If you slow down and think about it, do you actually understand what makes your favorite watch tick? What happens if you were to need a watch repair?
While there are countless styles of wristwatches, they all contain the same internal components. Whether you're a novice or an experienced lover of designer timepieces, everyone can benefit from learning about the functions of the nine basic parts of a watch.
How Do Watches Work?
Watches work to tell the time by harnessing and converting different types of energy into the movements of their parts, including gears, mainsprings, barrels, and more. The nitty gritty details of the functions depend on the type of watch, but whether you are sporting a self-winding light blue designer watch or prefer manual winding styles, the anatomy of a wristwatch remains similar.
3 Main Types of Watches
Designer watches are timeless. With dazzling dials, brilliant bezel detailing, and countless exciting functions, it's important to dig a little deeper into the type of watch you want before you settle on a timepiece based on beauty. Understand the watch anatomy differences between these three main mechanism times to find your perfect watch:
Automatic: also known as self-wound, automatic watches run off the wearer's movement, requiring less maintenance than alternative options.
Manual: also known as hand-wound, manual watches must be wound once a day to continue running.
Quartz: as the non-mechanical option, quartz watches work using a minimal amount of watch parts and draw energy from built-in batteries.
Learn Basic Watch Anatomy and the Functions of Each Part
Understanding the anatomy of a wristwatch is key to anyone who owns their own timepiece. All designs feature nine essential watch parts:
What is the Movement of a Watch?
Think of the movement of a watch (sometimes known as the caliber) as the engine. It's responsible for powering the various functions of a watch, like the calendar or hands, and keeping time.
The movement is all the tiny gears and details you don't see underneath the watch face—like the man behind the curtain! Different types of movement structures exist for quartz, automatic, and manual wound designs, all of which can be studied within the watch anatomy if needed during repair.
What is the Dial of a Watch?
The dial is the face of the watch where the time is displayed. Depending on the watch, it can feature different markers for the hours, minutes, dates, and more.
Dials can be made from brass, stainless steel, plastic, and other materials. Many choose designer watches based on the stylistic details on the dial, and whether you're looking for an understated Cartier steel watch or an ornate and bedazzled wristwatch, there's a dial type for everyone.
How Many Hands Does a Watch Have?
There are typically three hands on a watch: one for the hour, one for the minute, and one for the second. Each has its own track, which is directed by the movement mechanism to keep accurate time.
Depending on the designer, the hands can come in various shapes and styles. Some designs have extra hands to help indicate additional special functions.
What Does the Crystal of a Watch Do?
The crystal is the industry name for the transparent material covering the watch's face, protecting the dial and hands ticking underneath. The so-called "crystal" is often made with a different substance, such as sapphire, plexiglass, or mineral glass, and can be replaced, if necessary, during watch repair.
What is the Case of a Watch?
The case is the outermost watch part meant to protect the internal watch parts and movements from any potential damage. Most designer watches use high-end metals like stainless steel or gold, but plastic or ceramic are great alternatives. Any watch case can be embellished with engravings, gemstones, polishing, and plating to create a stylish and unique look.
What is a Watch Bezel?
A bezel is the ring surrounding the dial that secures the crystal into place. Sometimes, the bezel can be a multifunctional watch part, but when it comes to designer watches, it's a common area for ornamentation, whether it's a bezel made from gemstones or featuring a monochrome emerald green watch design.
What are Watch Lugs?
Lugs connect the watch strap to the case using a metal spring bar. The lug is the watch part responsible for connecting the two main components of a watch. When it comes to watching anatomy, this is an element that's both vital to function and fashion.
What is the Crown of a Watch?
The crown is a small button or dial on the side of the case with two main functions: winding a movement and setting the time and date. Each watch has specific directions for using the crown depending on the type of movement, but they are a vital part of every watch’s anatomy.
What is a Watch Strap?
The watch strap is the bracelet piece that allows a wearer to attach it to their wrist. These can be made from leather, rubber, metal, fabric, and more—the designer watch strap options are endless.
Finding the Logo on a Designer Watch
In most cases of watch anatomy, high-end designer watches feature their logo directly on the watch face. Other popular choices are the backside of the case, strap, or crown. Wear your favorite designer on your wrist, whether it's your first Rolex or you're looking to buy your first luxury men's watch.
Some Watches Have Extra Watch Parts
If you're looking for a unique anniversary present or shopping for sophisticated timepieces to add to your collection, why settle for anything mundane? Go above and beyond and search for designs that boast a few extra watch parts, or as the professionals call them, complications:
- AM/PM indicator
- Battery reserve
- Calendar
- Chronograph
- Moon phases
Understanding Watch Battery Replacement
While watch batteries are designed to be durable and long-lasting, they should be replaced every so often during watch anatomy repair. Vintage watches need a battery replacement more often than a modern watch to keep everything working in tip-top shape. Luckily, replacing a watch battery is relatively straightforward, whether you're learning it as a hobby or taking it to a professional watch repair store.
Looking for a Professional Watch Repair?
Did your vintage watch stop working? Have you noticed any of your watch parts malfunctioning? Our watch repair resources offer specialists on location to provide expert service on your timepieces. It's important to find a reputable repair team that understands watch anatomy, and whether you purchased your designer watch with us or elsewhere, you can trust our specialists to examine, clean, change batteries, and repair your watch parts.
Whether you're starting your first wristwatch collection or are looking to understand the intricate watch parts in your timepieces more thoroughly, learning about basic watch anatomy is the best way to make you feel like an expert in no time. Discover striking design elements, from the strap to the bezel, and impress your loved ones with your newfound knowledge. Shop for your next designer watch today!
