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Watch Terms A-Z

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  • Watch Terms A-Z

    I took this from a watch booklet and only lifted up the relevant points so that it is easy to refer. You can get to know and appreciate the mechanical watch.

    A
    Acryl crystal; Chemical description: Polyacrylmethacryl acid squaring. Material for watch crystals also known as "plexiglass". Acryl is easy to process. It can be filed, polished or bent. The advantages of Acryl are high resistance to shocks, anti-allergenic qualities, its malleability and the price. The disadvantage is that due to the weakness of the material the surface is liable to scratch. However, light scratches can be removed by polishing.

    Amplitude (Vibration); Angle of oscillation for the balance.

    Antimagnetic watches; Watches not, or hardly affected by magnetic fields. For the balance springs of the balance non-magnetic nickel alloys are used.

    Automatic; Synonym for a watch with automatic winding. The movement of your wrist makes the rotor (oscillating weight) turn, thereby winding up the mainspring of the watch movement.

    B
    Balance Spring; The hairspring and the balance form the oscillating system. The balance spring of some mechanical watches consists of a thin and flat wire made of Nivarox.

    Balance Wheel; Part of the escapement of a mechanical watch. Oscillating device which divides the time into equal sections.

    Barrel; The barrel contains the wound-up mainspring, hooked to it at its outer end and which stores the energy, assuring a power reserve of 36 to 45 hours to the watch. The mainspring is wound up manually by means of the crown (handwinding watch) or through the movement of the oscillating weight (rotor) in an automatic watch.

    Bridge; Brass plate fixed on the main plate by two or more pins and screws. Between the bridge and the plate the wheels and staffs are turning.

    Bezel; Top ring for the crystal and/or decorative ring on the upper side of the watch case.

    C
    Calibre; Description for a watch movement according to construction, size and factory origin.

    Carbon fibre; Carbon fibre is used for reinforcing polymers. This is the most frequently used compound, followed by glass fibre. It is used if a light but strong and stiff material is needed, for instance for racing cars, or in astronautics, or for sports equipment. In the watch industry this compound material is employed for dials and cases.

    Chromium; White hard metal (chemical symbol Cr) used by the watch industry in alloys to coat cases.

    Chronograph; Wrist or pocket watch incorporating an additional stop mechanism (start, stop and back to zero functions).

    Chronometer; A watch of extremely high precision and accuracy, tested in several positions and under different temperatures and which has obtained an official rating certificate.

    Complication; Additional functions to a watch movement, e.g. chronograph, second time zone, alarm, calendars, etc.

    Crown; Button to wind up and set the watch to time.

    ...more coming up...
    The Crown Of Achievement

  • #2
    Page 2

    D
    Dial; A dial is also called "the face of the watch" and in fact it characterises the look of a watch. Analogue watches which show the time by means of the position of the hands on the dial.

    E
    Ebauche, Movement Blank; Incomplete watch movement, in principle without mainspring and balance. The movement blanks are assembled, refined and completed with the missing parts.

    Escapement; Mechanism fitted between the train wheels and the regulating organ, the balance wheel, in a mechanical wrist watch. The most common escapement is the Swiss lever escapement. The escapement consists of the escapement wheel and the pallet. The purpose of the escapement is to impede the fast running of the train wheel and regulate it. On the other side, the escapement has to convert the power of the train into oscillations.

    Escapement Wheel; The escapement wheel and the lever build the escapement. It is the last train wheel.

    ETA; ETA SA, leading manufacturer in Switzerland for movements. ETA movements are used for many renowned Swiss watch brands.

    F
    Fine Time Adjustment; Regulating lever to adjust the daily time accurately.

    Frequency; Number of vibrations per hour.

    G
    Gasket; The majority of water resistant watches are equipped with gaskets in the case back, the crystal and the crown.

    Gear Train; The system of wheels and pinions which, from the barrel, transmits the driving power to the escape wheel, centre wheel, third wheel, fourth wheel. All these wheels are riveted to their respective pinions.

    Glucydur; First rate metal alloy used for balances of top quality.

    GMT; Greenwich Mean Time. Greenwich is a district of London, through which the zero meridian passes. The globe is subdivided into 24 time zones. The time displays all over the world are always related to GMT.

    Gregorian calendar; Pope Gregory XIII developed the eponymous calendar in 1582, in order to replace the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar. The calendar, established in 1776 by an imperial decree, divides the year into 365 day, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. The difference of more than five hours is compensated every four years, when the month February is 29 days long.

    ...more coming up...
    The Crown Of Achievement

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    • #3
      Is this done by you...or copied from a mag or something?

      Seems like from a mag haha


      Sometimes forgotten, but always contactable. Darkangel (2007-2014)

      Comment


      • #4
        Page 3

        H
        Helium; Helium is a noble gas and one of the tiniest molecules. It has the capacity to penetrate into the watch, for instance through the joints. The air in diving stations or diving bells is enriched with helium to facilitate breathing. Helium is not dangerous to health.

        Helium valve; The helium valve is intended for divers spending several days aboard a diving bell. The air in diving stations or diving bells is enriched with helium to facilitate breathing. Helium has the capacity to penetrate into the watch, for instance through the joints. But unfortunately it does not escape the same way. To permit the excess pressure to escape, the helium valve is opened.

        High Frequency Movement; Watches which make a minimum of 28800 vibrations.

        I
        Incablock; Trade mark of a Swiss shockabsorber.

        J
        Jewel; English term for Ruby.

        Jewelled Lever Escapement; Lever with pallet of synthetic ruby.

        M
        Mainspring; Flat coiled spring that powers all mechanical watches.

