A Beginners Guide to Watch Anatomy (Now with TRL update)

[PeteM]

I found this introductory information on a website and thought it maybe of use to guyys here as a way of getting a feel for watches and terms etc. i am sure its been done before but in case in proves of any use to anyone here I thought it worth while to use the info and play about to get it in a readable formay here rather than just attaching a link

 

 

 

HOROLOGICAL TERMS

 

Case: Consisting of a watch's middle, bezel, and back, it protects and houses the movement inside. It can be made from different metals and in different shapes. The examples below illustrate common case shapes currently being produced.

 

 

Crystal: The Crystal is a 'glass' covering the dial or 'face' of the watch, protecting it from dirt and water. There are three major types of crystals produced and used in watch making.

 

Synthetic Sapphire: This transparent, lab grown element has exactly the same chemical composition as natural sapphire. Sapphire ranks a 9 on Mohs' hardness scale. It is the most expensive type of crystal and the majority of watches imported from Switzerland contain them.

Mineral: Mineral crystals are made of glass. Mineral crystals are a 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness. They are inexpensive compared to sapphire crystals, usually costing less than one hundred dollars to replace if damaged.

Acrylic: Acrylic is the most affordable type of crystal. It can be easily polished to remove light scuffs.

 

 

Mohs Scale of Hardness: A scientific scale which measures the relative hardness of minerals. The scale ranges from 1 to 10, with 10 being the hardest; the higher the rank, the more scratch resistant the material.

 

Dial: The dial is the face of the watch. There are many ways a dial can be marked. The examples below show some of the most popular dials.

 

 

Subdial: A small dial set within the main dial, used to display an additional complication such as Chronograph readout, seconds, or date.

 

Hour Marker: An hour indicator applied or painted on the dial of the watch.

 

Hands: The hands on a watch indicate either the hour, minute, or second, along with other functions. Often taking their cues from the general aesthetic of the watch, the hands can vary in shape, size and style.

 

 

"Blued Steel" hands are dark navy in color; a result of super heating steel until the color changes. This was first used by the famous watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in the 19th century to help make the hands more legible.

 

 

Rehaut: The [censored] or projection around the inner edge of the watch that typically holds the watch crystal up and reinforces it. The rehaut is typically referred to mostly on Rolex watches as they are inscribed for anti-counterfeiting measures. On most Breitling watches the rehaut is covered by an applied chapter ring.

 

Crown: Connects to the internal movement of a watch through the case, the crown, which can vary from a simple gasket to an intricate system of screws, allows you to wind, hand-set, and employ special functions like date settings and time.

 

Screw-down Crown: A crown which aids water resistance by sealing it against the case. The seal is achieved through gaskets and by matching the threaded pipe on the case with the crown's internal threads, while twisting the crown to lock it into place

 

 

Pusher: Otherwise dubbed a 'push-piece' or a 'push-button', this handy mechanical element is mounted on a watch's case to control specific functions, such as timing functions in a chronograph.

 

Bezel: The bezel is either snapped or screwed into the case and often holds the crystal, the protective covering of the watch, in place. Bezels can be functional for diving and timing or purely aesthetic, as with a diamond set bezel.

 

Diving Bezel: Enables a diver to visually track his/her dive time using minute markers from 0 to 60 on a unidirectional rotating bezel. For safety reasons, unidirectional bezels only rotate in the counter-clockwise direction. If the bezel could move clockwise and was accidentally turned, the diver could think he/she had a greater air supply and may not surface in time.

 

 

Timing Bezel: Similar to a Diving bezel but can move clockwise and counter clockwise. This type of bezel might be used for cooking, timing parking meters, etc.

 

 

Strap: Whatever your favorite look-leather, alligator, canvas, or other-the strap is attached to the case and bound by a buckle, keeping your watch on tight.

 

Bracelet: Usually made of metal or in combination with another material such as rubber, as with link watch bands, the bracelet keeps your timepiece securely attached and looking sharp. When there is no discontinuity between the bracelet and the case, this is called an 'integral' bracelet.

