Blog

While mechanical watches might have wildly different looks, shapes, and complications, they all share many basic components. This guide focuses on the parts of a watch, also called watch anatomy. If you’re looking for a glossary of watch terms, you’ll find it here. Knowing the proper terms for the parts of a watch will help you fit in if you’re ever in watch-collector circles and give you confidence when buying a watch. There are many nuances in the names for the parts of a watch, such as whether you should refer to the front of a watch as the dial or the face. (It’s a dial.) This knowledge will help you discuss watches with confidence. Discover the most important parts of a watch here. 

The Main Parts of a Watch

Bezel

A bezel is the ring that surrounds the dial. It can be made from the same material as the case or a contrasting one. It can be large or small, depending on the style of watch. Many bezels are immovable, but some have functions. For example, a bidirectional rotating bezel moves both ways. Bidirectional rotating bezels are common to tell the time in a second time zone on GMT watches. Dive watches, on the other hand, have a unidirectional rotating bezel that divers can use to track their time underwater. These bezels move only one way, which ensures that a diver can’t hit the bezel and turn it, accidentally extending their time underwater. 

Bracelet

A bracelet is a metal band that is attached to the watch case and encircles the wrist. If it’s made of leather or fabric, it’s called a strap, not a bracelet. There are a host of different bracelet designs, ranging from beautifully woven metal to utilitarian links. 

Buckle

The buckle secures a bracelet or strap. A pin buckle is the simplest type; it uses a single pin to close a strap. A deployant buckle (or clasp) is more high-tech. It appears on all bracelet watches and many straps. Deployant buckles can extend the lifespan of a strap because the pin isn’t going in and out of the adjustment hole every time you put it on and take it off. 

Calendar

There are many types of calendar watches, which range from simple calendars that tell the date to perpetual calendars that show the day, date, month, and year — even accounting for leap years. Learn more about calendar watches here. 

Case

A watch case contains the movement and the dial, and it is one of the most basic pieces of watch anatomy. Watch cases come in many materials. The two most common materials are stainless steel or gold (yellow, white, or rose gold). Platinum is a case material used in the finest timepieces. Some sports watches are crafted from ceramic or titanium. Inexpensive watches are frequently made from plastic, but some luxury brands are experimenting with recycled plastic and other materials for limited-edition watches. 

Caseback

As its name suggests, the caseback is the back of the watch. Most casebacks are solid, and made from the same metal as the rest of the case. Some watches have open casebacks made from clear sapphire crystal, which are also called exhibition casebacks. These let you peek inside the watch to see the movement. 

Central Seconds Hand

If a watch has three hands, the longest, thinnest one displays the seconds. This is called a central seconds hand. The exception is in chronograph watches, where the longest hand tracks the seconds when the chronograph is running. 

Component

A component is the name for a single piece of a watch. This can range in size from a miniature screw to the sapphire crystal. The more complicated a watch is, the more components it has. This is why some of the most complicated watches will extoll the number of components they have. 

Counter

Crown

A watch’s crown usually controls the winding and time-setting of the watch. It typically appears at 3 o’clock. A few watches place the crown at 12 or 6 o’clock, but this is uncommon. Watches designed specifically for left-handed people put the crown at 9 o’clock so it’s more comfortable for them to wear. 

Cyclops Lens

This small lens magnifies whatever is underneath it. It is common over date windows and is a hallmark of many Rolex watches. 

Date Window

Many watches display the date in a small aperture or window in the dial. A date window can appear in different places on the dial, but common placements are 3 and 6 o’clock. Another oft-maligned position is between 4 and 5 o’clock. Many people dislike this position because it isn’t as harmonious as replacing an hour marker with a window. 

Day/Night Indicator

A day/night indicator shows whether it’s daytime or nighttime in a secondary time zone. This indicator can be an artistic element with a sun and moon, or a simple, discreet window that is the same color as the dial during the day and a darker shade at night. 

Dial

The dial is the front of the watch where the time is displayed. Dial is the preferred industry term, but some people refer to it as the face of the watch. A dial can be simple or an artistic masterpiece crafted from unusual materials, such as feathers or aventurine. Some watches use a tiny dial to showcase an openworked movement, while full skeleton watches place the hands over the movement and don’t have a dial. 

