14 Karat
All items marked with 14k are
58.3% pure gold since 14k represents 58.3% purity in gold.
24-hour indicator
Military time, the times are shown on the dials, or digitally.
A
Altimeter
A function that measures altitude by responding to changes in barometric
pressure, commonly found in pilot watches.
Analog Digital
A watch that has both a digital display and conventional watch hand
display.
Analog quartz
The term used in referring to any analog timepiece that operates
on a battery or related to electrical energy.
Analog Watch
None digital watches that display time with hands and markers.
A.S.S.
Servo-controlled motor drive that
lengthens the duration of motor impulse when the mechanism meets resistance
(during date-change for example) and reverts to the normal duration when the
resistance ends. Thus the system increases battery life by 30%.
Atmosphere (Atm)
Unit of pressure used in watch making to indicate water-resistance.
Atomic time standard
Precise accurate time standard provided by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Time and
Frequency Division, Boulder, Colorado. Atomic time is measured through
vibrations of atoms in a metal isotope that resembles mercury. Radio waves
transmit this exact time throughout North America and some "atomic"
watches can receive them and correct to the exact time. To synchronize your
watch with atomic standard time, call (303) 499-7111.
Automatic movement
Type of movement is all mechanical and requires no winding or battery. Part of the automatic mechanism, winds the
main spring every time the watch is moved. When fully wound and left to sit, most automatics will have up to 36
hours of reserve power and stays accurate within one minute
each day.
B
Baguette
Typically rectangular in shape ladies style watch with a thin elongated face.
Bar/lug
A small rod that is used to fix the watch strap or the band to the
case.
Base metal
Refers to any non-precious metal.
Battery Life
The battery life begins at the point of manufacturing when the factory
initially installs the battery.
Bezel
Part of the watch case where the surface ring on the watch that surrounds and holds the crystal in place.
Bracelet
Flexible metal band consisting of assembled links, usually in the same style
as the case.
Buckle
Typically used on leather straps two parts of the leather strap
around the wrist are enclosed at the buckle.
C
Cabochon crown
Rounded semi-precious stone or synthetic material fitted into
the watch crown as an ornament.
Calendar
A watch feature that shows the date and sometimes the day of the week and the
month.
Cambered
Often refers to a curved or arched dial or bezel.
Carat (Karat)
Unit of gold opurity. Pure gold is 24k.while 18k gold is 75%
pure.
Chronograph
Usually refers to the stop watch function where most have two or three
sub dials for measuring minutes and hours.
Chronometer
A precision watch that is tested in various temperatures and settings, and
once the test watch passes the test, the watches are certified watch institute in Switzerland.
Clasp
The attachment used to connect the two ends of the watch bracelet or strap
around the wrist.
Corrector
System to set the watch indicators (the hour, minute or day) by means of the
crown.
Countdown timer
Measures remaining time from preset period of time. (Example: Can be used to
countdown time of a basketball game.)
Crown
Nodule extending 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.
Crystal
There are three types of crystals that are commonly used for watch
manufacturing. Acrylic crystal, a plastic, is inexpensive and shallow
scratches can be buffed out. Mineral crystal is comprised of several elements
that are heat treated to create unusual hardness. Sapphire crystal is the most expensive and durable, approximately
three times harder than mineral crystals and 20 time harder than acrylic
crystals. Also, a none-reflective coating on some sport styles are used to
prevent glares.
D
Day/date watch
A watch that indicates both day and date of the week.
Dial
The face of the watch which refers to the color, texture, and the markers.
Diachronic
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) enabling a color to appear or vanish on the
surface.
Digital Watch
Any watch that displays the numbers via LCD (liquid crystal diode) instead of
the traditional hands.
Directional compass
It is used to determine a geographical direction using the location of
the sun.
Dual timer
A watch that measures two time zones.
E
E.O.L.
Battery End of Life indicator. End of battery life is typically indicated by the
second hands which start to jump every four seconds.
Electroplating process
Process of covering metal articles with a film of other metals. The article is
immersed in a chemical solution.
F
Flyback hand
A seconds hand on a chronograph that is used to determine lap or finishing
times for several competitors.
Frequency
The number of vibrations a second, in hertz (Hz).
G
Gold
Yellow precious metal which is stainless and very malleable. Used in alloys to
make jewelry, bracelets and watches. The portion of gold in the alloy is
indicated in carats (k).
Guilloche
A style of intricate engraving that is popular on watch dials, usually very
thin lines interwoven to create a surface texture.
H
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.
High-tech ceramic
Used as a protective shield for spacecraft reentering the earth's atmosphere,
high tech ceramic is polished with diamond dust to create a highly polished
finish. Because the ceramic can be injection molded, pieces can be contoured.
