mechanical movement

New 2010 Mechanical movement Watches

2010-08-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

Mechanical movement watches are some of the most sought after replica watches. To see some of the newest Rolex replica submariner mechanical movement watches please see time traditions picasa web album.

The perfect Fathers Day Gift

2010-05-13T03:50:00.000-07:00

Replica Bvlgari Diagono Replica Watch

Replica Bvlgari Diagono Watch. 40mm this is a very nice watch. Normal size, lays great on your wrist. comes with a crew in crown, date window, luminescent hands and markers, powered by a precise Japanese quartz movement. 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. !!! timetraditions.com.

Price:$149.00

Replica Bvlgari Diagono Replica Watch Chronograph

New Replica Bvlgari Diagono Watch. 44mm This is an excellent copy. The details are perfect and the quality is exceptional. Fully functional stop watch chronograph, date window, screw in crown, precise Asian movement. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed. timetraditions.com.

Price:$179.00

Replica Bvlgari Diagono Chronograph Replica Watch

Price:$179.00

Replica Bvlgari Diagono Chronograph Replica Watch

� New Replica Bvlgari Diagono Watch. 44mm This is an excellent copy. The details are perfect and the quality is exceptional. Fully functional stop watch chronograph, date window, screw in crown, precise Asian movement. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed. timetraditions.com.

Price:$179.00

Replica Bvlgari Diagono Chronograph Replica Watch

Price:$179.00

Replica Bvlgari Diagono Chronograph Replica Watch

Price:$189.00

Replica Bvlgari Diagono Chronograph Replica Watch

Price:$189.00

Replica Bvlgari Diagono Chronograph Replica Watch

�New Replica Bvlgari Diagono Watch. 44mm This is an excellent copy. The details are perfect and the quality is exceptional. Fully functional stop watch chronograph, date window, screw in crown, precise Asian movement. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed. timetraditions.com.

Price:$189.00

The Mechanisms Behind Swiss Watches

2009-08-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

At the present time the Swiss watch industry is applying two parallel technologies: electronic technology, with the analog quartz watch and the more traditional technology of the mechanical watch which origin dates back in the 14th century. Some of the best replica watches online today use the same technology.

Almost 90% of the industry's production, re volume, is currently made from electronic, battery-operated watches, especially of the analog type. 10% is of mechanical products whose export price remains of elemental significance, as these watches represent more than 52% of Swiss watch exports in terms of price.

The heart of an analog quartz watch is the integrated circuit, and this is made up of electronic parts grouped together on a few square millimeters' worth of base.

The source of energy consists of a small battery which lasts many years. The quartz oscillator vibrates from the battery-supplied energy and it divides the time. Quartz watches are highly correct thanks to their high frequency of vibrations (32 kHz); their yearly adaptation is only about one minute each year, equal to less than a 2nd a day. In this field there are two main categories of products:

1) watches with an analog display (hands),
2) watches with digital display; Liquid crystals are fitted to receive the impulses needed to display the time direct from the integrated circuit. So there is no mechanical transmission.

Working principle of a quartz watch

1) Battery, providing the power
2) Integrated circuit, controlling the quartz and the stepping motor
3) Oscillating quartz, dividing the time
four) Trimmer, controlling the frequency
five) electrical impulses are modified into mechanical power by the stepping motor
6) Gear train, activating the hours, mins, seconds hands
seven) Analog display

These 2 sorts of products are sometimes mixed together in the same finished watch.

The traditional mechanical watch has 3 main parts, particularly the controlling parts, the display, and the source of energy, and these are made from about 130 parts. In complicated watches (phases of the moon, fly-back hand, date, for example), the number of part parts is much higher. The "bauche" (about sixty parts) fitted with the controlling and certain other parts, forms the movement, to paraphrase the internal mechanism of the watch, which makes it feasible to maintain a constant tension in the spring once it has been wound manually or automatically (by movements of the wrist) and to regulate the display by means of the hands (hours, mins, seconds). A watch is alleged to be finished when the movement has been fitted with a dial, hands, and case.

A mechanical watch's working guidelines

One) The power is provided by the barrel/mainspring
two) Power is transmitted by the gear train
3) Escapement, distributing the impulses
4) Balance wheel & hairspring, oscillating, making the division of time
5a) Winding stem, for manual winding and setting
5b) For automatic winding, the oscillating weight is used
6) The hours, seconds, and minutes hands are turned on by the dial train

With these two technologies mixed, a new type of watch movement was made, and this is essentially a self-winding watch with the quartz prevision - it runs with a standard quartz movement while getting its energy the same way as a self-winding mechanical movement.

Its working principle is simple and however revolutionary: an oscillating weight streches the mainspring which release starts a micro-generator converting the mechanical energy into electrical power. This power is then accumulated in a capacitor. The integrated circuit then provides the impulses to the stepping motor and controls the power supply of a normal quartz watch.

Please visit http://www.timetraditions.com/ for top quality replica watches.

Replica Marina Militare 47mm

Movement : Asia6497 Manual Wind copy from Swiss ETA6497. This is a vintage replica Panerai. 440 solid stainless steel case, plexy glass crystal like the original, double layered dial like the original, with right side crown and guard. This watch if a ideal watch for left handers. Only a few in available in the market. timetraditions.com.

Price:$249.00

Concord C1 Quantum Gravity

2009-08-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Concord continues its radical brand repositioning with a futuristic interpretation of the tourbillon watch. The C1 QUANTUM GRAVITY was developed by the firm's new C Lab, a special unit whose mission, Concord says, "is to push the boundaries of mechanical watchmaking (mechanical movement) by introducing it to new modes of expression." Everything about the watch, of which Concord will produce just 10, priced at $480,000 each, is unusual. Start with its size: 48.5 mm wide, 57.0 mm long, and 22 mm high. The case is made of titanium to keep the giant timepiece light. Hours and minutes are presented in an off-center "hour circle." The seconds indicator is a black aluminum wheel tucked away in a sapphire-enclosed circular compartment on the side of the case. The seconds numerals (in increments of 5) are engraved in luminescent orange on a black aluminum roll and can be seen through an aperture. A sapphire window on the side of the watch shows the seconds wheel, with rotating orange blades, spinning.

Above the hour circle is a cylinder filled with green liquid. This is the watch's vertical power-reserve indicator. It has a gauge with the numerals 1 through 3 on the side of the case, one for each of the three days of power that the hand-wound mechanical movement stores. As the power diminishes, the green liquid, made up of phosphorescent nanoparticles, falls. When the watch is wound, the green liquid rises.
Another unusual feature of the watch is the vertical tourbillon mechanism, which is suspended in a projection on the left side of the case. The mechanism is anchored to a vertical aluminum arm supported by tiny (0.4 mm thick) suspension cables fastened to the plate. The structure is similar to that used on a suspension bridge. The tourbillon rotates on two axes, the main one vertical.
Yet another novel feature is a hidden time-setting key, which is released by pushing a button. The 42-jewel movement, Concord Caliber CI 04, was developed for Concord by Switzerland's BNB Concept. The entire watch has 511 parts. If you are looking for a high quality replica Concord please visit http://www.timetraditions.com.

Replica Replica Concord

timetraditions.com.

Price:$169.00

COSC CERTIFICATES Hits New High

2009-06-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

The number of chronometer certificates I issued by COSC (Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres) reached an all time high in 2006, increasing 10.7% to 1,300,140. The previous record was the 1,271,934 certificates that COSC issued in 2002.

The big three chronometer producers Rolex, Omega and Breitling accounted for 88 percent of all certificates issued. These three brands have for years dominated the field of chronometer manufacturers. Rolex, the long time chronometer champion, alone accounted for 55 percent of the total. It received 6.5 percent more certificates than in 2005. The COSC figures were released by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry in September.
Some brands showed huge increases in chronometer output. TAG Heuer more than tripled its number of certificates and rejoined the ranks of the top 10 chronometer makers after a year's absence (see table). Corum's chronometer output more than doubled, enabling the brand to jump from number 10 in 2005 to seven last year. Panerai's output grew 62 percent, although its ranking, four, remained the same as in 2005.
Just four percent, or 56,225, of the certificates went to quartz movements. Breitling accounted for 54,744 of them.

How long does COSC test movements to determine if they're precise enough to be certified?

