The Anatomy of a Watch: Complete Guide
The Anatomy of a Watch: Everything You Need to Know
The Case of a Watch
The case of the watch holds the movement and protects it from wear and tear and weather elements.
The Crown of a Watch
The crown is typically located on the outer right-hand side of the case. The user can set the time, move hands and set date by winding the crown.
The Hour Markers of a Watch
These are indicators that are painted or applied on the dial and help mark time.
The Caseback of a Watch
The case has a backplate that can be closed or opened and is known as caseback.
The Lugs of a Watch
Lugs link the strap/bracelet to the case and are attached to the case to enable connection with the bracelet or strap.
The Hands of a Watch
The hands are typically three in number and each of them show the seconds, minutes and hours. Some watches may have only two hands and indicate hours and minutes.
The Bezel of a Watch
This is the ring that encircles the dial and is typically made of ceramic or metal. In watches designed for diving, the bezel features a scale that allows divers to track how long they were underwater.
The Movement of a Watch
This is the engine of the watch that powers its mechanism and makes it work.
The Rotor of a Watch
This refers to oscillating ‘eccentric’ weight that is featured in automatic (self-winding) watches. The rotor is fixed to the movement and when the wearer moves their wrist, the rotor spins to wind back the watch by tightening the mainspring. In a hand-wound (manual) watch, there is no rotor and the wearer has to wind it manually for it to work.
The Strap or Bracelet of a Watch
Straps are made of rubber or leather and help secure the watch on the wrist. When metal attachments featuring precious metals or steel are used, the attachments are called bracelets.
Watch Anatomy: An Overview
The dial is the ‘face’ of your watch where the hour hands or other information are displayed.
Cases are made using various materials such as 14K gold, 18K rose, white or yellow gold, lightweight ceramic, platinum, stainless steel, titanium, Sterling silver, tungsten carbide and tantalum.
There are hundreds of options when it comes to case shapes. The most common ones are round, square, rectangular, tank, oval, asymmetrical, Tonneau and Carre.
The watch crystal refers to the outer glass that covers the watch’s face and protects it against water and dirt. The three common types of materials used to make crystals are synthetic sapphire, acrylic and minerals.
The ‘movement’ of the watch is the engine that makes the watch function including turning of minute and hour hands. In automatic watches, the power for the movement comes from the battery or quartz crystal while in manual watches, the crown has to be manually turned to allow the watch to function.
We hope this complete guide on the anatomy of a watch helped you answer some questions you had. Remember, if you have a watch for sale, click the button below to learn more about our quick and easy selling process.
