Buying guidance to watches
To help you decide on a suitable new watch, we have put together an ongoing list of features listed in our watch descriptions.
If you do not know what a term means, you will hopefully find it here. If it is not listed here, please ask us and we will add it here for our future customers.
Alarm
A watch alarm is a useful feature if you are a busy professional that requires a reminder for important appointments. You can set an alarm to remind you at a specific time, usually sonically, but in some instances can also catch your attention by vibrating.
Altimeter
The altimeter function allows you to measure the altitude (distance above or below sea level) of where you currently are.
Atmosphere (ATM)
An atmosphere is a unit of pressure used by watch manufacturers to describe how water resistant a watch is. One atmoshphere is equal to 10 Metres of still water, so a watch that says it is 100M water resistance is water resistant to 10 Atmospheres, or 10 ATM.
Atomic Timing
Also known as "Radio Controlled", a watch with atom timing is able to measure time to an accuracy of 1 second in 300 years. It does this with the aid of a transmitter that informs the watch of the time.
Another benefit of this system is that signals are transmitted across Europe. This will adjust your watch as you change time zones.Automatic movement
An automatic movement is a mechanical movement that is driven by the movement of your wrist. An oscillating weight inside the movement rotates when your arm moves, winding the mainspring.
Batons
The word "baton" is used to describe an hour & minute marker on the dial of the watch.
Bezel
bezel description
The "bezel" is the part of the case that surrounds the glass on the watch. It is most often referred to in divers watches because these models often have rotating bezels.
Bracelet
Calendar
Carat (CT)
Case
Chronograph
Clasp
Countdown timer
Crown
Date feature
Dial
Diamond
Divers watch
Dual time zones
Eco-Drive
Glass
Gold
Grand Complication
Hallmark
Hands
Heart Rate Monitor (HRM)
Kinetic
Kinetic Auto-Relay
LCD
Lugs
Lumibrite
Luminous
Mechanical
Memory
Mineral Crystal Glass
Moonphase
Mother-of-Pearl (MoP)
Movement
Palladium
Perpetual Calendar
Power Reserve
Push button release clasp
PVD Coating
Quartz
Radio controlled
See "Atomic Timing"