Self-Winding Turns 230
This new skeleton chronograph from Perrelet is meant to mark the 230th birthday of the self-winding system that the great Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Perrelet introduced in 1777 (or around then; historians say no one knows exactly when Perrelet brought out his first self-winding watch). That same system, which incorporates a spinning rotor, is the one used in all automatic watches today. The watch is made of white and rose gold and measures 43.50 by 53.75 mm. It is being manufactured in a limited edition of 77 pieces. Suggested retail price: $28,000 or you can find high quality chronograph replica watches from $200-$300 by visiting http://www.timetraditions.com.
The Anniversary Skeleton Chronograph from Perrelet

CHRONOMETER KINGS 2006 TOP 10 CHRONOMETER MA

BRAND CERTIFICATES % vs. '05
1. Rolex 710,752 +6.5
2. Omega 257,187 +16.8
3. Breitling 182,223 +1.0
4, Panerai 46,454 +61.6
5. Chopard 23,462 +33.0
6. Ulysse Nardin 10,111 +2.8
7. Corum 8,189 +110.9

Replica Milgauss

New 2008 replica rolex Milgauss. This the top of the line replica rolex Milgauss. It has a solid stainless steel band and casing, solid end links, screw down crown and screw in links. Hologram logo at 6, with a smooth sweeping second hand. 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. !!! timetraditions.com.

Price:$179.00

Planetary Gear Trains and Traveling Nuts

2009-06-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

A power-reserve display doesn't look very spectacular on the dial. It typically consists of a small hand that moves through an arc-to show the remaining number of hours, the relative power reserve or the momentary status between "up" and "down." An unsuspecting watch aficionado would assume that the hidden end of the hand is simply affixed to the barrel. But the biggest problem with today's so-called "rotating barrels" (which have become standard equipment in contemporary wristwatches), is that they always turn in only one direction. As the tension in the mainspring gradually decreases, the exterior of the barrel meshes with the propelling wheel to advance the gear train. When the mainspring is wound, the inner part of the barrel (the barrel arbor) rotates in the same direction, thus tightening the spring. In the past, some simple watches had motionless barrels, but their shortcoming is that the gear train isn't propelled while the mainspring is being wound. This might be acceptable for a hand wound watch, but in a self-winding timepiece it would mean that the gear train spends more time standing still than in motion. If a hand were affixed directly to the barrel, it would always turn in one direction and wouldn't take into account whether the mainspring is taut or slack. What one wants to indicate is the amount of tension in the mainspring, independent of where the barrel happens to be at the moment. What's needed is a way to indicate the difference between the barrel and the barrel arbor.

A differential gear train is the mechanical answer. Three different kinds of differentials are used in watches' power-reserve displays, the traveling nut, the transmission-wheel train, and the planetary gear train.

The most readily comprehensible of the three is the first: the traveling nut, also known as the "screw differential." This relatively simple mechanism relies on a nut screwed onto the threaded shaft of a bolt. The barrel turns the nut; the barrel arbor turns the bolt. The height of the nut along the shaft of the bolt depends on the difference between the barrel and its arbor, thus indicating the remaining power reserve. As the mainspring gradually slackens, the barrel rotates, propelling the nut upwards along its bolt. When the mainspring is wound by turning the barrel arbor, the bolt rotates, which propels the nut downwards. When both the barrel and its arbor turn in the same direction (i.e. when the gear train is in motion and the self¬winding mechanism is gradually tightening the main¬spring), then the nut's height on the bolt remains constant. To use this for a power-reserve display, all one needs to do is give the nut a conical shape and construct a lever, one end of which scans the surface of the conical nut to 'feel" how far upwards the nut has been turned and the other end of which is connected to an indicator hand that moves back and forth above a calibrated scale.

Sounds good, but this system has one disadvantage: its architecture necessarily makes it rather tall. For this reason, it wasn't used in wrist-watches until 2000, when Audemars Piguet installed it into some of the company's watches. It was used most recently in the Concept Royal Oak.
The second type of differential, the transmission-wheel train, is like¬wise comparatively tali. The reason is that one wheel must be positioned vertically. This vertical wheel meshes with two other wheels, one of which has teeth on its underside, the other of which has teeth on its upper surface. Regardless of which side of the wheel the teeth are on, both wheels look something like a crown, which gives the system its nick-name: "crown-wheel train." The differential in an automobile's driving axle functions according to the same principle. Although this type of gear train was sometimes used in the power-reserve displays of pocket watches, the only wristwatch that incorporates this technique was inspired by a car. When watchmaker Dieter Dornbluth brought his car in for servicing, he borrowed a scale model of a rear axle with a differential gear train. He and his son Dirk (also a watchmaker) studied the model at home. They began to putter and didn't quit until they'd adapted the automotive differential for use inside a wristwatch's power-reserve display. The transmission-wheel differential is sometimes called a "conical-wheel differential," but this phrase is likely to cause confusion because no conical wheels are used in watches, although they are used in cars. The transmission-wheel differential, which makes do with just three wheels, generates very little circumferential play between the teeth. The two wheels with crown toothing on their upper (or lower) surface are free to rotate around their common shaft without causing it to turn. One of the crown-toothed wheels is propelled by the barrel arbor, the other by the barrel. One of the two directions of rotation must first be reversed by means of an intermediate wheel. The axis for the power reserve display is propelled by a little pinion that's free to turn at a 90° an¬gle to the axis. If the barrel arbor is wound (either manually or via a self-winding mechanism) and the barrel is simultaneously turned (by the slackening of the mainspring), then both wheels in the differential rotate in opposite directions at the same speed. Consequently, the vertical pinion turns, but doesn't move the horizontal axis with the hand for the power reserve display. And that's exactly what ought to happen, because in this situation the power reserve remains constant.

The third and final type of differential, the planetary gear train, works exactly the same way as a transmission-wheel differential, except that here the pinion is shifted from the vertical plane into a horizontal orientation, where it rotates eccentrically around a gear, much like a planet around a star, hence the word "planetary" in its name. In one rare variation, the planetary pinion turns inside a wheel that bears teeth on the inside. With the exception of the aforementioned exceptions, the differentials of all wristwatches with power-reserve displays are based on the planetary gear train.

One small but important detail is lacking in both the transmission-wheel differential and in the planetary-wheel train. Without this detail, neither differential can support a power-reserve display. In most watches, the mainspring is so long that it propels the barrel through seven, eight or nine rotations before the spring exhausts its reserve of energy. If the hand for the power-reserve display were directly affixed to the axis of the differential then the differential would turn through seven, eight or nine full, 360° circles between the time when the mainspring is fully wound and the moment when the gear train grinds to a halt. Multiple circling would make it impossible to unambiguously read the display. For this reason, in addition to the differential, one also needs a reduction of at least 9:1 (if the power reserve is to be shown on a 360° scale) or 18:1 (if the power-reserve display is confined to a semicircular scale).
Along with the three differentials described above, there's another somewhat simpler way to indicate power reserve: namely, a display with a rotating scale. In displays of this sort, the barrel arbor propels the scale and the barrel propels the hand above the scale. Here too, a reduction train ensures that the hand and the scale never deviate from one another by more than 360° during one winding-down phase. The hand and the scale both move in the same direction. As the gear train gradually winds down, the hand moves counterclockwise; when the mainspring is wound, the scale moves counterclockwise. The Ulysse I from Ulysse Nardin is an example of this technique in action.

The story is a bit more complicated in self-winding watches. To prevent the mainspring from becoming over-tightened by the automatic-winding system, a slide coupling inside the barrel allows the outer end of the fully tightened mainspring to glide along the inner surface of the barrel in response to the continued rotation of the barrel arbor. But the continued turning of the arbor would propel the indicator hand on the power-reserve display beyond the marking that indicates "fully wound." To prevent this, the power-reserve display on a self-winding wristwatch is fitted with a stopper that halts the indicator hand when the main spring has been fully wound. There's also a second slide coupling between the differential and the hand to ensure that the gears are able to continue to turn, even though the hand has been blocked by the stopper. One desirable side effect of this construction: the power-reserve display is calibrated anew every time the mainspring is fully wound.
All four types of power-reserve display traveling nut, transmission-wheel train, planetary gear train, and rotating scale date from the era of the pocket watch.