 

Ardillon Buckle (Tang Buckle): A traditional buckle in which one end of the strap is slipped through a buckle with a pin used to secure the fit of your watch.

 

Deployant Buckle: A deployant, or fold-over clasp, is an elegant flourish that allows for perfect strap closures through interlocking metal pieces, eliminating the need for strap holes. It is considered safer to wear than a regular Ardillon buckle. If the buckle should happen to open up, the watch is still attached to the wrist.

 

 

 

Movement: The movement is the engine of the watch; it makes the watch work. The different types of movements and the importance of their functionality are explained in greater detail in the movements section below.

 

Rotor: In automatically winding timepieces, the rotor's partial or complete revolutions work in conjunction with the movements of the human arm. The rotor turns freely in both directions to wind the mainspring, which stores and transmits the energy that powers your watch.

 

Lug: A case attachment, the lug allows for a strap or bracelet to be attached to the watch case. Ensures that your ticker isn't going anywhere you don't want it to.

 

Exhibition Case Back: A case back to show off movement finishing and craftsmanship. Ideal for anyone who appreciates the intricate inner-workings of a timepiece, an exhibition back displays the mechanical workings of a watch.

 

Skeleton Movement: This watch does not contain a dial. It exposes the movement, etched and engraved to a high degree of craftsmanship, from the face of the watch.

 

 

Chronometer: A watch with a particularly high level of precision. According to Swiss law, a watch may not be dubbed a chronometer until it has passed a series of grueling tests and measurements and been certified.

 

 

Mechanical Watch Movements

 

 

'Manual movements' are the most traditional movements, usually found in very conservative, collectable, and luxury watches. It is the oldest type of watch movement in production, dating back to the sixteenth century. Sometimes referred to as a 'hand-wound movement', the manual watch needs to be wound in order to function. Depending on the power reserve, this could be daily, every two days, once a week, etc. Many people cherish the timeless tradition of manual movements and even enjoy the ritual of winding them.

Components of the Manual Movement Watch:

 

Crown: Wheel on the side of the watch used to set the time. On a mechanical movement, either manual or automatic, the Crown is usually turned to wind the watch.

 

Mainspring: Power source of the movement. The kinetic energy from winding the Crown is transferred to the coil-shaped Mainspring, which stores the energy by gradually becoming tighter.

 

Gear Train: Transmits the stored energy from the Mainspring to the Escapement through a series of minute gears.

 

Escapement: Acts as a break. It takes the energy transmitted from the Mainspring through the Gear Train and meters the energy into equal, regular parts.

 

Balance Wheel: Heart of the movement. It receives the energy to run from the Escapement. The Balance beats, or oscillates in a circular motion, five to ten times per second. A watchmaker can adjust the Balance to make the watch run faster or slower.

 

Dial Train: Series of gears transmitting regulated, equally metered energy from the Balance Wheel to the hands of the watch, making them move.

 

Jewels: Synthetic rubies set at points of high friction, similar to the center of a gear that is constantly in motion. The Jewels are used as bearings in the watch to reduce metal-to-metal friction and wear, thereby improving performance and accuracy. Rubies are used because they absorb heat well and are extremely hard.

 

How a Manual Movement works:

 

 

• 1. Turning the Crown winds the Mainspring, causing it to store energy.
• 2. The Gear Train transfers the energy to the Escapement.
• 3. The Escapement meters out the energy into regulated parts.
• 4. The Balance Wheel uses this regulated energy to beat back and forth at a constant rate.
• 5. Every certain number of beats, the Dial Train transfers the energy to the hands of the watch.
• 6. The hands advance.

 

 

An automatic, or self-winding, movement is a mechanical movement that winds itself while worn on the wrist. As it eliminates the need for daily hand winding, it is still necessary to wind an automatic watch if it has not been worn and has stopped.

Prior to wearing an automatic watch, it will need to be wound. One may choose to purchase a winding box, which will keep an automatic watch fully wound when not being worn for extended periods of time.

