Adjusted |
A watch that has compensations
for temperature, positions, and isochronism. |
Analog display |
Shows time by rotating hands. |
Automatic movement |
A movement that is
"wound" by the motion of the wearer. |
Bezel |
The rim that covers the edge of
the dial and holds the crystal in place. |
Bow |
The ring loop to which a chain or
watch fob may be attached. |
Chronograph |
A stopwatch feature on a regular
watch. It can be started and stopped and returned to zero the measure short intervals of
time. |
Chronometer |
A movement certified by
maintaining precise time under rigorous testing. |
Complication |
A feature in addition to telling
time, such as a calendar, moon phases, equinoxes, up and down dial, repeater, musical
chimes, alarms, etc. |
Counters |
Auxiliary dials on a chronograph
that can mark seconds, tenths of seconds, half-hours, etc. |
Crown |
A winding knob. |
Crystal |
The covering that protects the
dial, usually made of mineral glass, synthetic sapphire or plastic. |
Dial |
The fact of the watch. Sometimes enameled and
hand-painted, and sometimes have gold markers or diamonds for numbers. |
Digital display |
Shows the time with a liquid crystal display. |
Hunter case |
A pocket watch case with a cover that must be
opened to read the dial. |
Isochronism |
Occurring at equal intervals of time. The
balance should not vary in its swing causing the watch to run any faster just after
winding than it will a day later. From "Isos", meaning equal and
"chronos", meaning time. |
Jewel |
A bearing of ruby or sapphire used for their
durability. |
Mechanical watch |
"Energy is stored in a coiled mainspring
and released by an "escapement". It has at least 130 parts. Power is supplied
either by hand-winding or the motion of the wearer moving an oscillating weight. |
Minute repeater |
A watch that strikes or sounds the hours,
quarter hours and/or minutes on demand by moving a slide. |
Movement |
The works of a watch exclusive of the case and
dial. |
Pendant |
The "neck" of a pocket watch, to
which are attached the bow and the crown. |
Perpetual calendar |
A calendar that automatically adjusts for
different lengths of months and leap year. |
Quartz movement |
Tells time with precision using an integrated
circuit, a miniature battery and a quartz oscillator that vibrates at a high frequency. |
Sweep second hand |
Second hand mounted at the center of the dial
on a mechanical watch, as opposed to an auxiliary dial or counter. |
Tachymeter |
A feature allowing the wearer to measure speed
by using elapsed time against a distance scale built into the watch. |
Telemeter |
A chronograph scale allowing the measurement
of distance. For example, the wearer can figure the distance of a lightning strike by
pressing a button when the lightning is seen, and again when the thunder is heard, to
determine the storms distance. |
Tourbillon |
A watch with a revolving carriage that rotates
once a minute, changing the center of gravity in order to negate the effects of the watch
being in various positions. |
Turn-o-gram |
A moving bezel to help keep track of elapsed
time, as on a divers watch. |
Up and down dial |
A dial that shows how much of the mainspring
is spent and how far up or down it is. |