Glossary

A watch that displays the time by using hands and a dial.

It is one of the parts of the escapement. Depending on the type of escapement, it has slightly different shapes. Its name comes from a ship’s anchor-like design.

A device that protects the balance wheel’s pinion from unwanted shocks.

Watch capable of withstanding magnetic fields. There are different ranges of magnetic resistance, from a few Gauss up to fully antimagnetic resistance, something only OMEGA Watches can currently guarantee on its Master Chronometer-certified watches.

A part of a mechanical watch that oscillates, dividing time into equal portions.

It is a cylindrical metal box closed by a cover that contains a spiral spring called the mainspring, which provides energy to run the timepiece.

The bezel is particularly useful on diving watches, allowing you to check dive times. In this case, it unidirectionally rotates and usually comes in two parts: a metal (or ceramic, depending on the type of watch) ring paired with a graduated insert ( in aluminium or ceramic; in bakelite, on older watches).

Two overlapping discs, one showing the numbers from 0 to 3 and the other from 0 to 9, rotate in opposite directions, thus displaying a double-digit number indicating the date.

It is the acronym for Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, the Swiss organization that releases the Chronometer Certificate. A Chronometer-certified watch has undergone several tests under assigned conditions and meets precise running precision requirements. A watch certified as a Chronometer carries the wording “Chronometer” on the dial.

A feature that shows the day of the month and, in some cases, the day of the week. Some calendar watches show the date on sub-dials, while others display the date via a scale printed on an outer ring placed into the dial.

A calibre is the type of watch movement encased in an assigned timepiece. Its name is usually associated with the manufacturer’s name and a standard code, e.g., ETA 2824.

It is a composite material based on carbon fibre. Carbon fibre layers are placed on each other and united under controlled pressure and temperature using a PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone)- based binder matrix. Panerai has patented Carbotech™.

It encases the mechanical movement and is crafted in one or more parts. It can also be a single piece, as with some professional diving watches, or made of unconventional materials, such as ceramic or carbon fibre composites.

It can be screwed in, pressure-fastened, or secured to the case via screws. Occasionally, it comes as a single piece, with the case of specific professional diving watches (for example, some SEIKO Prospex). It can be closed or see-through, thanks to the adoption of sapphire glass that allows the wearer to admire the movement.

Widely used for crafting a watch case and, in recent years, also for the bezels of diving watches and dials. Obtained from zirconia powder (ZrO2), ceramic offers superior scratch resistance and reduced impact resistance (resilience) compared to metals. The design and assembly of a ceramic case are key to guaranteeing the correct mechanical and shock resistance.

Ceratanium™ is an alloy developed and patented by IWC that aims at combining the scratch-proofness of ceramics with the mechanical resistance of titanium. It is adopted by the IWC Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium™.

Complication that helps the wearer to measure time intervals without affecting the watch’s standard time-telling function.

An instrument for measuring time very accurately. For any watch to be called a chronometer, it must meet the standards set by the C.O.S.C. (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres).

A complete calendar displays the date, day, and month. Since the month’s disc has 31 days, those with a 30-month length and February require manual correction.

The addition of any mechanical complication to a movement that usually displays the time.

The corrector is a tiny button on the case side that allows the wearer to update the watch date with a calendar.

Engine turning and polishing on a movement’s parts or a dial (a Mido watch is an example) can obtain a regular wave pattern.

Any register placed on the dial providing additional information to a three-hand watch, such as a thirty-minute counter.

Rolex’s patented luminescent material applied to indexes and hands to help read the time in the dark.

Placed on the case side, it winds the mainspring. When pulled out, it also sets the time and the date. A screw-down crown increases water resistance and protects the movement from dust.

It is a small lens applied to the crystal that protects the dial and helps magnify the date.

An acronym for Diamond Like Carbon, it is a surface treatment based on carbon microparticles deposited on steel using a chemical deposition process. The D.L.C. treatment gives the watch a dark look and increases protection from chemical and corrosive products in areas of higher friction, such as close to the rotating bezel. It is also a hypoallergenic treatment.