Nomos's power-reserve display relies on an innovative idea dream up by Nomos's design engineer Thierry Albert, whose invention proved that new mechanisms can indeed still be developed, notwithstanding the centuries long history of watchmaking. The most important desideratum for Albert was to create a power-reserve display that wouldn't detract from the Tangente's elegantly slim lines. The ingenious Frenchman succeeded admirably. He integrated his power-reserve display into the Tangente's movement without adding even one additional millimeter to the caliber's overall thickness. Albert's construction relies on two rotating disks: the upper disk is white and is cut with a window shaped like an arcing truncated wedge; the lower disk is half white and half red. When the mainspring is fully wound, the power-reserve display is entirely white and almost invisible on the white dial. As the tension in the spring declines, a red worm appears and gradually grows larger until it completely fills the wedge-shaped window.

Both disks rotate simultaneously. But unlike the methods described above, the Nomos display allows these disks to rotate through more than 360 degrees. The clever trick here is that both disks mesh with the same planetary pinion, the other end of which is affixed to the barrel. The accompanying diagram shows that the red-and-white lower disk is affixed to the barrel. The upper disk has 19 teeth, i.e. one tooth fewer than the 20-tooth lower wheel. If you wind the watch completely, the barrel arbor turns 6.5 times. The lower disk thus rotates 6.5 teeth further than the upper disk, which corresponds to approximately one-third of a full rotation for a wheel with 20 teeth. The window in the upper disk extends through one-third of a full circle. Peering through this window, you can always see one-third of the lower disk. This third supports the color gradation, which smoothly changes from red to white as you tighten the mainspring.
Like all Nomos calibers, this one is based on a Peseux 7001. Though it has been modified to support the additional complications of stop-seconds function, date, and power-reserve display, its height is just 2.65 mm. The slender caliber makes it possible to create a correspondingly slim wristwatch: the overall height of the case is just 6.05 mm, including a pane of glass in the back through which you can view the movement with its three-quarter plate.

The only disadvantage of this slender movement: it doesn't provide for rapid resetting of the date display, at least not in the conventional sense. Nonetheless, the date can be reset fairly quickly by moving the hour hand alternately forward and backward between the 8 p.m. and midnight positions.

The Nomos insignia was shifted from its former home below the "12" to its present location at "9:30," thus making room for the power-reserve display at" 12:30." The watch's design incorporates suggestions submitted by 125 testers, who were invited to purchase preseries specimens of the new watch at a specially reduced price. The Tangente Date Power Reserve is Nomos's top-of-the-line model and sells for $2,900.

That's an inarguable low price for a watch with an exclusive mechanism, although it also constitutes a fairly hefty surcharge compared to the Tangente Date, which retails for $ 1,900. We prefer the Nomos Tangente Date without power reserve because it embodies the most uncompromising design. On the other hand, the version with power-reserve display offers its owner a fine example of unique technology in a very elegant package. Weighing just 36 grams (including its shell cordovan strap), this ticking feather¬weight is one of the lightest watches available and is correspondingly pleasant to wear. Like Nomos, D. Dornbluth & Sohn is based in eastern Germany. But the Dornbluths aren't from the watchmaking Mecca of Glashutte. They're from the town of Kalbe in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Their Up and Down with power-reserve display has a symmetrically arranged dial in the style of deck watches. Caliber 99.2 is the only known example in a wristwatch of power-reserve display that uses a transmission-wheel differential. The movement is based on the gear train from a Unitas 6497, but the original caliber has been so thoroughly reworked that not much remains unchanged. Dirk and Dieter Dornbluth invested an enormous amount of handcraftsmanship in their watch, equipping it with all the horological refinements of classic Glashutte calibers. These details include a three-quarter plate, swan's neck fine adjustment, hand-engraved balance cock, blued screws, and screwed gold settings. Even the ratchet wheel and transmission wheel have been adorned with sun-pattern engraving. The transmission wheel (a.k.a. "crown-wheel" because it uses crown toothing to transfer the direction of rotation from the winding stem to the plane of the gear train when the watch is wound) also propels the visible wheel of Dornbluth's differential. On the other side, it cannot directly mesh with the teeth on the barrel because the winding stem is interposed between the two. But because the barrel is directly connected to the cannon pinion, the latter can serve as a second wheel to propel the gear train. However, an intermediate wheel is needed to reverse the direction of rotation. The Dornbluths successfully integrated their 2.98-mm-tall differential into the hand-wound movement. The movement's height had to be increased slightly: 0.3 mm, to be exact. The Dornbluths manually cut the almost microscopically small gears for the power-reserve display. They perform this exacting work on an old gear-cutting machine that lets them individually mill each tooth, or rather each tooth space (i.e. the interstice between two adjacent teeth) into a brass disk. The Dornbluths use meticulous hand-craftsmanship instead of costly, fully automated machinery to craft many other components as well, thus achieving an unusually large depth of production. For example, they lathe-turn their screwed settings from gold wire, then hand-polish the resulting components.
Like the power-reserve display in the Nomos watch, that of the Ulysse I from Ulysse Nardin makes do without a differential. Like the tortoise and the hare in Aesop's fable, the scale and the hand on the power-reserve display compete with one another in a never-ending race. Both components rotate in the same direction. When the watch is wound, the scale rotates counterclockwise. As the mainspring gradually runs down, the hand follows the scale. As long ago as 1912, this manufacture constructed a pocket watch with a power-reserve display that used a rotating scale. The Ulysse I is a self-winding watch in which the barrel arbor continues to turn even after the mainspring has been fully tightened. Hence, it needs a stopper to prevent the hand from running off the scale after the mainspring is fully wound. It also needs a slide prise comes when you turn the case over to reveal its back: that's when a little circular window comes into view, ringed by the engraved words "Reserve" and "Jours," French for "power reserve" and "days." The window contains a digit to indicate the number of days remaining. This digit jumps away and is replaced by the next lowest integer as the mechanism counts down from one day to the next.

First launched in 1931, the Reverso has risen to the rank of an undisputed classic. As the decades went by, a wide variety of complications have found their way onto the watch's backside, or rather, onto its second front side. The Reverso has also been built in several different sizes. The Grande Reserve has the largest Reverso case ever built, but the wristwatch doesn't look gigantic at all. Instead, it makes a very elegant and unpretentious impression, as do all its siblings in the Reverso family. The front of the watch hints that a power-reserve display is hidden on the other side because the small seconds subdial has been shifted to the 5 o'clock position on the dial. The circular window in the back leaves plenty of room in the upper half of the back for a personalized engraving, e.g. the owner's initials. When fully wound, the little window shows the word "UP." This is followed by the digit "8." The numeral "1" appears seven days later. The " 1" isn't black like all the other digits, but is printed in red to remind the wearer that the wristwatch needs manual winding.

From a technical point of view, a planetary-wheel differential converts the power-reserve display into a forward/backward motion. The device makes do without a reduction because instead of a hand, a wheel with a switching cam is affixed to the gear train. Each time the wheel turns, it advances the disk (printed with the digits) by one increment.

A coupling to prevent the wheels from jamming when the stopper is activated. Caliber UN-27 is based on an ETA 2892, onto which Ulysse Nardin's watchmakers added a module for the power reserve and small seconds subdial. Design and assembly both take place in Ulysse Nardin's ateliers. The module is 1.25 mm thick, so the date disk lies rather deep below the plane of the dial. Ulysse Nardin added a magnifying lens above the date window, but this built-in loupe doesn't entirely solve the problem because the date is often obscured by a shadow. In all other details, however, the dial, with its symmetrical arrangement and its ample subdial for the seconds, is quite successful. The metallic bronze color and the unusual typeface used for the hour numerals give them a rather extravagant, almost expressionistic appearance. They're a good match for the case, which is available only in pink gold. The terraced lugs have a surprising shape that makes the case look a bit like an ancient Egyptian scarab. The crown, which bears the blue, anchor-shaped, Ulysse Nardin logo, is beautifully made, too, as is the little satin-finished metal plaque with the serial number on the opposite side of the case's rim. The movement, which COSC has officially certified as a chronometer, is hidden beneath a massive engraved metal back. The crocodile-skin strap is very beautifully crafted, with perfect reptilian scales and an attractive gleam. Incidentally, the straps on the Ulysse I and on the Zenith wristwatch are the only ones in this "Advice for Purchasers" article that are hand-sewn with saddle stitches. The word "handmade" appears on some of the other watches' straps, but that doesn't change the facts. All in all, the Ulysse I is an exotic wristwatch with a power-reserve display that's every bit as mysterious as the rest of the timepiece, which sells for $10,900.