Components of the Automatic Movement Watch:

 

An automatic movement has the same parts as a regular manual movement: Crown, Mainspring, Escapement, Gear Train, Balance Wheel, and a Dial Train. The Rotor is an additional component which allows the watch to wind itself while worn.

 

Rotor: An oscillating (rotating) metal weight attached to the movement; allowed to swing freely in 360 degrees as the wrist moves. The Rotor is connected by a series of gears to the Mainspring. As the Rotor turns, it winds the Mainspring to give the watch energy. The Rotor is equipped with a clutch to disengage from winding when the Mainspring is fully wound. Hand winding gives the watch a full power reserve and the Rotor will keep rewinding the watch thereafter. Power reserve is a term used to indicate, in hours, the amount of energy stored in the movement. Thus, a watch with a 48 hour power reserve will run for approximately 48 hours before stopping.

 

How an Automatic Movement works:

 

 

• 1. Movement of the wrist turns the Rotor which winds the Mainspring. Turning the Crown will also wind the Mainspring.
• 2. The Gear Train transfers the energy to the Escapement.
• 3. The Escapement meters out the energy into regulated parts.
• 4. The Balance Wheel uses this regulated energy to beat back and forth at a constant rate.
• 5. Every certain number of beats, the Dial Train transfers the energy to the hands of the watch.
• 6. The hands advance.

 

 

 

Date Complications

• Date: The simplest complication on a watch is the date display.

 

Date Window: This window is also referred to as an aperture. On some watches the color of the numbers alternate between red and black, this is called "Casino" date display.

 

Big Date: This display allows a much larger view of the date and is significantly more legible than the traditional date window. The variation sometimes has two windows, the left one displaying 0-3, and the right window displaying 0-9.

 

Date Wheel: A center hand with an arrow, or crescent, pointing to the date along the outside periphery, also known as a chapter of the dial. This is sometimes called a 'Bankers' date.

 

Subsidiary Dial: Displays the date on a small sub-dial. Most often used in conjunction with other complications.

 

Day-Date: This adds the day of the week to the date complication

 

Classic Day-Date Dial

 

  Side by Side Day-Date Dial

 

Triple Calendar: Also called a 'Complete Calendar', this calendar is a further elaboration of date display, adding the month of the year.

 

Triple Calendar w/Aperture Windows and Date Wheel

Triple Calendar w/Subsidiary Dials

 

Perpetual Calendar: The Perpetual Calendar is the most complex type of calendar feature that exists on a watch. It accurately displays the date, day, month, and year, and even takes into account the leap year. It will need correction in 2100, however, when the leap year will be ignored.

 

  Perpetual Calendar w/Aperture Windows

 

  Perpetual Calendar w/Subsidiary Dials

 

 

Chronograph Complications

 

 

A chronograph watch has a stopwatch built into the movement.

 

Types of Chronographs:

 

Mono-Poussier (One-Button Chronograph): Originally, all chronographs were Mono-Poussiers; Breitling introduced the two-button chronograph in 1923. The difference between a one and two-button chronograph is that the one-button model cannot measure interrupted time spans.

 

Retour-en-Vol (Flyback Chronograph): The Flyback chronograph is specially engineered so that when a second button is pushed, while the chronograph is running, all the counters reset and immediately start again from zero. This feature was originally designed for pilots where split second accuracy is necessary for precise navigation. Flybacks are the exception, not the rule.

 

Rattrapante (Split-Second Chronograph): It's easy to tell if a chronograph watch is a Rattrapante; it will have three pushers on the case and two second-hands on the chronograph, one on top of the other.

 

 

Dual Time Zone Complications

 

This family of complications helps determine the time in other time zones.

 

Dual Movement: While not technically a complication, the Dual Movement is a watch that contains two separate movements, each running from its own power source and each being set independently.

 

Dual Time: For Dual Time watches, both displays are powered by the same movement.

 

GMT (Greenwich Mean Time): Your watch displays two or more time zones.

 

GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) with Independent Hour Hand: This variety of GMT is a further development of the original. What makes it different is that the regular hour hand is set independently of the 24 hour hand. This changes the functionality of the watch completely.

