A comprehensive guide to watch terminology, movements, and horological terms to help you understand the world of timepieces.
A self-winding mechanical movement that uses the natural motion of the wearer's wrist to wind the mainspring. Also known as a self-winding movement.
The angle through which the balance wheel rotates in one direction. Typically measured in degrees, with 270-315 degrees being ideal.
A watch designed to resist the effects of magnetic fields, typically using special alloys or a soft iron cage around the movement.
The oscillating wheel in a mechanical watch movement that regulates timekeeping. It swings back and forth at a constant rate.
The ring surrounding the watch crystal. Can be fixed or rotating, and may feature markings for timing or calculation functions.
A metal plate that holds various components of the movement in place, typically visible through a display caseback.
A watch with a stopwatch function, typically featuring additional subdials and pushers to start, stop, and reset the timing mechanism.
A high-precision watch that has been tested and certified by an official testing institute (like COSC) to meet specific accuracy standards.
Any function on a watch beyond basic timekeeping, such as a date display, moon phase, or chronograph.
The knob on the side of a watch case used to set the time and date, and to wind manual watches.
An aperture in the dial that displays the current date, typically at the 3 o'clock position.
A watch designed for underwater diving, featuring water resistance of at least 100 meters, a unidirectional rotating bezel, and high visibility.
A transparent caseback, usually made of sapphire crystal, that allows viewing of the watch movement.
The mechanism that controls the release of energy from the mainspring to the gear train, regulating the watch's timekeeping.
A movement manufactured by ETA SA, a Swiss company that produces movements used by many watch brands.
Greenwich Mean Time. A GMT watch can display two or more time zones simultaneously, useful for travelers.
A decorative engraving technique that creates intricate, repetitive patterns on watch dials or cases.
A delicate spiral spring attached to the balance wheel that controls its oscillation rate, crucial for accurate timekeeping.
A feature that stops the seconds hand when the crown is pulled out, allowing for precise time setting.
The study and measurement of time, and the art of making timepieces.
The distance from the top lug to the bottom lug of a watch case, important for determining how a watch will fit on the wrist.
Material applied to watch hands and markers that glows in the dark, typically using Super-LumiNova or tritium.
The coiled spring in a mechanical watch that stores energy and powers the movement when wound.
A mechanical watch that must be wound by hand using the crown to power the mainspring.
A complication that displays the current phase of the moon through an aperture in the dial.
The amount of time a watch will continue running after being fully wound, typically 38-72 hours for automatic watches.
A button on the watch case used to operate complications like chronographs or alarms.
A battery-powered movement that uses a quartz crystal oscillator to keep time with high accuracy.
The weighted, semi-circular component in an automatic watch that rotates with wrist movement to wind the mainspring.
A seconds hand that sweeps continuously around the dial, also called a sweep seconds hand.
A synthetic crystal used for watch crystals and casebacks, highly scratch-resistant and transparent.
A crown that threads into the case to create a water-resistant seal, common on dive watches.
A subdial displaying seconds, typically at the 6 or 9 o'clock position.
A scale on a chronograph bezel or dial used to measure speed based on time traveled over a fixed distance.
A complex mechanism that places the escapement and balance wheel in a rotating cage to counteract the effects of gravity on timekeeping.
The ability of a watch to resist water ingress, measured in meters, ATM, or bar. Not the same as waterproof.
The process of tightening the mainspring to store energy in a mechanical watch.
If you're looking for a specific watch term that's not listed here, please contact us and we'll add it to our glossary.