UNDERSTANDING THE PARTS OF A TIMEPIECE
January 18th, 2023
Understanding the Parts of a Timepiece
Designer timepieces offer the perfect combination of reliability and luxury. As a true investment piece, both in functionality and substance, it's important to know what to look for. Explore our list of watch terms to ensure your next purchase is one of top-tier level quality.
UNDERSTANDING THE WATCH BODY
Dial: Also known as the face, the dial displays the time and includes the hands. Numerals and other markings aesthetically make out the time.
Case: While the case is the container protecting the watch movement, it’s also framed in a way that adds to the watch’s style. Several shapes are available to create a unique appearance, including round, oval, square, rectangular, and tonneau.
Caseback: The backside of the watch case, which can be removed to access the inside. Here you can usually find an engraving of the name, water resistance, and other details.
Crown: Used to adjust the time and date, the crown is a small knob located on the side of the watch. Additionally, in non-automatic watches, it's used to wind the watch to keep it running.
Crystal: A clear cover enveloping the watch face for protection crafted from either synthetic sapphire, glass, or acrylic materials. Although the most expensive, synthetic sapphire provides the highest level of protection and is the most scratch-resistant than the others.
Bezel: Either metal or ceramic, the bezel is a ring surrounding the watch crystal. Often rotatable, with a scale for time and other measurements, stationary bezels are purely decorative.
Gasket: An airtight seal around the case back, crystal, and crown, this small rubber ring provides protection from water during normal wear. To ensure water resistance, the gasket should be looked at every few years.
UNDERSTANDING WATCH MOVEMENTS
Movement: The inner workings of the watch responsible for the time and powering its functions is called a watch movement. It is classified as either mechanical, which includes automatic and hand-wound timepieces, or battery-powered by quartz.
Caliber: Manufacturers use this term to indicate the specific model name for a movement. Often developed in-house, watch movements are identified by their architecture, origin, reference, and maker.
Manual Winding: Manual winding of the crown needed to regularly keep time. Usually needed to be rewound every 36-48 hours.
Automatic: Another mechanical watch, but where the motion of the wearer’s wrist automatically winds the piece. Due to its self-winding through kinetic energy, automatic watches are preferred over manuals because of their ease of use.
Quartz: Battery-powered watches utilize quartz crystals to generate movement. More accurate than their counterparts, quartz watches are a modern marvel.
BROCKHAUS JEWELRY: YOUR GUIDE TO LUXURY TIMEPIECES
Brockhaus Jewelry is the leading jeweler of Norman, Oklahoma. As an authorized Rolex dealer, Brockhaus jewelry is the premier choice when exploring luxury timepieces. From small beginnings to over six decades in the business, we welcome the nearby residents of Oklahoma City, Moore, and Edmond to experience a true hallmark of unparalleled customer service and quality.