 

GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) with Fixed Hour Hand: Introduced by Rolex in the 1950's, this GMT complication is considered a pilot's watch. Its unique additional hour hand makes one revolution around the dial per day; pointing to twelve indicates midnight and pointing to six indicates noon.

 

World Time Zone: The World Time Zone feature has a rotating inner bezel with 24-hour display, part of the watch movement, and an outer bezel, listing the major cities in each of the 24 time zones. The outer bezel is set by the user. The inner bezel, marked to 24, makes one complete revolution per day.

 

 

 

 

 

Tachymeter, Tourbillon and other complications

 

Tachymeter (Tachometer) Complication: The Tachymeter feature can be used to measure the speed at which the wearer moves, over a given distance. Typically placed on the bezel and generally only found with chronographs, the Tachymeter measures units per hour.

 

The Tourbillon: Invented by A.L. Breguet, the Tourbillon improves the balance of the watch, eliminating only timekeeping errors gravity and changing watch position cause. Though not strictly necessary for accuracy purposes today, is commonly appreciated as a feature of high-quality watches. The Tourbillon is extremely rare and requires an enormous amount of time and skill to construct.

 

Moonphase Complication: A traditional and aesthetically pleasing feature, the Moonphase complication shows if it is a full, half, quarter, or new moon. Originally, it was primarily used by sailors to gauge tides.

 

Power Reserve Indicator: The Power Reserve Indicator measures the amount of power remaining in the watch, by the tension of the mainspring and displays. Some watches have a power reserve of up to 10 days, in which the indicator displays days, not hours. This useful complication is found exclusively on mechanical watches.

 

Jump Hour: The Jump Hour, a complication displaying the hour in an aperture, instantly changes every 60 minutes.

 

Minute Repeater: A Minute Repeater is a movement that chimes out time when a lever on the side of the case is activated. It was a fairly common complication for pocket watches around the 18th and 19th centuries. It is now produced as a collectable, rather than a tool.

 

 

 

[lhooq]

Not a single mention of 'rehaut'!  Get me rewrite!

[PeteM]

Can any explain to me why '[censored]' is censored when I type it in a post ?????? ............( Word is .... F L A N G E)

 

 

I cannot think why as an English word  ....

 

Or is it a slang?? Like.... [censored] Off... or you Mother flanger...or you Flanger.....

 

 

 

 

Post Note

 

.... See I cant [censored] off but I can be a Mother Flanger and a Flanger !!

[DiverDoug]

This is an awesome post for noobs like me!If this isn't going to be stickied, I'll definitely have to save it as a bookmark.

DD

[SheepNl]

Really informative post!

I'm quite new in the watch world, so this is defenitly useful stuff to read

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[martijnp]

Very interesting topic. Thanks for sharing Pete! 

[dluddy]

Not a single TRL reference 

[PeteM]

Not a single TRL reference 

 

 

I kept trying but I couldnt find it....

 

So I will keep searching...

 

 

 

But as I recall....if you are quiet...now I dont mean just not making a noise...but I mean listen...listen very very closely... not just with your ears but with your inner TRL....and if you are someone true and pure of heart without the balckness of even the hint of the blackness of the DL then you might and I only mean might... just hear it... now close your eyes and feel it and open your heart....

 

 

Now Shhhhhh!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you hear it? Can you? Are you the chosen one....the seeker of truth the light eternal the great sign of infinity are you the bearer of that great force the only true force the force of good that leads us that guides us..... the only force that matters that great TRL in the sky.... do you hold it have you the key to open it...have you the kazzumas...???

 

 

Shhhh !!! Listen my little noobs just listen.....

[PeteM]

So the quest is reignited the great search begins again…will it be in vain with those that try and fail…and if so when will that be.. have you the strength to even consider it or must you fall be the wayside before this paragraph even ends…. That is the great question and to answer that question you must step forward and say “I am that person! I can succeed where all that have tried have failed…I will seek the answer and the truth!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now you have stayed and together we are at the second paragraph… “how did we get here?”  I hear you ask… well that we will never know….was it fate…was it providence.. who knows …but here we are together in our quest…. The second paragraph may be only the first step into the second paragraph but we are nearly at its end and still we are no closer… “What pain! What hardship!” I hear you say but fear not we are here that is all that matters…and our reward is so close…the reward of moving forward again into the third paragraph..

