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ATM
A unit of pressure. One atmosphere is the pressure of 1kg/cm2 and corresponds to 10 meters of depth.
Alarm Watch
A watch that will give an audible sound at a pre-set time.
Analog
A term used to denote a watch with hands rather than a digital display.
Automaton
Automatic working figures moving in conjunction with the movement mechanism. Striking Jacquemarts or jacks, which are figures (often humans provided with hammers) striking bells to supply the sound for the hour and quarter hours. The hammers take the place of the bells clapper.
Auxiliary Dial
An extra dial for information.
Balance Spring
Also called the hairspring; the spring governing the balance.
Balance Wheel
A device which, by oscillating, regularizes the movement of the train of a watch or clock.
Barrel
Drum-shaped container that houses the mainspring.
Bevel
Filed, turned or obliquely ground surface made to avoid a sharp edge.
Bezel
The rim that covers the dial (face) and retains the crystal.
Bridge
Metal part in which at least one of the pivots of the moving parts of a watch usually turns. A bridge is strictly a bar with two supports, and a cock bar with one support. A bar is fixed to the bottom plate by steady-pins. Bars are generally named after the parts they support e.g. barrel-bar, center-wheel bar, etc.
Caliber
The term identifying movements from their architecture, origin, reference and maker.
Case
Container that protects the watch movement from dust, moisture and shocks. It also gives the watch as attractive an appearance as possible, subject to fashion and the taste of the public. The following are the main parts of a watch case. The middle part, into which the movement is fixed, is the caseband. On the bridge side, the middle of the case is closed by the caseback. On the dial side, it is closed by the lunette or bezel, carrying the glass.
Cabochon
Precious stone, polished but uncut. In French, the word is also used for an embossed ornament on a dial, and of a fancy gilt nail or stud as used by upholsterers.
Calendar
A complication that shows the day, date and month, correcting for months of different lengths and leap years.
Caliber
Term identifying movements from their architecture, origin, reference and maker.
Champleve
An area hollowed out and filled with enamel and then baked on.
Chronograph
A chronograph is a watch that does not only indicate the time of the day in hours, minutes and seconds, but is also equipped with an additional mechanism – operated manually by push buttons –which makes possible to measure continuous or discontinuous intervals of time, from a fraction of a second to 12 hours.
Chronometer
A precision watch, finely set in various positions and temperatures, for which an official certificate has been issued.
Cloisonne
Enamel set between strips of metal and baked onto the dial.
Complication
A multi-part mechanism providing an additional horological function. Among complicated include minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, split second chronograph.
Complete (Full) Calendar
Complete calendar showing date, days of the week and months.
Crown
Device with which to wind the watch.
Damaskeening
The art of producing a design, pattern or wavy appearance on a metal.
Dial
Indicating “face” or plate of metal or other material, bearing various markings to show, in ordinary watches and clocks, the hours, minutes and seconds. Dials vary much in shape, decoration, material, etc. The indicators are given by means of numerals, divisions or symbols of various types.
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