It indicates the date of the month. There are different types of display: via a window or a pointer, where an additional hand is usually placed centrally or on a separate counter. Manual correction is required to manage the transition from month to month.

A watch that indicates the day of the week and the date.

A buckle that fastens to the watch strap or bracelet and opens and fastens using hinged extenders. Invented by Louis Cartier in 1910.

In tuning fork-based watches, time measurement is based on the regular oscillation of a tuning fork controlled by an electronic circuit. The Swiss electronic engineer Max Hetzel invented them in 1952 while working at Bulova.

A timepiece that shows the time through a numerical display instead of a dial and hands.

It is a term that identifies a specific category of watches suited for professional diving.

Swiss manufacturer of mechanical and quartz movements owned by the Swatch Group.

The French term for waterproof.

It is the number of oscillations of the regulating organ. It is divided into hours, mechanical watches, and quartz watches.

It is the acronym for Greenwich Mean Time and identifies a complication capable of displaying two or more time zones on the dial. The complication usually couples a 24-hour rotating bezel with day and night indication through a two-colour rotating bezel paired with an additional hand. There are, however, different types of watches with GMT complications.

Surface decoration or pattern. An even pattern is cut, usually on the dial.

Indicates the most common system for protecting a timepiece’s movement from accidental shocks.

It is the measurement unit that identifies the size of a movement. According to this measurement system, one line corresponds to 2,255mm.

A luminescent material is applied to numbers, indexes, and hands to read the time in the dark or under dim light. The most renowned manufacturer of luminescent material in the industry is Super Luminova®; vertically integrated watch manufacturers like ROLEX and SEIKO use proprietary materials like Cromalight and Lumibrite, respectively.

A micro-rotor is a tiny winding rotor placed inside the movement to reduce thickness. It is the most refined technical solution when a brand aims to design an automatic mechanical timepiece with reduced case thickness. The best example so far is the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic.

It is an additional part of the base movement through which one or more complications can be added.

The perpetual calendar is a complication that adjusts the watch’s calendar for varying months and leap years. This cycle will end in 2100, and the wearer should apply the first manual correction.

A mechanical watch feature displays, on the dial or the case back, the remaining power in a watch movement, showing the length of time until the timepiece must be rewound.

A Split-Seconds Chronograph is a watch with two hands (in an analogue display). One hand can be stopped via an additional push-button to display an intermediate time while the other hand continues to run.

Part of an automatic watch that winds the mainspring by constantly rotating. Depending on the watch’s winding capability, movement design, and value, it comes in various geometries, sizes, and materials. An ultra-thin automatic timepiece, for instance, adopts a micro-rotor or a peripheral winding rotor.

The shaft that connects to the movement’s winding mechanism. The crown is fitted on the opposite end.

A leather, rubber or other material band that secures the watch to the wearer’s wrist.

Swiss-made means that a watch’s movement is Swiss, it is cased in Switzerland, and the manufacturer carries out there the final inspection.

It is a complication that displays the minute difference between the calendar and real-time. For example, the Breguet Marine Equation Marchante 5887 adopts a Time Equation complication.

Time zones refer to the twenty-four regions of the globe. Milan, Rome or Naples will indicate our time zone here in Italy.

A tonneau watch is a timepiece whose shape looks like a barrel and whose sides are convex.

The rotating cage includes the tourbillon, balance wheel, and anchor and escapement wheel.

It is a device watch repairers and service centres use to reveal any discrepancy between current and expected running precision, thus helping a watchmaker adjust a timepiece.

A watch is water resistant when it can withstand splashes of water. It indicates the depth to which a watch can be worn underwater.

It is a timepiece that displays the 24 time zones of the world’s main cities; on premium luxury watches, like those produced by Saxon watchmaker Glashütte Original, it shows all the current time zones (35 are available).