in loudspeakers, televisions, refrigerators, cars, etc. and these days most watches claim to be anti-magnetic. This is achieved by using alloys for certain parts, among them the balance wheel and escape wheel. Electronic watches are not susceptible to magnetism.

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operates an “Atomic Clock” in Boulder, CO. This Atomic Clock will not gain or lose a second in 60 million years.

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of the wearer’s arm rather than through turning the winding stem. A rotor that turns in response to motion winds the watch’s mainspring. If an automatic watch is not worn for a day or two, it will wind down and need to be wound by hand to get it started again.

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mechanical watch.

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Typically, a battery lasts for two to five years. Its lifespan will depend on the type of watch, its size and the amount of energy required for the different functions. A chronograph will consume more energy than a watch that shows only hours, minutes and seconds.

Special lithium-iodine batteries have a theoretical lifespan of 10 years.

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the end of its life. This is often indicated by the second hand moving in two second intervals instead of each second.

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mathematical calculations such as average speed or distance or for keeping track of elapsed time

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watches. Most calendar watches show the information digitally through an aperture on the watch face. Some chronograph watches shoe the information on sub-dials on the watch face.

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A watch case is generally in 3 parts:
the bezel, which holds the crystal,
the band or centrepart, which contains the movement,
and the back, either snapped or screwed on, in to which, sometimes, is fitted a crystal so that an intricate mechanical movement watch

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but less expensive watches are 9k. In most other countries, 14k is preferred. Caratage indicates the gold content of metal, stated as the number of parts of gold in every 24 parts, i.e. 18k gold is 18 parts of gold alloyed with six parts of metal. Platinum is becoming increasingly popular, as is titanium for its lightness. Ceramic cases and bracelets a scratch resistant space age material formed under great pressure and heat from powder are used by some manufacturers. It does not bear any resemblance to the ceramics used in pottery. Some watches in the middle price ranges are gold plated over brass -9k or 18k plating usually. Vermeil is the term used to describe silver which has been gold plated.

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and zirconium oxides (polycrystals) for the manufacturing of cases and decorative elements.

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variations on the chronograph. Some operate with a center seconds hand which keeps time on the watch’s main dial. Others use sub-dials to time elapsed hours, minutes and seconds. Still others show elapsed time on a digital display on the watch face. Some chronographs can be used as a lap timer (see “flyback hand” and “split seconds hand”). The accuracy of the stopwatch function will commonly vary from 1/5th second to 1/100th second depending on the chronograph. Some chronographs will measure elapsed time up to 24 hours. Watches that include the chronograph function are themselves called “chronographs.” When a chronograph is used in conjunction with specialized scales on the watch face it can perform many different functions, such as determining speed or distance (see “tachymeter” and “telemeter”) Do not confuse the term “chronograph” with “chronometer.” The latter refers to a timepiece, which may or may not have a chronograph function, that has met certain high standards of accuracy set by an official watch institute in Switzerland.

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very high standards set by the Swiss Official Chronometer Control (C.O.S.C.). If you have a Swiss watch labeled as a chronometer, you can be certain that it has a mechanical movement of the very highest quality.

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used by the watch industry. The most common include:
Deployment Buckle: (also known as a fold-over buckle): Three-folding closure that secures two ends of a bracelet. When closed, the buckle covers the folding mechanism.

Push-Button Foldover Clasp With Safety: is a deployment clasp with a push-button mechanism that opens the bracelet, along with a fold over closure on top that provides a second layer of security.

Hidden Clasp: (also called butterfly clasp): Folds the sections under the watch band to make the bracelet appear as an uninterrupted chain.

Tang or Buckle Clasp: A buckle with a hook, the tang that fits into a hole on the watch strap

Jewelry Clasp: A hinged hook that folds over a bar to secure the watch band.

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of the most significant horological advancements since the invention of the lever escapement, the co-axial escapement functions with virtually no lubrication thereby eliminating one of the shortcomings of the traditional lever escapement.

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the hour hand faces the sun. He then takes half the distance between the position and 12 o’clock, and turns the bezel until its “south” marker is at that halfway point. Some quartz watches have solar compasses that show directions on an LCD display.

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reserve indicator, moon phase. Complications vary in their degree of difficulty.

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orange to red to white to black. Coral has a hardness of about 3.5 and a specific gravity of 2.6 to 2.7.

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by Rolex to create a more modern look to the watch.

