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Looking to get into the fascinating world of watch-collecting? Here are a few words you may want to know!

Watch-collecting is fun, but for many people, it's also incredibly technical. There's plenty of subtle innovation involved—and oftentimes the jargon can get confusing. But fear not, Tatler Philippines is here to guide you through the most important terms you need to know! 

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1. Movement

Also referred to as "calibre", the term "movement" speaks of the inner-working mechanism of a watch. The movement assures that your watch runs continuously and is primarily responsible for powering all, if not most, of the watch's functions. Most of the time, movements are produced in Switzerland or Japan, though some are now produced in China. 

2. Mechanical Movement

There are two main kinds of movements involved in watch-making. The first is mechanical movement, under which are two subcategories known as "automatic movement" or "hand-wound or manual movement". The difference between these two lies in how the watch is wound. Automatic variants are powered by an oscillator that spins when the wearer's wrist is moved. In that sense, the watch is powered by kinetic energy. 

For manual or hand-wound movements, wearers are required to wind the watch by turning the crown and tightening the mainspring. 

 

 

3. Quartz Movement

For those who prefer a bit more convenience, consider investing in a watch with quartz movement. Quartz movement watches are battery powered and require no winding. These are both more affordable and also sometimes more accurate than mechanical watches. These types of watches were introduced by Japanese brand Seiko (designed by Kazunari Sasaki of Suwa Seikosha) and have since become a staple in chronography. 

4. Complication

Watches can get complicated, but what does it mean when a watch has a complication? Simply put, a complication is any other function that a watch may have that isn't simply telling time. Some high-end timepieces can tell you the date (be it day, month, or year), others can serve as a stopwatch, some can even show its wearer the moon phase. More advanced watches also have alarms and power reserve indicators. These functions are called complications and are a fairly modern innovation that some collectors find invaluable in their own pieces. 

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5. Chronograph

If you've ever heard of the term "chronograph watch", you may have wondered how that differs from the usual analogue watch. Both tell time, however, chronograph watches add a bit more functionality by introducing a stopwatch complication. 

6. Power Reserve

Perhaps from context clues alone, you can guess that the power reserve is the length of time that a watch can run once it's wound. This is mostly a term used for mechanical watches which are not battery powered. Most watches have a power reserve of give or take 40 hours, though others can run for several days at a time after one winding. A useful complication for power reserves is an indicator that can tell its wearer how fully wound the watch is. 

7. Dial

Also referred to as the "face", the dial displays the features (time, numerals, markings, hands) of the watch. It's often what attracts collectors at first sight. Well-designed dials are often sleek, elegant, or bejewelled in some way. It's also one of the best ways to ensure that your watch matches your personality or look. 

8. Crystal

The crystal of the watch is what protects the dial. It covers the watch's face and is often made from sapphire, acrylic, or glass. Acrylic is often used in more affordable watches and though durable, are more prone to scratches. Glass offers greater resistance to scratches than acrylic, though top watch-collectors often look for sapphire crystal, which is the most expensive to produce but is also the most durable and scratch-resistant out of the three. 

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9. Crown

For those who prefer a self-winding watch, the crown is among the most important parts of which you need to be familiar. It is, after all, what allows its wearer to wind the watch. You can easily identify it as the small knob on the side of the watch and can also be used to adjust the date and time. 

10. Winder

Some watch collectors have so many watches that they prefer to have a winder. This is a machine that gently rotates the watch and winds it for the owner. There's been a hot debate about whether or not it's preferable to have one, however. Some collectors speculate that winding a watch manually is still the best option, while others can't live without their winders. As you begin to collect more timepieces for yourself, this will have to be something you decide for your collection. 

11. Bezel

The bezel on a watch is the ring that surrounds the dial. This often connects the case to the lugs and helps to keep the crystal in place. Various watchmakers use different designs for the bezel. Many high-end watches offer bezels with precious stones or in 18-carat gold. The bezel will typically follow the shape of the watch itself, so don't be surprised to see square-shaped or octagonal bezels in the market. 

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12. Tourbillon

Gravity can have a negative effect on the calibre of any timepiece. To help counter this, Abraham-Louis Breguet created the tourbillon, a complication that allows the piece to counter gravity's "drag" effect often noticed on smaller components of the watch. They're quite entertaining when seen on the watch's dial, but note that watches that do have this complication are oftentimes more expensive than the ones that don't. 

13. Manufacture d’Horologie

A French term, manufacture d'horologie, simply refers to a watch company that creates its parts in-house. This is opposed to other watchmakers that simply assemble a watch made from parts bought from outside suppliers. A top-quality timepiece will oftentimes be created in-house, so keep an eye out for when you're shopping for this!

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