Watch Glossary 2

D

Day/Date Watch:
A watch that indicates not only the date but also the day of the week.

Day/Night Indicator:
A colored or shaded band on a world time that shows which time zones are in daylight and which in darkness.

Deployment Buckle:
A type of buckle that pops open and fastens using hinged, often adjustable, extenders. Though more expensive than a belt-buckle like closure, a deployment buckle is easier to put on and remove and is more comfortable on the wrist.

Depth Alarm:
An alarm on a diver's watch that sounds when the wearer exceeds a pre-set depth. In most watches it stops sounding when the diver ascends above that depth.

Dial:
The watch face. In high-end watches the numerals, indices and surface designs are applied as separate elements. In less expensive watches, they may be simply printed on the dial.

Digital watch:
A watch that shows the time through digits rather than through a dial and hands display.

Direct-drive:
A function that allows the second-hand to advance in intervals rather than a smooth sweep for more precise timekeeping. The French term for a direct-drive second hand is a trotteuse.

Dual Timer:
A watch that measures current local time as well as at least one other time zone. The additional time element may come from a twin dial, extra hand, subdials, or other means..

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E

Elapsed Time Rotating Bezel:
A graduated rotating bezel used to keep track of periods of time. The bezel can be turned so the wearer can align the zero on the bezel with the watch's seconds or minutes hand. He/she can then read the elapsed time off the bezel. This saves him/her having to perform the subtraction that would be necessary if he used the watch's regular dial.

Engine Turning:
Decorative engraving, usually on the watch face.

Escapement:
Device in a mechanical movement that controls the rotation of the wheels and thus the motion of the hands.

ETA:
One of the leading manufacturers of watch movements based in Switzerland. ETA movements are used by many major Swiss watch brands.

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F

Face:
The visible side of the watch where the dial is contained. Most faces are marked with Arabic or Roman numerals to indicate the hours. Interestingly, when Roman numerals are used, it is traditional to use IIII, rather than IV, to indicate the 4 o'clock position.

Flyback hand:
A seconds hand on the chronograph that can be used to time laps or to determine finishing times for several competitors in race.

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G

Gasket:
Most water resistant watches are equipped with gaskets to seal the case back, crystal, and crown to protect against water infiltration during normal wear. It is important to have the gaskets checked every two years to maintain the water resistance of the watch.

Gear Train:
The system of gears which transmits power from the mainspring to the escapement.

GMT-Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) -There are 25 integer World Time Zones from -12 through 0 (GMT) to +12. Each one is 15° of Longitude as measured East and West from the Prime Meridian of the World at Greenwich, England.  Universal time is simply the number of hours, minutes, and seconds which have elapsed since midnight in the Greenwich time zone.

Gold Plating:
A layer of gold that has been electro-deposited onto a metal; its thickness is measured in microns.

Grande Sonnerie:
A type of repeater that sounds the hours and quarter hours when the wearer pushes the button.

Guilloche:
A style of intricate engraving that is popular on watch dials, usually very thin lines interwoven to create a surface texture.

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H

Hard Metal:
A scratch resistant metal comprised of binding several materials, including titanium and tungsten carbide, which are then pressed into an extremely hard metal and polished with diamond powder to add brilliance.

High-Tech Ceramic:
Used as a protective shield for spacecraft reentering the earth's atmosphere, high-tech ceramic is polished with diamond dust to create a highly polished finish. Because the ceramic can be injection molded, pieces can be contoured. It has a very smooth surface and is usually found in black, but can be produced in a spectrum of colors.

Horology:
The science of time measurement, including the art of designing and constructing the timepieces.

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