Glossary Of Watchmaking Terms

Bezel

A bezel is the ring surrounding the watch face, which can be fixed, rotating for functionality like timing, fluted for decorative purposes, or made of ceramic for durability and scratch resistance.

Cabochon

A cabochon in watchmaking refers to a polished, convex gemstone or decorative element, often used on watch crowns or dials, without facets.

Caseback (Exhibition, Closed, Solid)

A caseback refers to the back cover of a watch, which can be exhibition (transparent to display the movement), closed (opaque and not see-through), or solid (providing additional durability and protection).

Cerachrom

Rolex's proprietary ceramic material used in bezels for exceptional scratch resistance, durability, and permanent color retention.

Ceramic

High-tech, scratch-resistant material used in watch cases and bezels for exceptional durability, lightweight comfort, and fade resistance.

Coin Edge

Coin Edge refers to a type of watch bezel that features a smooth, rounded edge resembling a polished coin, commonly found on luxury watches and known for its timeless and elegant appearance.

Compression Case

A Compression Case is a type of watch case that increases its water resistance as external pressure increases, using the pressure to compress the case back against the gasket, enhancing the seal.

Crown Guard

A Crown Guard is a protective feature on a watch case designed to shield the crown from accidental damage or impact.

Gold

Gold is a precious metal often used in watchmaking for its luxurious appearance, durability, and resistance to tarnish, enhancing both the aesthetic and value of timepieces.

Helium Escape Valve

A Helium Escape Valve is a feature in dive watches that allows helium gas to escape from the watch case during decompression, preventing damage to the watch.

Hunter Caseback

A Hunter Caseback is a type of watch case with a hinged metal lid that covers and protects the watch face, often used in pocket watches to prevent damage to the glass crystal during activities like hunting.

Lucent Steel

Lucent Steel is a premium steel alloy used by Chopard in watchmaking, known for its high scratch resistance, greater tensile strength, and being composed of up to 70% recycled materials.

Lug-to-lug

Lug-to-lug refers to the distance between the two ends of a watch's lugs, which are the protrusions that connect the watch case to the strap or bracelet.

Naiad Lock

Omega's proprietary caseback system ensuring perfect alignment of engravings while providing secure, water-resistant sealing.

Pavé Setting

Jewelry technique where small gemstones are set closely together on watch surfaces, creating continuous sparkle through precise stone placement.

Platinum

Rare, dense precious metal used in high-end watch cases for its lustrous appearance, exceptional durability, and tarnish resistance.

Platinumtech™

Panerai's proprietary platinum alloy offering enhanced hardness and superior scratch resistance for luxury watch cases.

Pushers

Control buttons on watch cases operating chronograph, calendar, and other complications, often featuring screw-down designs for water resistance.

Quick-release Spring Bars

Quick-release spring bars are components that allow for the easy and tool-free attachment and detachment of watch straps, enhancing convenience and reducing the risk of scratches on the watch.

Rolex Oyster Case

The Rolex Oyster Case is a pioneering waterproof and dustproof watch case design introduced by Rolex in 1926, featuring a hermetically sealed construction that protects the movement from external elements.

Spring Bar

A spring bar is a small metal rod with a spring-loaded mechanism used to attach a watch strap or bracelet to the watch case.

Titanium

Lightweight, durable metal used in watch cases and bracelets for exceptional strength, corrosion resistance, and hypoallergenic properties.

Tonneau Case

A Tonneau Case is a watch case design characterized by its barrel-like silhouette, featuring a rounded and elongated shape that differentiates it from traditional round or square cases.

Triplock Crown

The Triplock Crown is a patented winding crown system used in Rolex watches, designed to provide enhanced water resistance by incorporating a triple-sealed mechanism.

Amplitude

Amplitude refers to the maximum angle of oscillation of a watch's balance wheel, which is crucial for maintaining accurate timekeeping.

Anchor Escapement

The anchor escapement is a mechanism in mechanical watches that regulates the release of energy from the mainspring to the gear train, ensuring accurate timekeeping by controlling the movement of the balance wheel.

Anglage

Anglage is the meticulous hand-finishing process of beveling and polishing the edges of watch components to enhance their aesthetic appeal and craftsmanship.

Annual Calendar

An Annual Calendar is a watch complication that automatically adjusts the date for months with 30 or 31 days, requiring manual correction only once a year at the end of February.

Anti-Magnetic

Anti-magnetic refers to a watch's ability to resist the effects of magnetic fields, ensuring accurate timekeeping by protecting its movement from magnetic interference.

Automatic

An automatic watch, also known as a self-winding watch, is a mechanical watch that uses the natural motion of the wearer's wrist to power itself.

Balance Cock

Watch component supporting the balance wheel, allowing free oscillation for accurate timekeeping and precision regulation.

Balance Wheel

The balance wheel is a crucial component in mechanical watches that oscillates back and forth, regulating the timekeeping by controlling the release of energy from the mainspring.

Barrel

A barrel is a cylindrical component in a watch that houses the mainspring, providing the energy needed to power the movement.

Beat Error

Timing discrepancy between a watch's ticks and tocks, indicating escapement imbalance that affects timekeeping accuracy.

Breguet Overcoil

The Breguet Overcoil is a type of hairspring design that features an upwardly curved outer coil, improving the timekeeping accuracy and isochronism of a watch.

