The Movement
The Movement is the part of the watch that makes the watch "move" or function. A watch movement can be compared to a car; without the engine, a car will not run therefore, without a movement, the watch will not run. There are 4 types of movements: manual, automatic, quartz, and auto-quartz. Manual and automatic movements are mechanical, which means they are both made up of only mechanical parts like gears and springs. Quartz and auto-quartz have an electrical circuit and require a battery to run, but they may also have some mechanical parts.
- Manual Movement: The manual movement is the oldest type of watch movement and is wound by hand
- Automatic Movement: Automatic, or self-winding, movement watches contain a mechanical movement, eliminating the need for daily hand winding.
- Quartz Movement: A quartz watch uses a battery for its source of power and does not require winding.
- Auto-Quartz Movement: A combination of the automatic movement and the quartz movement.
The Crystal
The crystal is the “glass” that protects the watch face from the elements. There are three types of crystals that are used.
- Synthetic Sapphire: Sapphire is known as the second hardest known element right after the diamond. This extremely scratch resistant crystal has exactly the same chemical composition of natural sapphire, but at a fraction of the price.
- Mineral: Crystals made of mineral are simply made of glass. These crystals have been used in watchmaking for hundreds of years primarily because there was no alternative until the 20th century. Mineral crystals are relatively easy to scratch and the scratches cannot be buffed out. However, mineral crystals are inexpensive in comparison to sapphire crystals and can cost less than one hundred dollars to replace if damaged.
- Acrylic: The most affordable type of crystal, but also the most prone to scratching and may crack if impacted. Minor scratches on acrylic can be buffed out and it can also be molded into elaborate shapes, while sapphire and mineral crystals cannot. Acrylic crystal is also a nice way of saying plastic.
Other Parts of the Timepiece:
- Case: The case contains the watch's middle, bezel and back. The purpose is to product and house the movement inside.
- Dial: The dial is the face of the watch. Examples include arabic, stick and roman numerals.
- Sundial: The sundial is a small dial that is set within the main dial that is used as a chronograph, seconds or date.
- Crown: The crown connects the internal parts of the watch through the case. It allows you to wind, set and set functions such as date and time.
- Bezel: The bezel is used to keep the crystal in place.
- Rotor: The rotor is used in automatically winding pieces. It turns freely as the user moves to wind the mainspring, which stores and transmits the energy needed to power the watch.
- Chronometer: A chronometer is a type of watch according to Swiss law may not be called a chronometer until it has passed a series of tests and measurements for quality and precision.