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here we are!! Together again moving ever onwards towards that great quest, that unknown force that we all seek…some have by now fallen to the side..realising they do not have that spirit that inner strength to move forward again into perhaps what may be the …and dare I say it…yes I do!! I dare say it!!...the fourth paragraph! There I said it!…. Hold fast my friends..I can see this is too much too soon but stay with me …together we can do this…we have the strength in our hearts..the willingness in our minds to move forward in our quest.. but wait can you hear that…. Shhhh! I think its…..

 

 

 

 

 

Yes!!  It’s the fourth paragraph! Here at last …we have come so far so quickly and yet it seems like we are still in the first paragraph.. yes!  I know..I know!!.. take strength my friends this is the test we must face in our quest for the great TRL….. are we strong enough together to move on..maybe, maybe not…I can see by now that many have fallen as our quest ventures deeper and deeper into this strange and scary world of paragraph after paragraph.. but what can we do? We cannot turn back…we have come so far…but what awaits us… what is beyond this next stepping stone into the great unknown?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe it’s the fifth paragraph…. Wow! Where did that come from??…I didn’t see it from the fourth paragraph and suddenly here we are…. Deep in the fourth paragraph and still we yearn …yearn for what we seek… is it here?… can we be close?… that my friends is the true test of our quest…it tests us all to see if we can make it through the perils of these paragraphs.. the reward is there trust me …I have felt it.. I have read of it..I have heard that others have made this quest and shown us all what can be achieved by allowing the force of the TRL to lead them into the great unknown..

 

 

 

 

 

 

An unknown which has now become clear …it’s the sixth paragraph and still we stand here together moving onwards on our search for that elusive and great force the TRL… “Can it be real ?” I hear you say… but surely it must..look how far we have come and we are still here surely that in itself is proof of its existence its greatness its need to feed us the good that we know is in us all.. but can it show us more ..maybe a sign or a way of moving closer to it …maybe if we reach deep inside ourselves and think the most positive thoughts we can maybe and only maybe together do it…! But how will we know?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It exists! It Exists!! Here is the proof the sign we craved…it’s the seventh paragraph..I cant contain myself I am so excited could this be really happening? am I going mad!! Is this a mirage? I must control myself …please guys take a breath… open yourself up to it feel it we are indeed here… it is and can only be described as the seventh paragraph…. I cannot believe it…but I feel so tired so weary I don’t think I have the strength to carry on…I feel so weak and my heart feels so empty..for so long I have gone without that sense of the TRL I don’t think I can move forward… the doubts are creeping in… I feel my strength waning in the midst of this seventh paragraph.. I must I must go…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got here…are you still here with me…someone light a match… is this the place? Is this the eighth paragraph or am I light headed … my pulse is racing yet I can feel the strength going from my body…my fingers are crunched up my mind is all a blur…but if I fail now …where will I be? … the quest cannot end here surely not after coming this far I cannot go back to where I started..where we all started…we cannot have lost so many guys on the way to throw it all away on going back to the beginning…where it all began…when we were fresh faced and confident ..young and full of life but yet the sapping of the words and their paragraphs in this quest has taken its toll… I can feel the force drifting away as I look back to where it all began…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So the quest is reignited the great search begins again…will it be in vain with those that try and fail…and if so when will that be.. have you the strength to even consider it or must you fall be the wayside before this paragraph even ends…. That is the great question and to answer that question you must step forward and say “I am that person! I can succeed where all that have tried have failed…I will seek the answer and the truth!”

 

 

ARRRGGGGHHHH ! It cannot be!! It cannot be!!…….!! I have come back to where it all began and so my quest has failed and I must fall away like so many before me and step back into the darkness….

[TwysT]

Thanks for sharing this, very helpful!

[Kck74]

[censored] = lady parts