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warning signal a few seconds before the time runs out. These are useful in events such as yacht races, where the sailor must maneuver the boat into position before the start of a race.

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the crown also winds the mainspring. In this case it is also called a “winding stem”. A screw in (or screw down) crown is used to make a watch more water resistant. The crown actually screws into the case, dramatically increasing the water-tightness of the watch.

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crystal which is highly resistant to scratching or shattering.

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scale on the watch face or through a digital display.

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Carat – Clarity – Color. The weight of a diamond is expressed in carat: 1 carat is equal to 0.20 gram. Pure colorless carbon, in jewelry the diamond is cut into facets to increase its sparkle. In watchmaking it is used to decorate straps, cases, bezels, etc.

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water. Diver’s watches must meet various standards regarding water resistancy, pressure resistancy, readability in the water, time presetting function (rotating elapsed time bezel), anti-magnetic ability, anti-shock, rust resistancy in salt water, manageability in water, ability to withstand sudden temperature changes, etc.

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dial, extra hand, subdials, or other means.

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on the bezel with the watch’s seconds or minutes hand. After a period of time passes, you can read the elapsed time off the bezel. This saves you having to perform the subtraction that would be necessary if you used the watch’s regular dial.

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sometimes at much higher frequencies. These vibrations are processed by an integrated circuit which transforms the current into impulses. These are fed into a stepping motor which drives a train of gears to move the hands. Some quartz watches have solar cells which take light from any soul, natural or artificial, and transform them into electrical energy. Another form is the Seiko Kinetic (See Kinetic).

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hardness of 7-8 and a specific gravity of 2.6 – 2.8.

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the chronograph, putting both the flyback hand and the regular chronograph seconds hand in motion. To record a lap time or finishing time, stop the flyback hand. After recording the time, push a button and the hand will “fly back” to catch up with the constantly moving elapsed-time hand. Repeat the process to record as many lap times or finishing times as needed.

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properties. An estimated 130,000 tons have been extracted from the earth since prehistoric times, of which 100,000 tons in the twentieth century alone. Gold is a malleable substance (with a hardness of just 2.5) and therefore easy to work with. It can be used in an alloy with other metals, often silver and copper. These alloys increase its resistance and change its color.
Contains: For 750 gold, approximately:

• Yellow gold: 12.5% silver – 75% pure gold – 12.5% copper
• Pink gold: 6% silver – 19% copper – 60% pure gold – 10% palladium – 5% nickel
• Red gold: 5.5 % copper – 94.5% pure gold
• White gold: 10% copper – 10% palladium – 5% nickel – 75% pure gold
• Blue gold: an alloy of gold and iron. Heat treatment oxidizes the iron molecules at the surface of the metal, producing the blue color.
• Green gold: an alloy of gold, silver and copper.
• Black gold: obtained by means of chemical vapor deposition (similar to PVD) of atoms of gold, carbon and other metals. The black coating is just a few microns thick. Other surface treatments use electrodeposition of rhodium, chromium and very dark impurities.
• Brown gold: obtained by heat treatment.

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term is normally restricted to mechanical watches. Quartz watches with additional features are usually described as ‘multi-functional’.

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into an extremely hard metal and polished with diamond powder to add brilliance.

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more accurate and longer lasting.

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12), on the minutes hand reaching 59 minutes, the hour disc under the dial will jump to the next hour.

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too soft in their pure state use in jewelry, so they are typically made into an alloy with other metals for strength. 24K (equal to 24/24ths) is pure metal. 18K is 18 parts pure metal mixed with 6 parts of other metals. That translates to 18/24=0.750, which is 75% pure, or 750 parts per thousand.

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wrist charges a very efficient capacitor which powers the quartz movement. Once the capacitor is fully charged, mens models will store energy for 724 days without being worn. Ladies models store energy for 3-7 days. Of course, if the watch is worn every day the capacitor is continually recharged. The watch alerts you to a low capacitor charge when the seconds hand starts to move in two second intervals.

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dark. Early forms used Zinc Sulphide compound agitated by a radioactive salt. It was painted on hands and was potentially dangerous to those applying it. Its use was banned in the 50’s, since Tritium, a substance with a low radio activity, replaced it. Other methods have been devised. Timex’s ‘Indiglo’ uses electronic luminescence; a button on the side of the case causes a tiny current from the battery to the electrodes and gives off energy in the form of light. Seiko uses fluorescent material on the dial, activated by any exposure to light.