A watch that can run for a very long time between windings really benefits from having a power-reserve display. After all, one cannot always recall whether it's been five or six days since one last wound one's watch. The reserve is especially long-lasting in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Grande Reserve. Its hand-wound movement keeps running for eight full days between fill-ups. This alone is an extraordinary achievement for the petite rectangular movement. The big surspring snaps into place after each advance, holding the disk securely in each of its 10 positions until the next incremental advance. As in a self-winding watch, a click ensures that the display doesn't rotate beyond the "UP" position, while slide couplings in both barrels simultaneously prevent the winding from jamming.

The bottom line: here's a marathon-running manufacture movement with an unusual and useful complication, encased inside a design icon. And $6,800 is by no means an exorbitant price to pay for such a fine quality wristwatch.

Seven years after the debut of the first Reverso, Panerai delivered its first Radiomir to the Italian Navy. The year was 1938. Nearly seven decades later, Panerai ranks among the hottest sport-watch brands. The new Radiomir 8 Days, which became available in September 2004, is certain to turn up the heat still further. The Radiomir and Panerai designer inspired replica watches which have most of the same features as their original counterparts can be found on the web for a fraction of the cost at many sites like www.timetraditions.com.

IWC Iconic Ingenieur

2009-06-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

IWC's iconic Ingenieur, launched a little over 50 years ago, was one of the first time pieces constructed specifically to he impervious to magnetic fields. The technical timepiece was instrumental in cementing the Schaffhausen firm's image as a maker of practical watches for men. As its name implies, the Ingenieur was created with engineers in mind, those who worked around turbines. And as with IWC's Pilot watches, it came housed within not one but two casesan exterior casing of steel or titanium and a soft iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields.
Last year the line was updated with a steel- and ceramic cased version, a new 45.5 mm 7-day Big Ingenieur, and a 40 mm automatic model. With antimagnetism as the lngenieur's historical raison d'etre, the collection unveiled in 2007 is more than a little surprising: each piece features a view of the movement within, a watchmaking feat once precluded by the soft iron inner case. The two calibers employed, 51112 and 80111, are beautiful both developed inhouse and more than worthy of being put on display.
Iconic, not ironic According to IWC, the decision to open up the three new Ingenieurs' casebacks was driven by a desire to highlight the in house movements at work within them. The firm reasoned that few customer actually required the soft iron inner case for its antimagnetic properties. Therefore, they determined, the iconic styling of the Ingenieur should be offered with a sleeker profile on the wrist, a reduced overall weight, and a sapphire caseback. Enthusiasts who seek a highly specialized watch with strong antimagnetic qualities can still find the classic Ingenieur Ret. 3227 in stainless steel or titanium, or select from a number of IWC's Pilot watches most of which features a soft iron inner case.
The highlight of the new ingenieur collection is easily the Big Ingenieur, a hulking timepiece that at 45.5 mm in diameter will look big on almost any wrist. The Big Ingenieur runs on IWC Caliber 51112, a 7-day automatic movement utilizing the Pellaton winding mechanism a magic lever type system that was invented in the 1950's by Albert Pellaton, the former technical director of IWC.

Ceramic cases
IWC's designers chose ceramic a highly shock resistant automatic movement with stop seconds function, for easy synchronization soft mesh strap extremely intertable in iron, first introduced by IWC with its ceramic double chronograph.

The Automatic

The last of the new pieces is the 40 mm Automatic Ingenieur in stainless steel. Like the Ingenieur Automatic 44 mm, the 40 mm version is powered by the slimmed down Caliber 80111, which can be seen through the piece's open case back. Using a thinner movement enabled IWC to keep the watch's height down to 13.5 mm and use a flatter dial than in previous In genieurs. The smallest of the new Ingenieurs, the 40 mm Automatic ships on a steel bracelet because heft and size aren't a concern.
IWC's designers chose a bracelet of alternating brushed and polished steel links to correspond with the interplay of textures on the watch case and dial, the most obvious of which is a round patterned surface on the dial, which is surrounded by a flat shiny surface on the chapter ring. Additionally, IWC's designers highlight the elegance of this piece by using gilded hands and indices.
The thinness and elegance of the smallest new Ingenieur were not achieved at the expense of durability. Ten the contrary, shock resistance is paramount in the timepiece, with Caliber 8011 's spring-mounted, buffered rotor capable of taking its fair share of abuse. The Pellaton fast winding system is also found in this movement. The same movement can be found in some of the best replica watches fund on the web today. Many people are turning to the web to find the same designer inspired watches for a fraction of the price. If you are looking for high quality replica watches please visit http://www.timetraditions.com.

Jewels

2009-05-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

Let’s start with what the word jewel mean in watch terms. Historically they were rubies or sapphires or occasionally diamonds. In the last 100 years or so they have been artificial or ‘grown’ jewels technically called corundum. They are generally referred to as rubies these days due to the colour, although it should be noted that they are the same material as sapphire crystal.

Jewels have two properties that are useful for watchmakers – they are hard and therefore wear very slowly, and secondly they can be worked to a very smooth finish. These properties relate directly to their function in watchmaking – reducing friction.

As we all know, there are a lot of moving parts inside a mechanical watch (although analogue quartz watches will also have jewels), and the key to an accurate and efficient movement is to minimise friction. In order to achieve this, the tolerances on wheels and gears are extremely tight, ensuring that the teeth interlock as smoothly as possible. Clearly any flaw on the axle or stem of a wheel will be magnified on the edge of the wheel where the teeth are and it is therefore vitally important to have the arbours move as smoothly as possible. By fitting the arbour or shaft into a doughnut shaped jewel this smoothness can be maintained as the hole in the jewel can have smoother sides than if the hole had metal sides.

Additionally, if the metal shaft were fitted directly into a hole in a metal bridge or plate, the two metals would wear against one another over time and make the hole larger, thereby disturbing the balance of the shaft and increasing friction. It would also do damage that couldn’t be repaired. By setting the doughnut shaped jewel in the holes in the bridges and plates and then fitting the shaft or arbour into the hole in the doughnut the two metal surfaces never touch one another and therefore cannot wear.

These doughnut shaped jewels have their surfaces shaped and finished in such a way that the oil that is used on all of these moving parts is held where it is needed rather than spreading across the jewel surface.

Doughnut shaped jewels (technically hole jewels) are not the only jewels that are used in watches. There are also cap jewels (often referred to as end stones – especially if diamonds are used), which affix to the end of shafts but do not have holes drilled right through them. These are often used in conjunction with hole jewels and prevent movement of the axle up and down. An example of a cap jewel is the end of the balance shaft.

There are also pallet jewels – these roughly rectangular jewels fit on the pallet fork (one on each side) and are the part that actually engages with the escape wheel to control the rate of the movement. Finally there is a roller jewel (impulse pin) that is on the balance wheel and engages with the other end of the pallet fork to rock the fork back and forth. These are generally found in some of the best replica watches on the web like the Rolex replica watches and the Breitling Replica watches.

Watches have different numbers of jewels, and the perception is that more jewels are better. Up to a point that’s true, a 15 jewel watch is better than a 7 jewel watch (you’ll see why when I explain the counts below), but it’s not always the case, especially in modern watches. The law of diminishing returns definitely kicks in – jewelling a date wheel that does one revolution every 31 days is somewhat less important than jewelling a balance wheel that will oscillate back and forth over 21 million times in that same 31 day period (in a 4Hz movement). Also, watches with more complications will need more jewelled parts as there are more moving parts to potentially generate friction and wear.

Jewels also indirectly play a part in shock absorption. The most common shock system in use today is the Incabloc system invented in the 1930s which mounts the balance cap jewels in springs to absorb any shocks that occur and prevent damage to the movement.

So let’s look at jewel counts for simple watches and what the jewels are:

7 jewels (common in older pocket watches, but unheard of now) – this is simply a jewelled escapement – two hole jewels and two cap jewels (one each for each end of the balance wheel shaft), two pallet jewels and a roller jewel.
15 jewels – the 7 from above plus hole jewels for the high speed elements of the running train (it’s not needed on minute or hour wheels).
17 jewels – about the minimum in a decent watch today add hole jewels to each end of the centre wheel
19 jewels – adds cap jewels to the escape wheel
21 jewels – cap wheels to the pallet fork
23 jewels – mainspring barrel jewels (more common in pocket watches than wrist watches)

More recently movement manufacturers have been drawing a grey line with jewels, largely because there is now an ISO standard for jewels that state that they have to be functional at reducing friction and wear. That means that movement manufacturers can add jewels to places that are theoretically subject to friction, but where the use of jewels is of questionable (or no) benefit. Many manufacturers (including ETA) use jewels like this in the automatic winding mechanism. If you are looking for high quality replica watches please visit http://www.timetraditions.com.

