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| Learning center |
| How watches work.......Glossary of watch terms ......Automatic watch maintenance.....FAQs |
| Sizing your watch . ......Care&Cleaning....................Buying guide ............................Water resistance and watches |
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| How watches work |
| In addition to their exterior beauty,watches are also an incredible feat of engineering and craftsmanship.Many complicated |
| parts must all work in tandem in order to not only tell time, but perform the myriad other functions that many of today's |
| watches perform.This section contains an overview of the major parts of a watch,as well as an explanation of how watches |
| operate. |
| Watch Parts |
| Watches contain many parts that work together to tell time,as well as perform other useful functions.These could include a |
| chronograph,altimeter,alarm,day/date calendar,phases of the moon,slide-rule,etc.Here are descriptions of the major internal |
| and external parts and their functions.For more detailed explanations,you can also visit our Watch Glossary. |
| External Watch Parts |
| Crystal |
| The cover over the watch face is called the crystal.There are three types of crystals commonly found in watches: Acrylic |
| crystal is an inexpensive plastic that allows shallow scratches to be buffed out. Mineral crystal is composed of several |
| elements that are heat-treated to create an unusual hardness that aids in resisting scratches.Sapphire crystal is the most |
| expensive and durable, approximately three times harder than mineral crystals and 20 times harder than acrylic crystals. |
| A non-reflective coating on some sport styles prevents glare. |
| Hands |
| A watch's hands are the pointing device anchored at the center and circling around the dial indicating hours,minutes, |
| seconds and any other special features of the watch.There are many different types of hands: |
| Alpha: A hand that is slightly tapered |
| Baton: A narrow hand sometimes referred to as a ‘stick hand' |
| Dauphine: A wide,tapered hand with a facet at the center running the length of the hand |
| Skeleton:Cutout hands showing only the frame |
| Luminous:Hand made of skeleton form with the opening filled with a luminous material |
| Bezel |
| The surface ring on a watch that surrounds and holds the crystal in place is called the bezel.A rotating ratchet bezel moves |
| in some sport watches as part of the timing device.If rotating bezels are bi-directional (able to move clockwise or counter |
| clockwise),they can assist in calculations for elapsed times. |
| Crown |
| The nodule extending from the watchcase that is used to set the time, date, etc.is called the crown.Most pull out to set the |
| time.Many water-resistant watches have crowns that screw down for a better water-tight seal. |
| Dial |
| The watch face that contains the numerals,indices or surface design is called the dial.While these parts are usually applied, |
| some may be printed on.Sub-dials are smaller dials set into the main face of the watch.These can be used for added |
| functions,such as elapsed times and dates. |
| Case(or watchescase) |
| The watchcase is the metal housing that contains the internal parts of a watch.Stainless steel is the most typical metal |
| used,but titanium,gold,silver and platinum are also used.Less expensive watches are usually made of brass that has |
| been plated with gold or silver. |
| Bracelet |
| A bracelet is the flexible metal band consisting of assembled links,usually in the same style as the watch case.Detachable |
| links. are used to change the length of the bracelet. Bracelets can be made of stainless steel,sterling silver,gold, or a |
| combination. |
| Strap |
| A strap is simply a watchband made of leather,plastic or fabric. |
| Internal Watch Parts |
| A watch's main timekeeping mechanism is called its movement.Today's watch movements fall into two categories: |
| Automatic mechanical or quartz. Automatic mechanical movements mark the passage of time by a series of gear |
| mechanisms.Most automatic movements are wound by the normal,everyday movement of your wrist,which charges the |
| watch's winding reserve. Quartz movements are powered by a battery and do not stop working once removed from your |
| wrist. |
| Balance Wheel |
| The regulating organ of a watch with a mechanical movement that vibrates on a spiral hairspring is called the balance |
| wheel.Lengthening or shortening the balance spring makes the balance wheel go faster or slower to advance or retard the |
| watch.The travel of the balance wheel from one extreme to the other and back again is called oscillation. |
| Gear Train |
| This series of small gears in both quartz and mechanical movement watches is responsible for transmitting the power from |
| the battery (in a quartz watch) or spring (in a mechanical watch) to the escapement,which distributes the impulses that |
| mark the time. |
| Escapement |
| This part of the watch restricts the electrical or mechanical impulses of the gear train, metering out the passage of time into |
| equal, regular parts. |
| Motion work |
| The motion work is a series of parts inside a watch that receive power from the escapement and gear train,which |
| distribute and generate the watch's power. The motion work is responsible for actually turning the watch's hands. |
| Mainspring |
| The mainspring is the energy source responsible for powering the watch movement (as opposed to a battery in a watch |
| with to a quartz crystal movement).The spring is wound,either manually (using the winding stem) or automatically,by the |
| motion of the wearer's wrist. Potential energy is stored in the coiled spring,then released to the gear train which transmits |
| the power the escapement and motion work, which turns the hands on the watch dial. |
| How a Watch Works |
| Watches essentially tell time by the integration of three main components:an energy source,a time regulating mechanism |
| and a display. The energy source can be electronic (as in a battery) or mechanical (as in a wound spring).A watch's main |
| timekeeping mechanism is called its movement. Today's watches fall into two categories: Mechanical movements and |
| quartz movements. Here's a breakdown of how each type of movement works: |
| Mechanical (Automatic) Watches |
| Mechanical watches are made up of about 130 parts that work together to tell time.Automatic mechanical movements |
| mark the passage of time by a series of gear mechanisms,and are wound by the movement of your wrist as you wear it. |
| The gear train then transmits the power to the escapement,which distributes the impulses,turning the balance wheel.The |
| balance wheel is the time regulating organ of a mechanical watch, which vibrates on a spiral hairspring. Lengthening or |
| shortening the balance spring makes the balance wheel go faster or slower to advance or retard the watch. The travel of |
| the balance wheel from one extreme to the other and back again is called oscillation. A series of gears, called the motion |
| work, then turns the hands on the watch face, or dial. See illustration below. |
| Quartz Crystal Watches |
| Quartz watches work with a series of electronic components,all fitting together in a tiny space.Rather than a wound spring, |
| a quartz watch relies on a battery for its energy.The battery sends electrical energy to a rotor to produce an electrical |
| current.The current passes through a magnetic coil to a quartz crystal,which vibrates at a very high frequency (32,768 |
| times a second)providing highly accurate timekeeping.These impulses are passed through a stepping motor that turns the |
| electrical energy into the mechanical energy needed to turn the gear train.The gear train turns the motion work,which |
| actually moves the hands on the watch dial. |
