sports (countdown timers / stopwatch etc...). Spring Bar 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. Strap The band that holds the watch to the wrist. All Rotary watch straps are made from plain leather which is then embossed or printed with patterns to imitate animal skins. 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 capable 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 centre 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. 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. Tank watch A particular design 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 The "space age" metal, often with a silvery-gray appearance. 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. 24-hour indicator Displays military time by sub-wheels or digital readout. U V W Waterproof An illegal and misused term: No watch is fully 100 percent waterproof. Water resistant Water resistance informs the user as the the durability of the watch when put into contact with water. Water resistance is indicated in various methods. Sometimes water-resistance is measured in atmospheres (ATM), which is equal to 10 meters of water pressure or 1 bar. Watches come in different water resistant depths and diver's depths:
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. X Y Z |
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