How Does a Swiss Watch Work?

2009-05-25T13:07:00.000-07:00

At the present time the Swiss watch industry is applying two parallel technologies: electronic technology, with the analog quartz watch (sometimes combined with digital display) and the more traditional technology of the mechanical watch which origin dates back in the 14th century. You can find this same technology on some of the best replica watches on the web today.

Almost 90 % of the industry's production, in terms of volume, is currently made up of electronic, battery-operated watches, mainly of the analog type. 10 % is of mechanical products whose export value continues to be of fundamental importance, as these watches represent more than 52 % of Swiss watch exports in terms of value.

In an analog quartz watch, the heart of the watch is the integrated circuit, made up of a large number of electronic components grouped together on a base of only a few square millimeters.

The source of energy consists of a miniature battery which lasts several years. The time is divided by a quartz oscillator which is made to vibrate by the energy supplied by the battery. Quartz watches are extremely accurate thanks to their high frequency of vibrations (32 kHz); their annual variation is only about one minute per year, equivalent to less than a second a day. In this field there are two main kinds of products:

1) watches with an analog display (hands),
2) watches with digital display; this is fitted with liquid crystals which receive, directly from the integrated circuit, the impulses needed to display the time. So there is no mechanical transmission.

An electronic (quartz) watch

1) Battery, providing the power
2) Integrated circuit, controlling the quartz and the stepping motor
3) Oscillating quartz, dividing the time
4) Trimmer, regulating the frequency
5) Stepping motor, transforming the electrical impulses into mechanical power
6) Gear train, activating the hours, minutes, seconds hands
7) Analog display

These two types of products are sometimes combined together in the same finished watch (double display, particularly useful for measuring short time intervals).

The traditional mechanical watch is made up of about 130 parts assembled in the three main parts which are the source of energy, the regulating parts and the display. The number of component parts is much higher in so-called complicated watches (date, phases of moon, fly-back hand, etc.). The "ébauche" (about 60 parts) fitted with the regulating and certain other parts, forms the movement, in other words the internal mechanism of the watch, which makes it possible to maintain a constant tension in the spring once it has been wound manually or automatically (by movements of the wrist) and to regulate the display by means of the hands (hours, minutes, seconds). A watch is said to be finished when the movement has been fitted with a dial, hands, and case.

A mechanical watch

1) Barrel/mainspring providing the power
2) Gear train, transmitting the power
3) Escapement, distributing the impulses
4) Balance wheel & hairspring, oscillating, making the division of time
5a) Winding stem, for manual winding and setting
5b) OscillatingwWeight, for automatic winding
6) Dial train, activating the hours, minutes, seconds hands

The combination of these two technologies recently brought on a new type of watch movement running like a traditional quartz movement but getting its energy the same way as in a self-winding mechanical movement (Self-winding watch with the quartz precision).

Its working principle is simple and however revolutionary: an oscillating weight streches the mainspring which release starts a micro-generator converting the mechanical energy into electrical power. This power is then accumulated in a capacitor. The system works later as a traditional quartz watch, meaning that the integrated circuit controls the power supply and provides the impulses to the stepping motor. If you are looking for high quality replica watches please visit http://www.timetraditions.com.

High Quality Replicas

2008-04-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

Find The Best Replica Watches at www.timetraditions.com !!!!!

Breitling Insight.

Breitling in one of the top watches for pilots. The chronomat Breitling replica watch is outstanding in quality and closeness. Below is a little history of Breitling.

Breitling History

1884

The well known Leon the third, Breitling opens a workshop specializing in making chronographs and precision counters for scientific and industrial purposes, in St-
in the Jura lake mountains of Switzerland. He spent many hours sweating over a hot coal fire making replica watches. Each movement was an asian replica watch movement or a swiss replica watch movement. . Check out a little history below.

1891

Known as the "father of aviation", German Otto Lilienthal, flies more than 50 meters (165 ft) in his glider.

1892

Leon BREITLING relocates in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the center of Swiss watch making in those days.

1903

On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk (North Carolina), Orville Wright
achieves the first powered flight in a heavier-than-air machine: 12
seconds over a distance of 36.5 meters.

1909

On July 25, 1909, Louis Bleriot, "conqueror of the Channel"
successfully flies from Calais to Dover in 37 minutes, in a Bleriot XI.

1914

On the demise of Leon Breitling, his son Gaston takes over the firm.

1915

Gaston provides pilots with the first wrist instruments and creates the first wrist-watch chronograph

1918

The spectacular progress made in aviation during World War I does much
to hasten the end of the conflict. It is the end of the era of the
formidable "Red Baron", Manfred von Richthofen

1942

CHRONOMAT is launched, the first chronograph to be fitted with a
circular slide rule. In parallel, the company broadens its professional
clientele to include the American armed forces. July 18, 1942, sees the
test flight of the world's first jet aircraft, the Messerschmitt 262.
Equipped with arrow-shaped wings, an aerodynamic fuselage and an
ejection seat, it is considered to be the forerunner of modern
aircraft.

1947

At 10.30 am on October 14, 1947, the Bell X-1 flown breaks through the
hitherto inviolate sound barrier. The era of supersonic flight dawns.

1952

NAVITIMER is created, a wrist instrument equipped with the famous
"navigation computer" capable of handling all calculations called for
by a flight plan. This super chronograph quickly becomes a firm
favorite among pilots around the globe. By this stage, BREITLING is
already supplying the major international airlines with cockpit
counters.

1957

The first series produced Boeing 707 takes off from Seattle On December
20, 1957. Twice as fast as other commercial aircraft, it offers
hitherto unrivalled levels of comfort

1962

Astronaut Scott Carpenter wears the COSMONAUTE chronograph on his wrist
during his orbital flight aboard the Aurora 7 space capsule.

1969

BREITLING invents the self-winding chronograph movement. This technical
feat represents a major breakthrough for the entire Swiss watch
industry. On February 9, 1969, the Boeing 747 or Jumbo Jet makes a
successful test flight. Barely a month later, on March 2 in Toulouse,
the Franco-British Concorde supersonic plane takes off for the very
first time.

1974

The European Airbus project takes shape with the entry into service
within Air France of the A-300, the first twin-engined wide-bodied jet
airliner.

1979

Ernest Schneider - a pilot, watch manufacturer and microelectronics
specialist - takes over the BREITLING brand from the founder's
grandson, Willy Breitling.

1981

Aeronautical innovations continue with the first stealth bomber. This
aircraft, capable of avoiding radar detection systems, is secretly put
into service from 1983 onwards, but its existence will only be
officially recognized in 1988

1985

An innovative multifunction electronic chronograph crafted in titanium, the AEROSPACE, immediately appeals to many pilots.

1993

On March 4, 1993, the Saab Gripen began operating within the Swedish
Air Force. It is the world's first 4th-generation fighter plane in
service. Described as a "multi-role" aircraft carrier , it can be used for
interception, attack an reconnaissance missions.

1994

Entry into service of the B-2 stealth bomber made by Northrop Grumman.

1995

EMERGENCY is presented by Brietling, a multifunction instrument watch
with built-in micro-transmitter broadcasting on the 121.5 MHz aircraft
emergency frequency.

1997

A major development in military aviation, with the first flight of the
F-22 Ravtortor from Lockheed Martin; this 4th-generation fighter aircraft,
which is also a stealth bombardier was the most sophisticated plane ever
built

1998

B-1 is launched, the most versatile multifunction chronograph watch ever to
emerge from its workshops. Designed in cooperation with aviation
professionals and fitted with a microprocessor specially developed for
BREITLING, the B-1 embodies significant progress in the field of Swiss
microelectronic engineering.

1999

The last aviation record is set on March 21st 1999. After 20 days of
flight, the experimental replica replica BREITLING ORBTER balloon, flown by Brian
Jones and Bertrand Piccard, touches down in the Egyptian desert. It has
achieved the apparently impossible: a non-stop round-the-world balloon
flight.