Bridge

A bridge is a component in a watch movement that holds various parts such as gears and wheels in place, ensuring stability and alignment.

Calibre (or Caliber)

Calibre refers to the specific model or design of a watch movement, indicating its unique mechanical configuration and features.

Chaton

A chaton is a small, decorative metal setting used to hold and secure jewels in the movement of a watch.

Click Spring

Spring component maintaining tension against the mainspring's ratchet wheel, preventing unwinding and producing the characteristic clicking sound when winding.

Column Wheel

A column wheel is a rotating mechanism used in chronograph watches to control the start, stop, and reset functions of the chronograph.

Complication

A complication is any feature in a watch beyond the simple display of hours, minutes, and seconds, such as a calendar, chronograph, or moon phase indicator.

Deadbeat Seconds

Deadbeat Seconds is a mechanical complication where the seconds hand jumps precisely once per second, similar to quartz movements.

Escapement

Escapement is a mechanism in a watch that regulates the release of energy from the mainspring to the gear train, ensuring consistent timekeeping by controlling the movement of the hands.

Flyback Chronograph

A Flyback Chronograph is a type of chronograph watch that allows the user to reset the stopwatch hand to zero and immediately restart it with a single press of a button, without the need to stop the chronograph first.

GMT

GMT refers to a watch complication that displays a second time zone, typically using a 24-hour format, allowing the wearer to track time in two different locations simultaneously.

Gear Train

Series of interconnected gears transmitting power from the mainspring to the escapement, regulating hand movement and watch functions with precision.

Hairspring

A hairspring is a slender coiled spring that regulates the motion of the balance wheel in a timepiece.

Incabloc

Incabloc is a shock protection system used in mechanical watches to prevent damage to the delicate pivots and jewels of the balance wheel.

Jewels

Jewels in watchmaking refer to small, synthetic ruby or sapphire bearings used to reduce friction and wear in the movement of a watch.

Jumping Hour

A Jumping Hour is a complication displaying the hour through a window that jumps instantaneously to the next numeral at the top of each hour.

Keyless Works

Watch winding and time-setting mechanism that operates without a separate key, using a crown-operated system introduced in the mid-19th century.

Lever Escapement

The lever escapement is a mechanism in mechanical watches that regulates the release of energy from the mainspring to the gear train, ensuring accurate timekeeping by controlling the movement of the balance wheel.

Magnetism

Magnetism refers to the influence of magnetic fields on the accuracy and functionality of a watch, often requiring anti-magnetic materials or designs to mitigate its effects.

Mainspring

A mainspring is a spiral torsion spring of metal ribbon used as a power source in mechanical watches, storing energy when wound and releasing it to drive the movement.

Minute Repeater

A Minute Repeater is a complex watch complication that chimes the time on demand, typically indicating the hours, quarters, and minutes using a series of gongs and hammers.

Oscillator

An oscillator in horology is a device that regulates the movement of a watch by maintaining a consistent frequency, typically through the use of a balance wheel or quartz crystal.

Perlage

Perlage is a decorative finishing technique used on watch movements, characterized by a pattern of overlapping, circular graining.

Quartz

Quartz is a mineral used in watches to regulate timekeeping by generating a consistent frequency when an electric current is applied, enabling precise and reliable time measurement.

Quartz Movement

Quartz Movement refers to a type of watch movement powered by a battery, where a small quartz crystal regulates the timekeeping by vibrating at a precise frequency.

Rattrapante (Split-Seconds)

A Rattrapante (split-seconds) chronograph uses two superimposed hands that can be stopped independently to time multiple simultaneous events.

Regulator

A regulator is a type of clock or watch designed for precise timekeeping, often featuring separate dials for hours, minutes, and seconds to enhance accuracy.

Rolex Dynapulse

The Rolex Dynapulse is a revolutionary escapement system introduced in 2025, designed to improve precision and reduce friction by utilizing a silicon-based, dual impulse mechanism that departs from the traditional Swiss lever escapement.

Silicone

Silicone is a synthetic material used in watchmaking for its flexibility, durability, and resistance to environmental factors, often utilized in watch straps and gaskets.

Small Seconds

Small Seconds refers to a watch complication where the seconds hand is placed on a sub-dial, typically located at the 6 o'clock position, separate from the main hour and minute hands.

Snailing

Snailing is a finishing technique in watchmaking where a pattern of circular spirals is arranged in one or more bands on a watch component.

Sonnerie

Watch complication that audibly chimes the time at regular intervals, typically on the hour and quarter-hour.

Spring Drive

Spring Drive is a unique watch movement developed by Seiko that combines the high torque of a mechanical watch with the precision of an electronic watch, using a glide wheel to regulate timekeeping.

Swan Neck Regulator

A Swan Neck Regulator is a fine adjustment mechanism used in watch movements to precisely regulate the tension of the balance spring for improved timekeeping accuracy.

Syloxi

Syloxi is Rolex's proprietary silicon hairspring, developed to enhance the performance and reliability of its watch movements.

Tourbillon

A tourbillon is a complex watch mechanism designed to improve accuracy by counteracting the effects of gravity on the escapement.

VPH (Vibrations per Hour)

VPH (Vibrations per Hour) refers to the number of oscillations a watch's balance wheel completes in one hour, indicating the movement's precision and frequency.

Vertical Clutch

Chronograph mechanism engaging vertically for smoother starts, reduced wear, and consistent timekeeping when running continuously.