Hands

Central hour and minute hands indicate the time on the vast majority of watches. The hour hand is shorter, and the minute hand is longer. Additional hands can indicate the day, date, or power reserve or display information from a complication like a chronograph. There are many types of hands that complement different watch styles. The most famous hands are Breguet hands, created by notable watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in the 18th century. These thin hands have open circles shaped like a moon at the end. 

Hour Markers

Watchmakers use hour markers in place of numerals on some watches. We also call them indices. Hour markers and hands are frequently made of the same material for a harmonious composition, but sometimes they are made from contrasting colors and materials. Hour markers can be painted or printed on the dial, or they can be separate pieces set on top of the dial. These are called applied hour markers. Diamonds, colored gemstones, and gold are common applied hour markers. 

Indices

Jewels

Jewels are synthetic gemstones in a watch movement. They reduce friction between the moving parts. Most commonly, they are synthetic rubies. These jewels are different from gemstones that might decorate a watch dial or case in jewelry and high-jewelry watches. 

Lugs

Lugs extend from the watch case and secure the bracelet or strap to the case. 

Luminosity

Many watches have luminous coatings on certain components — most frequently hands, hour markers, and the bezel. Put simply, they glow in the dark. This allows you to tell the time and date in dark environments, whether at night or underwater. 

Minute Track

Small lines around the circumference of the dial indicate the minutes on some watches for more precise time-telling. 

Moon Phase

This subdial shows the different moon phases, from a new moon to a full moon. Learn more about moon-phase watches here.

Movement

A movement is the mechanism that powers a watch. There are two main types of movements: quartz and mechanical. Learn more about watch movements in this article. 

Oscillating Weight

Power-reserve Indicator

A power-reserve indicator shows how much power remains in the movement. There are many styles of power-reserve indicators, ranging from discreet scales to larger designs. This watch feature is most useful on complicated timepieces, so you don’t have to reset each function when it runs out of power. 

Pusher

Pushers are buttons on the side of a watch. Chronograph watches use pushers to start and stop the timer. Pushing one activates the chronograph and starts the timer, while pushing the other stops the timing. Some chronographs are monopushers, and the pusher is usually integrated into the crown. Other uses for pushers include correcting time on travel watches. 

Rotor

A rotor is a semicircular weight that powers an automatic movement. Another name for a rotor is an oscillating weight. There are several types of rotors, which you can learn about here. 

Sapphire Crystal

A synthetic sapphire crystal covers the dial of every watch. This high-tech material is scratch- and glare-resistant. Many watch case backs have a sapphire crystal as well, allowing you to see the watch movement inside. Vintage or antique watches might have mineral glass instead of a sapphire crystal, but watchmakers phased them out because they are not as strong. 

Signature

The signature is the brand’s logo. This frequently appears at 12 or 6 o’clock. 

Small Seconds

Some watches have a small subdial that displays the seconds instead of using a central hand. This is common on chronograph watches, where the long seconds hand is actually the chronograph seconds, not running seconds. 

Strap

All watches have either a strap or a bracelet that secures the watch case to the wrist. If it’s made of leather, plastic, rubber, or fabric, it’s called a strap. If it’s made of metal, it’s called a bracelet. An alligator leather strap is a hallmark of many luxury watches, but some brands are using alternative materials that are considered more sustainable. 

Subdial

Many complicated watches have subdials that indicate different features. These include elapsed time on a chronograph, small seconds, the date, the day of the week, or the moon phase. Some brands refer to the subdials on a chronograph as counters, but it means the same thing as a subdial. 

Tachymeter

A tachymeter scale appears on many chronograph watches. You can use a tachymeter scale to calculate speed based on elapsed time. 

Tourbillon

A tourbillon is part of a watch movement that compensates for the negative effects of gravity on precise timekeeping. Tourbillons were more important in pocket watches, which spent most of their time in a vertical position, but they aren’t as necessary on wristwatches, which move all around as you wear one. However, they are a mark of craftsmanship and excellence as only the top brands can produce a tourbillon. Most tourbillons are visible on the dial, so you can watch it spinning.