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it then emits in the dark causing the hands and numerals to glow and continue to be visible. Previously, radium salts were used which, because of their too dangerous radioactive properties, were replaced by Tritium and more recently by Super-LumiNova, a non-radioactive aloxide.

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manually depending on the calibre.

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with mechanical movements are mounted on gimbals so that they remain in the horizontal position is necessary for their precision.

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pounds into kilograms

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quartz movements and are powered by a battery. However, mechanical watches are currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

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timepiece will audibly chime the time. This is done in three sets – the first chimes the number of hours 1-12, the second chimes the number of quarter hours passed 1-3 (15 minutes, 30 minutes or 45 minutes), and finally the number of minutes after the quarter hour. For example, a time of 3:22 would be chimed as 3-1-7.

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in between. Very popular in the 90’s but losing favour in the second half of the century.

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invading object that happened to be caught inside its shell.

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year is skipped – the next instance of this is the year 2100.

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guaranteeing the horological excellence of a timepiece.

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when the battery is low. Often this is indicated by the seconds hand moving at two or three-second intervals.

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expensive than most mechanical movements which require a higher degree craftsmanship.

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third chronograph button (most have two), the flyback hand will stop in order to measure say, a lap time; repressing this button with cause the flyback hand to flyback(!) to the other seconds hand which has remained in motion.

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‘IIII’ instead of the traditional ‘IV’ – this is commonly found on timepieces as it provides better aesthetic balance to the dial.

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color in Europe, rose gold in watches is often seen in retro styling or in tricolor gold versions. Some 18k red gold watches achieve their color from additional copper in the alloy.

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mathematical functions (see elapsed time rotating bezel,” “unidirectional rotating bezel,” “bi-directional rotating bezel” and “slide rule.”)

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shaped like a semicircle, that swivels on a pivot with the motion of the wearer’s arm.

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A sapphire crystal is the material of choice for many watch collectors. The downsides are that sapphire can chip at the edges if they protrude and can shatter.

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Associated primarily with aviation chronographs.

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technology and provide a 180 day power reserve, so they are able to run continuously. For more information, click here to go to Citizens Internet Site.

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on the metal, sometimes accompanied by the initials of the designer or the country of orgin as a hallmark. Although less durable than stainless steel and other precious metals, sterling silver is often employed in watches that coordinate or look like sterling silver jewelry. A protective coating may be added to prevent tarnish.

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a clasp. Divers watches are usually fitted with steel bracelets or rubber straps to avoid corrosion.

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stopwatch function and the timepiece are referred to as a chronograph.

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hours on a chronograph or indicating the date.

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federal council in 1993 laid down the rule that a watch has to satisfy before it could be described as swiss made. The movement must be of Swiss origin, and must contain at least 50% swiss parts. The watch must be cased in Switzerland and pass its final inspection in that country.

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chronograph resulted in a tachymetric indication of 100, then the speed is 100 units.

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a tachymeter (see “tachymeter”), it consists of a stopwatch, or chronograph, and a special scale, usually on the outermost edge of the watch face.

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effects of gravity on the precision on a mechanical timepiece.

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prevent a diver who has unwittingly knocked the bezel off its original position from overestimating his remaining air supply. Because the bezel moves in only one direction, the diver can err only on the side of safety when timing his dive. Many divers’ watches are ratcheted, so that they lock into place for greater safety.

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vibrations per second, equivalent to 18,000 vibrations/hour (2.5 Hz). A more accurate mechanical watch makes 10 vibrations per second or 36,000 vibrations/hour (5Hz).
A quartz watch makes 64,000 vibrations per second ( 32 MHz).

An oscillation (“tick-tock”) equals two vibrations (although oscillation is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to a vibration).

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the watch can be worn underwater to various depths.
Water Resistant – light rain or hand washing, but should not be used while swimming or diving.

Water Resistant to 50M (165Ft.) – Suitable for showering or shallow water swimming
Water Resistant to 100M (330Ft.) – Suitable for swimming or snorkeling.
Water Resistant to 150M (500Ft.) – Suitable for snorkeling.
Water Resistant to 200M (660Ft.) – Suitable for skin diving.
Sometimes water-resistance is measured in atmospheres (ATM). An ATM is equal to 10M of water pressure.

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represented by the names of cities printed on the bezel or dial. The wearer reads the hour in a particular time zone by looking at the scale next to the city that the hour hand is pointing to. The minutes are read as normal. Watches with this feature are called “world timers.”

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be found in 14k or, as found from most European manufacturers, 18k.

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