        Mechanical Watches; Watch that stores the running power by means of a mainspring. The mainspring is either wound up manually in a handwinding watch or in an automatic watch by the swinging weight (rotor) through the movement of the arm.

        Mineral Crystal; Mineral, mostly flat watch crystal. Mineral crystals are hardened after polishing and therefore less sensitive to scratches than plexi crystals.

        Moonphase Display; Display of the 29 1/2 days' cycle of the moon by means of a dark blue disc turning below the dial by the gear-train.

        N
        Nivarox; Alloy for the manufacture of balance springs.

        ...more coming up...
        The Crown Of Achievement

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Darkangel View Post
          Is this done by you...or copied from a mag or something?

          Seems like from a mag haha
          Alamak! Read my first line la...
          The Crown Of Achievement

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          • #6
            Oooops I never see...

            But you power la...slowly type everything


            Sometimes forgotten, but always contactable. Darkangel (2007-2014)

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            • #7
              A little contribution

              To help newbies... errr.. like me
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              • #8
                Must have taken up a lot of your time to come up with these. Thanks.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Page 4

                  P
                  Pallet; The part that connects the train wheels and the balance wheel in lever movements for wrist watches. The ends of the two-piece part mesh with the escape wheel. The pallet for wrist watches is made of hardened steel. The pallet stones consist of smoothed synthetic jewels.

                  Plate (Bottom Plate); The plate supports the bridges and the various parts of the movement. The movement plate and the bridges build the frame of the movement.

                  Plexi Crystal; Watch crystal made of acryl crystal. This material can be processed and polished easily. The advantage for the owner of the watch is the comparatively high resistance to shocks.

                  Power Reserve; The power reserve or running reserve is the time the watch runs from when the mainspring is completely wound up until it has completely wound down.

                  PVD; An abbreviation which stands for Physical Vapour Deposition. The PVD technology used for most modern wrist watches and bracelets is one of the most up-to-date and non-polluting coating systems. Its quality can be compared to 10 micron gold plating. The PVD finish is highly scatchproof and long lasting. The authentic gilt color tone is obtained by applying a 23-carat gold layer.

                  Q
                  Quartz Watches; Watches with analogue or digital display, whose movement is powered by a quartz. The quartz analogue watch: The division of the time functions by means of quartz, whose vibrations are generated by a battery. The analogue time display is shown by electrically driven hands. In digital watches the display is, in most cases, by liquid crystal numerals.

                  R
                  Ratrappante; Chronograph with double hands. These watches are equipped with two chronograph second hands which can be started either by means of a push button in the crown or a third button on the case. It can be stopped independently by again pressing the chronograph push button. It is therefore possible to stop at an intermediate time.

                  Ruby; Synthetically produced precious stone, used in the watch movement as pallet stones and bearings (jewel holes) to reduce friction and wear.

                  S
                  Sapphire Crystal; Watch crystal made of artificial sapphire. A Sapphire crystal is highly scratch resistant due to its extreme hardness.

                  Screw Back; Case back with thread so that it can be screwed on to the watch case.

                  Screw-in Crown; Special crown which is screwed in for better security and used mainly for diver's and sports watches.

                  Stainless Steel; Steel which does not get rusty and is not affected by corrosion. It is extremely resilient.

                  Superluminova; It is a non-radioactive pigment that can shine for a long time. This phosphorescent pigment works like a light-battery. Through daylight or other sources of light the material gains energy. In the darkness, it can be luminous for several hours, depending on the quantity of the material. This effect can be reproduced all the time, irrespective of the age of the material. Superluminova pigments do not contain any radioactive substances.

                  Swinging or Oscillating Weight (Rotor); The natural movement of the arm makes the oscillating weight swing round, thus winding up the mainspring of the automatic watch.

                  ...more coming up...
                  The Crown Of Achievement

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Page 5

                    T
                    Tachometer (Tachymeter); The tachometer division on the dial of a chronograph serves to measure the speed, e.g. of a car on a measured course of 1 km or 1 mile. At the moment the car passes the starting point of the course, the chronograph is set and stopped at the final point of the course. The position of the stopped hand on the tachometer scale corresponds to the speed in km (miles) per hour. The speed over the whole test run must be the same.

                    Titanium; Very light metal (specific weight 4.49) of grey color. Titanium has a high melting point of 1800 degrees centigrade. Its typical grey color is obtained by a coating of oxide, formed by a reaction with oxygen. In the watch industry titanium is used for the manufacture of cases and straps. The advantage of titanium is its lightness and warmth. Titanium can also be described as 100% anti-allergenic.

                    Tritium; Isotop of hydrogen, slightly radio-active, is used to activate the luminova dots on the dial. The emitted radiation is so low that there is no health risk.

                    W
                    Winding Stem; Shaft on which the crown is fixed at the outer end. The winding stem is the connection to the watch movement.

                    Worldtimer; Watch with auxiliary dials or a scale at the edge showing the time in other time zones.

                    That's all folks !
                    The Crown Of Achievement

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                    • #11
                      Wah.. I must say I am amazed!

                      Thanks for the hard work


                      Sometimes forgotten, but always contactable. Darkangel (2007-2014)

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                      • #12
                        Yes, tatz a bit of work but I hope it helps newbies.
                        The Crown Of Achievement

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                        • #13
                          moving to FAQ
                          the hype is true. listen at your own risk.
                          visit my watch and audio blog oohlins.blogspot & learn how to use the rolex comfort link

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                          • #14
                            Oh, I picked only relevant info, bro. U wan I can add.
                            The Crown Of Achievement

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                            • #15
                              No prob. Will check again tmr.
                              The Crown Of Achievement

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