How To Look After Your Wristwatch - A Basic Guide

2008-04-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

This little guide to looking after your wristwatch is intended to help answer some of those questions we all have but have never bothered to really find out the answer to. Certain aspects of watch maintenance cause much argument between watch buffs. Many people are of that old saying - if it ain't bust, then don't fix it.
Here are some things you may need to know to help keep your timepiece running for years to come.

Starting out....

Adjusting Different Band Types...

Having bought your new or used timepiece you find that the band needs adjusting:

In the case of band, there is often some adjustment available in the clasp itself, through the use of a spring loaded pin which locks into holes in the clasp. Usually no problem to attempt this adjustment using a tool thin enough to press the pin from the outside and thus release it. Careful! these little pins can do a trapeze act and fly to the other side of the room, usually never to be found again. Always make sure that the watch is on a cloth or such like before attempting this adjustment or you may find you have accidentally scratched the side of the case or dented the crown.
Straps usually have multiple holes so finding a comfortable position is usually easy. If not you can always make a new hole using a button hole sewing tool.

Hang on, the band needs links removing

Some bracelets use push pins and others used screws for attaching links to each other. If you don't have the tools to do this (such as watchmakers' screwdrivers or bracelet pin removal tools) then usually it is best left to a watchmaker. In the case of screws and if you have the correct screwdriver then ensure that the bracelet is held very firmly before attempting to unscrew the screw; again there are specialist bracelet holders for this. That said, it is important that the screwdriver, aside from being the correct size is also of the correct thickness - otherwise you can end up with a damaged screw slot.
Push pins, well firstly there are usually little arrows on the underside of the links indicating which way the pin should be pushed out - obvious maybe but worth mentioning; some pins are of the split type pure and simple, these are normally found on lower-mid range watches. Again, it is possible to remove them yourself if you have an instrument that will fit the pin hole right and if you can secure the band. Light tapping of the tool is often enough to remove the split pin type. The links are then inserted and the pins replaced from the opposite end to removal - very carefully! If you do not feel comfortable with doing this it is better to seek a professional watchmaker.
The solid type pins can be infinitely more problematical as bands employing these often have special collars within the band links themselves which firstly must be in the correct place when the band is reassembled and secondly are incredibly easy to use. Solid pins are often an extremely tight fit and without the specialist tools I would personally recommend that you take the watch to a watchmaker for this. Better to be safe than sorry!

Winding your timepiece....

My watch is a manual, how do I wind it up?

If you have a manual wind watch, then try to wind it at the same time every day, it's probably best wound in the morning as you will have optimum power throughout the day, possibly therefore more consistent timekeeping. When winding a manual wind watch, do so relatively slowly and consistently; when it is fully wound you will feel resistance as the mainspring tightens. That is your sign that it is good! Don't try and force it any further as damage could be done both to the mainspring itself and to components in the escapement.
Important to remember! When winding a manual wind watch, it is extremely advisable to take the watch off! Why is this? Well, if you keep the watch on and wind it, it is quite possible to put unnecessary strain on the winding stem at all points but particularly where the stem attaches to the winding crown. I have seen people wind their watch by forcing a finger under the crown and then winding by a forward and back ward motion of the said finger! Not a good way to do it.

My watch is an automatic, does it need winding?

Well, it does if it has stopped! Some cheaper automatics do not have a manual winding capability; in these cases you should swing the watch gently in an arc for a minute or so to get the watch running. In the case of those watches with a manual wind capability then it is usual practice to give the watch approximately 35-40 gentle and slow turns of the winder; this puts the movement in an optimum state of wind to start with. Normal arm movement should then be enough to keep the watch wound for a while. If you are fairly active, then it should be OK to leave the watch off overnight without any further manual winding.

Setting your timepiece....

When setting the time and date?

OK, well firstly a watch equipped with a date feature will normally have three positions for the crown: in, pulled out one click (for date setting) and pulled out two clicks (for time setting). Simple enough. Two main tips here really. Firstly, when setting the time wind the hands slowly if possible, don't overdo it in the speed department - the simple reason for this is that doing so very quickly can cause premature wear to the components upon which the hands ride. Relatively slowly and gently is fine and preferably in a clockwise direction. Don't adjust the time backwards through midnight unless a watch specifically allows this. Secondly, when using the rapid date advance feature AKA the quickset feature, as a general rule avoid doing so between 8.00pm and say 4.00am - serious damage can be caused to the date mechanism if this advice isn't heeded. If the watch has stopped then make sure you set the time once through midnight and well into the safe zone before setting the date..

Daily Wear and Tear....

Can I get my watch wet?

How wet you can get your watch depends on how wet the watch was made to get! As a general rule, a WR30m watch is designed to be splashed, a WR50m is OK for light swimming but not really prolonged immersion, a WR100m watch is fine for swimming and a WR200m can be considered a diver's watch and can stay under a long time. More importantly is where you get your watch wet...try to avoid dunking even a depth rated watch in hot water, like in the bath or shower; the heat can distort seals and soapy detergents can damage your timepiece. The chlorine in swimming pools isn't the greatest friend to watch seals either; it's best to thoroughly rinse off your watch in fresh water after swimming in a pool. Likewise after swimming in the sea, used fresh water to rinse out all that salt!

What about heat and sunlight?

Heat in the form of saunas etc. isn't really recommended, particularly if you take a sauna and then enter the icy waters of the plunge pool! Quite simply, rapid hot to cold like that means that something may contract rather rapidly, if that something relies on a seal which has softened due to the heat then you may damage your timepiece. Also, any watch will have some moisture in it simply because it has air in it; rapid cooling means this may condense, probably only to disappear again but it could leave a stain under the crystal.
Heat in terms of wearing the watch in hot weather usually can't be helped, especially if you live in a hot area of the world. However, if at all possible, avoid leaving/wearing the watch in direct strong sunlight; firstly the watch is going to get very hot which won't do the lubricants much good; secondly, direct sunlight like that can prematurely age dials and cause dial lacquers to lift or micro bubble. This isn't to say that your watch should be kept under shirt sleeves whenever the sun is out! It's just a case of using common sense and trying not to fry yourself or your watch!

Is my timepiece shockproof?

It might be shock-resistant but it's best not to test its ability to withstand shock; mechanical watches are almost always fitted with certain shock absorbing devices nowadays but even so, do not expose your watch to sudden shocks, vibration, dropping etc. Mechanical watches are pretty tough but there is a limit; exposing the watch to severe shock can at the least affect timekeeping and at worst will cause mechanical failure.

My watch says Antimagnetic on the back

Most watches are antimagnetic to some degree; that is to say that they will stand exposure to limited magnetic fields without timekeeping being adversely affected. However, it is only specialist watches which have been built to withstand high magnetic fields that should be exposed to such. So, for our everyday automatic what should we avoid. Firstly what you need to remember is that a mechanical watch has lots and lots of metal inside it; all these components are interacting with each other in some way; wheels meshed with pinions for example. If these or the even more delicate components become magnetized, then the watch at best will run very erratically or at worst will stop altogether. This is not something most people have to worry about.
Try not to get too paranoid about it, try to avoid getting your watch too close to magnets(!), stereo speakers, computer monitors...even the rubber magnetized seal around the freezer door. All these are a potential source of trouble.

Maintenance....

I wear my watch all the time, everywhere, I never take it off

Fine, providing you take all of the above hints and tips into account. BUT...a watch still needs to be cleaned externally periodically. Assuming your watch is WR to 50m minimum then using warm water, a little soap and a very soft brush, you should work gently but purposefully to remove dust, skin particles, and other things from the everyday environment. The back of the watch, between the bracelet links under clasp etc. Grit and particles in the band can act rather like sandpaper, causing premature wear. Best to keep it all nice and clean! Once the watch is clean, simply dry it off with a soft cloth and you may be surprised at how much nicer it looks!

I've scratched the crystal - can I polish it?