It has a very smooth surface, usually found in black, but can be produced in a
spectrum of colors.
Horology
The the study of time measurement, including the art of designing and
constructing timepieces.
I
J
Jewels
Synthetic sapphires or rubies that are used as bearings for gears of a mechanical
watch. A quality hand wound or automatic mechanical watch contains at least 17
jewels.
K
Kinetic
Watches run
entirely on sell generated energy from natural movement of your wrist. Thus, it
never requires a battery.
L
LCD
Liquid-crystal display.
Lugs
Extensions on either side of the bezel where the bracelet or strap are attached.
LumiBrite
illumination technology that glowS brightly for hours
without pushing a button or drawing energy from a battery.
M
Manual
Watches that require hand wound feeding of the movement.
Mechanical
Describes a movement with a balance wheel. Thus never requiring a battery.
Mineral glass
Watch glass that has been tempered to increase its scratch resistance.
Moon phase
An indicator that keeps track of the phases of the moon.
Mother-of-Pearl
Iridescent, milky interior shell of the fresh water mollusk that is sliced
thin and used on watch dials.
Movement
The inner workings that make up the main timekeeping mechanism.
movements are either quartz or mechanical.
N
O
Oscillation
The travel of the balance wheel from one extreme to the other and back again.
P
Perpetual
Calendar that automatically adjusts for months of different lengths
and indicates February 29 in each leap year.
Plating
Coating a metal base with another metal.
Platinum
One of the rarest precious metals, platinum is also one of the strongest and
heaviest, making it a popular choice for setting gemstone jewelry and watches.
Power reserve
The length of time the watch will run with a fully charged power supply. For mechanical
watches it is usually 44 hours. For quartz watches it can vary from 18 moths
to 10 years.
PVD
Physical Vapor Deposition. Method of coating thin watch cases by integrating
titanium particles and then depositing gold for color.
Q
Quartz crystal movement
A movement which typically runson battery. This
technology employs the vibrations of a tiny crystal to maintain accuracy of
time.
R
Ratchet bezel ring
A bezel ring which can either turn one way (counter clockwise) or both ways
and generally clicks into place.
S
Sand-blasting
Creating a granular metal finish by using a high-pressure jet of sand.
Shock resistance
A watch can withstand normal
wear and tear even during strenuous sport activities.
Skeleton case
A transparent front or back of the watch that allows visibility to the
movement of the watch.
Slide rule bezel
A rotating bezel that is printed with a logarithmic scale and assorted other
scales and is used in conjunction with fixed rules of mathematics to perform
general mathematical calculations or navigational computations.
Solar-powered
A type of quartz movement where the batteries are recharged via solar panels
on the watch face.
Split-seconds
A second chronograph that runs concurrently with the first but can be stopped
independently to record an intermediate time.
Stainless steel
An extremely durable metal alloy (chromium is a main ingredient) that is
virtually immune to rust, discoloration, and corrosion; it can be highly
polished, thus resembling a precious metal.
Sterling Silver
Sterling refers to silver that
is 92.5 percent pure.
Strap
A watch band made of leather, plastic or fabric.
Subdial
Represents the small dials used for stop watches or other measuring functions.
Sweep seconds-hand
Usually refers to automatic watch movements where the second hand continually
moves in motion instead of simple ticks.
T
Tachymeter (also tachometer)
A watch function that measures the speed of an object.
Tank watch
A rectangular watch inspired by
the tank tracks of World War I and first created by Louis Cartier.
Telemeter
A watch function that finds the distance of an object from the wearer by
measuring how long it takes sound to travel that distance.
Titanium
It is 30 percent stronger and nearly 50 percent lighter than steel it has been
increasingly used in watch making.
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.
W
Waterproof
Typically refers to watches that are more water resistant. No watches are 100%
fully water proof.
Water resistant
Watches that can resist light moisture, such as a rainstorm or sink splashes, but should
not be worn swimming or diving. Here are some guidelines to different levels
of water resistance.
- Water resistantWill withstand
splashes of water or rain but should not be worn while swimming or diving.
- 50 meters (165 feet)Suitable
for showering or swimming in shallow water.
- 100 meters (330 feet)Suitable
for swimming or snorkeling.
- 150 meters (500 feet)?
Suitable for snorkeling.
- 200 meters (660 feet)Suitable
for skin diving.
White Gold
Gold created from yellow gold by mixture of either nickel or palladium to the
alloy to achieve a white color.
World timers
A watch with a dial that allows viewing of up to 24 time zones around the
world.
X
Y
Yellow gold
Popular form of gold used in all gold or gold and stainless steel or
other precious metal combinations.
Z
|