If your watch has an acrylic (plastic) crystal then the answer is yes. People use different compounds to do this but it is possible to use Brasso or specialist polishes such as Polywatch; it has been known to use toothpaste, in this case I would advise the smoker's variety! Anyway, a little of the selected polishing compound on a soft cloth and rub the crystal in circular motions; this should do the trick for minor/medium scratches. Deeper scratches will require more effort and sometimes it is necessary to follow the line of the scratch first as opposed to the circular motion, then the circular motion. Polish dried compound off and hey presto, with a little effort the crystal will be like new.
A mineral crystal is a pretty big problem if it gets chipped or scratched. You can't polish this yourself unless you have access to optical lens polishing equipment. My suggestion is to get a new crystal fitted - pretty cheap, quick and simple for a decent watchmaker or let the professionals look at it.
A sapphire crystal is very very difficult to scratch in the first place - a diamond will do it so avoid contact with diamond jewelery for example. A sapphire will chip more easily so beware of metal catches on door frames and the like. Anyway, if the sapphire does get scratches then if it bothers you I'm afraid it is new crystal time. Please don't let anyone fool you into thinking that a sapphire crystal is very expensive - depending on the brand of watch in question then it is possible to have a sapphire bought and fitted for anything.

How often should my watch be serviced?

This is one of those subjects that causes a lot of discussion between watch buffs. I would say that there is no rule of thumb here. Firstly, a mechanical watch employs certain lubricants to reduce wear and ensure consistent smooth running. Now, a lubricant doesn't keep its lubricating qualities for ever - admittedly, nowadays there are certain synthetic lubricants used which will last longer and perform as they should for a longer period. However if we look at it logically then the service interval will to some degree be determined by how a watch is used and this is just how some manufacturers approach the subject.
Thus, a diver's watch used by a commercial diver on a daily basis will be subject to more abuse than a diver's watch worn by an office worker. The seals will exposed to water more often, the watch will theoretically get more vibration and shock - in a word, there will more stress put upon the watch and its movement. In such cases therefore, it may be prudent to have a watch so heavily used checked for water resistance yearly and fully serviced maybe every two years. In the case of a lightly worn watch then the water resistance check might be extended to two years with a full service and lubrication performed at five year intervals. I would suggest that no mechanical watch be left for more than five years without a service; it is likely that any lubricant will at the least have started to lose its lubricating capabilities after this time.

If it ain't bust, then don't fix it?

Maybe a watch will run for ten to fifteen years without any attention - trouble is when attention is eventually required then it could be major...and expensive. Furthermore, parts may be required that have to specially ordered, thus extending the time that you are without your watch. I prefer to limit the possibilities of disaster by following the guidelines above! I usually have my watch serviced once a year just to be on the safe side. Even the best replica watches on the web today will need to be serviced from time to time to keep them running smoothly.

Technical Innovation Awards

2008-04-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

Replica Reverso

Replica Jaeger Le Coultre watch. Polished stainless steel casing with a flip over dual watch. this is a great watch to have if you travel a lot. the two independant movements makes it easy to go from time zone to time zone. 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. !!! timetraditions.com.

Price:$169.00

Replica Casablanca

New 2007 Franck muller Casablanca Replica Watch.....wow, this is a really really nice watch. It has a smooth polished stainless steel case, scratch resistant mineral crystal, bright luminescent hands and markers and a smooth sweeping second. This watch is well worth its money. 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED......................... timetraditions.com.

Price:$175.00

You can see more items for sale at https://www.timetraditions.com

Excellent Panerai replica watches.

Mechanical Watch FAQ V1.0

2008-01-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

Mechanical Watch FAQ V1.0

By The TimeZone Community

Compiled by Ed Hahn

Here's my initial cut at a mechanical watch FAQ. As you can see, it's largely a pointer to many of the fine articles contributed to the forum by the community over the years. That being said, if there are any errors on this page itself, they are the fault of the compiler (i.e. me) and not the fault of the other contributors.

Legalese: This FAQ is intended to be informative, and is not intended to supersede any manufacturer's instructions for service or operation of watches. No warranty is expressed or implied. Really, I wouldn't kid you about this. WE are not responsible.

You can view frequently asked questions at http://www.timetraditions.com

They have a wide variety of Asian and Swiss Made replica watches.

Questions answered in this FAQ

Part 0: What is in this FAQ?

Part I: Watch / Movement basics

1.1 What is a mechanical watch?
1.1.1 What is the difference between a movement, ebauche, and caliber
1.1.2 What is a "hack" seconds feature?
1.1.3 What does "17 jewels" mean?
1.1.4 Why do they use synthetic ruby?
1.1.5 Are more jewels better?
1.1.6 What is shock protection?
1.1.7 What is the "T", "T‹25", and the lower-case Greek sigma on my dial mean?

1.2 What is a MecaQuartz?
1.3 What is an Accutron?
1.4 What do I need to do to keep a mechanical watch running for a lifetime?
1.5 Why should I get a mechanical watch when a quartz watch is so much cheaper and more accurate?

2.1 What's the difference between a "manual" and an "automatic"?
2.2 How does an automatic mechanism work?
2.2.1 Are the Seiko Kinetic / Autoquartz therefore automatics?
2.3 What is a watch winder, and do I need one?

Part II: Brands & Accuracy

3.1. What is the best watch made? Is it [insert brand here]?
3.2 How accurate can I expect an [insert brand here] to be?
3.2.1 What does "adjusted" vs. "unadjusted" vs. "regulated" mean?

Part III: Features

4.1 What is a chronometer? What is a chronograph?
4.2 What is a Rattrapante?
4.3 What is a Flyback?
4.4 What is a Column-Wheel?
4.4.1 Are Column-Wheel chronographs better than other types?
4.5 What was the first automatic chronograph movement?

5.1 What is a complication?
5.2 What's a Reserve de Marche?
5.3 What's a Perpetual Calendar?
5.4 What's a Tourbillon?
5.5 What's a Repeater?

Part IIII: Materials

6.1 Should I be concerned about radium on a vintage watch dial? How about Tritium?

7.1 What's the difference between acrylic, mineral, and sapphire crystals?
7.2 How do I remove the scratches from an acrylic crystal?

8.1 If a watch is advertised as "18K", what does that mean?
8.2 What do PVD, CVD, or PE-CVD mean?
8.3 What does Gold-Filled mean?

9.1 What are some other materials used as watch cases?
9.2 How do I remove scratches from my watch?

10.1 This FAQ sucked! Where can I get better answers?

Part 0: What is in this FAQ?

This FAQ is intended to cover the basics of watches and movements themselves.

It is not a buyer's guide; nor will it tell you where to get the best deal on a Rado. Furthermore, it does not talk about many other important issues, such as how the watch industry works, or even how the TimeZone Forum works. There is a short discussion of watch brands and accuracy (mainly to dispell the belief that the two are strongly linked), but otherwise, it does not concentrate on any particular brand (other than as examples).

While it is based on the contributions of many sources, some of which are not verified, all errors on this particular page are mine, and I will correct them if you point them out. I also have tried to add a bit of spice and atmosphere to the discussion; please let me know if this is a faux pas.

I plan to upgrade the FAQ from time to time with illustrations, where appropriate, to better communicate some of the ideas in here.

PART I: Watch / Movement Basics

1.1 What is a mechanical watch?

A mechanical watch is a device for keeping time, which uses the energy from a wound spring, and keeps time through the highly regulated release of that energy through a set of gears (the wheel train) and an escapement. It differs from the typical quartz watch in that it uses purely mechanical components to keep time. Mechanical watches typically can run for about 40 hours on one full winding of the mainspring, with a few designs available with up to 8 days, or even 10 days, of power reserve.

A more in-depth technical explanation, with photographs, of how a watch works can be found in the Horologium article "The Anchor Escapement". Also, it may be useful to peruse a diagram of watch parts residing in the TimeZone archives to familiarize yourself with the lingo. Finally, the Illustrated Glossary of Watch Parts is the definitive guide to see schematics of parts in their natural habitat. (Like animals, they are sometimes easier or more difficult to see in the wild.)

The basic design of mechanical watches has not changed very much in the past fifty years. What has changed is the use of high technology and modern materials in the design and manufacture of watches. Even with the fusion of CAD/CAM, electrospark erosion in the manufacturing, and titanium nitride cases; the pinnacle of watchmaking is still an expression of elegance of design, attention-to-detail in finishing and assembly, and the art of hand-tweaking movements for optimum performance.

A mechanical watch is an anachronism, it is the ultimate refinement of "low" technology; collectively they are an obsession shared by the enthusiasts on TimeZone.

1.1.1 What is the difference between a movement, an ebauche, and a caliber?

A movement is the completed, finished individual mechanism contained inside the case of the watch, not including the case or dial itself, which is responsible for keeping time. An ebauche is typically understood to mean a "raw" or unassembled, unfinished movement, including the major structural components (plates, bridges) and sometimes parts of the wheel train and other moving parts. A caliber is the collective name given to a series of movements of the same design.

Many watch companies will purchase complete movements from a major supplier such as ETA or Lemania, engrave their company's name and other information onto them, and encase it with their own or even contractor-supplied cases. This practice can be up-front - where the company acknowledges that the movements are not of their own design or manufacture, or it can be hidden - where the watch company claims to use "in-house" movements when the movements are in no way designed or manufactured internally.

Some watch companies will purchase an ebauche from a major supplier, polish and decorate the parts (i.e. finish the parts), and assemble it with standard parts to create a higher quality-controlled movement than the stock ready-made movement.

Other companies purchase ebauches, finish them to a high standard, modify parts of the movement, and add custom components like an upgraded escapement assembly - to create what might be called a custom version of that movement, much like how Carroll Shelby, AMG, or BMW's "M" division re-engineer existing automobiles to produce something with higher performance and exclusiveness. Many times, the company will rename the caliber as its own to reflect the modifications and finishing of the movement vs. an unmodified stock movement.

There is often a debate on whether a particular company is being deceptive in renaming a movement based on an outside supplier as an in-house caliber. This debate is summed up quite nicely in the article "When a [Valjoux] 7750 ain't a 7750 any longer" by Time Flies and a host of regulars.

It should also be noted that the largest supplier of ebauches in Switzerland, ETA, can provide a wide variety of finishes on its products, from very raw parts to fully finished movements complete with Geneva stripes and other decoration. They even have a subsidiary, Soprod, that can perform custom finishing and even modifications to the basic movement. Therefore, there is by no means a single level of quality that one can ascribe to an ETA movement - there are basic versions all the way up to fully finished ones and there are even Swiss made replica watches that are very popular today.

Finally, on TZ it is common to see the word ebauche used to refer to any third party movement, even if it is completely assembled.

1.1.2 What is a "hack" seconds feature?

This, AFAIK, is a military term referring to watches that stop the second hand, to allow for more accurate synchronization between two watches. In the most common type of hacking watch, when the crown is pulled out to the time-setting position, a lever is moved which contacts the rim of the balance, thus causing the movement to stop. John Davis has seen other methods used to stop the movement as well, including brakes on the third or fourth wheel.

A. Lange & Sohne have produced a watch that stops the balance when the crown is pulled out and automatically moves the second hand to the "0" position - to help facilitate setting against an accurate time reference that are also found on A. Lange & Sohne replica watches.

1.1.3 What does "17 jewels" mean?

Higher grade watches have traditionally used a jeweled movements, which means that jewels (originally natural ruby, now synthetic ruby) were actually used in the movement. These jewels are functional - they are used as the bearings for the wheel trains and in high wear parts such as the escape lever and impulse jewel.

A lower-end movement from before 1970 would typically use 5 or 7 jewels; this end of the market has pretty much been taken over by quartz. Nowadays, most manual wind watches will have a standard complement of 17 jewels, which are:

1: Impulse jewel (the part of the balance wheel assembly which receives a kick from the escape lever)
2-5: Balance staff pivot bearings (two pairs - in combinations of one pivot jewel (i.e. jewel with a hole to receive the axle (pivot) of the wheel) and one cap jewel (i.e. jewel without a hole outboard of the pivot jewel, to prevent excessive movement of the balance staff), usually shock protected)
6-7: Escape lever pallets (one pair)
8-9: Escape lever pivot bearings (one pair)
10-11: Escape wheel pivot bearings (one pair)
12-13: Fourth wheel pivot bearings (one pair)
14-15: Third wheel pivot bearings (one pair)
16-17: Center wheel pivot bearings (one pair)

Note that automatic winding movements, and movements with additional functions such as chronographs and calendars, can up the total number of jewels tremendously. For example, the IWC Il Destriero Scafusia (claimed to be among the most complicated wristwatches manufactured) has a total of 76 jewels to accommodate the time, perpetual calendar, rattrapante chronograph, repeater, and tourbillon functions - and this is a manual wind watch.

1.1.4 Why do they use synthetic ruby?

Ruby is technically known corundum, and is a crystallized form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3). In pure form, corundum is white in color; trace impurities are added to change the color - to red in the case of rubies. It should also be noted that any other color of corundum (including clear) is known as sapphire. Ruby is used because it is an extremely hard and provides a slick surface for the wheel pivots (and other steel components) to operate on. In a mechanical watch, there is a constant force applied to the pivot of every wheel in the wheel train, which is applied by the wound-up mainspring.

Without any jewels, the steel wheel pivots would very quickly grind away the bridge and plate material until the wheels came out of alignment, and the movement would crash to a halt. In the inexpensive watch of yesteryear, the pivot holes may have been provided with hardened metal bushings.

Ruby is significantly better than steel in handling the forces involved, wearing long, and providing a nice low friction surface suitable for both high-load as well as high-speed motion. With modern production methods, they are cheap (~$0.02 each). And they look nice.

1.1.5 Are more jewels better?

Not necessarily. As noted above, a typical hand-wind movement today will have only 17 jewels as a full complement. Some really high-grade or ultra-thin movements will add a few extra jewels to further protect against any wear, but even these top out at 21-23 jewels.

Only those pieces of the movement which are between the mainspring and the escape wheel are candidates for jeweling, as these are the movement parts that experience the large forces or relatively high speeds of the mainspring or escapement. Other components, such as the motion works (i.e. hour and minute wheels), calendar mechanisms, and winding train are not under this constant stress, and thus arguably do not need jewels.

Automatic winding movements will add about 4-8 jewels to help most efficiently transfer the relatively small rotor forces into winding the mainspring. Another factor has to do with how the watch is constructed - especially for chronograph movements and perpetual calendars. Some chronograph movements used today (including the ETA 2894-2) are modular in construction - meaning that a plate containing the chronograph works is grafted onto a basic timekeeping movement. Since the original timekeeping movements were not always designed with this in mind, it becomes critical for the add-on module to add as little "drag" as possible - which may indicate use of jewels for their low friction properties.

BTW, one will occasionally encounter a quartz movement with jewels in it - they technically aren't really necessary because a quartz wheel train is not constantly under stress. There is a discussion of jeweled quartz movements in the archives.

As a historical note, there was a "jewel craze" about 50 years ago, where manufacturers, under the belief that the public thought more was always better, came up with 75 or even 100 jewel movements. Most of these jewels were not functional in any way, and the results looked ludicrous to an informed eye.

1.1.6 What is Shock Protection?

As is fairly obvious, a mechanical watch is made up of numerous tiny parts, many of which are in constant motion. It would not do for an accidental bump to interfere with the watch's ability to keep time due to damaging of the balance pivots. So, watchmakers include "shock-protection" in their watches in the form of a tiny spring that holds the balance staff jewels in place, instead of being rigidly held. This gives a slight amount of give - not enough to disrupt the operation of the watch for more than a moment, but enough to prevent the balance pivots or cap jewels from damage.

Shock protection is usually only applied to the balance because the high speeds and regular motion they are designed for - this kind of design goal leads one to small, extremely hard pivots, with most of the weight concentrated at the rim of the balance. These factors combine to make for a lot of broken pivots.

Richard Paige has a short article on the details of how a shock proof system works.

1.1.7 What do the "T", "T‹25", and the lower-case Greek sigma on my watch dial mean? These are optional industry markings, found next to the inscription 'Swiss Made' on some watches, which signify what the markers on the dial are made from.

The "T" means that tritium (a low-level radioactive substance) was applied to make the hands and/or markers glow in the dark. The "T‹25" means the same thing, except it spells out that less than 25 milliCuries of radioactive material is used. See section 6.1 for more information about Tritium.

The lower-case Greek sigma means that the markers are made of solid gold.

1.2 What is a MecaQuartz?

A movement described as a "mecaquartz" is actually a quartz movement that contains many mechanical components. An example is the Jaeger LeCoultre (JLC) Caliber 631, which uses a quartz movement to drive not only an analog hour/minute/second display, but also mechanically drives a chronograph function (see 4.1, below). This differs from a typical quartz chronograph, where the chronograph functions are either digitally displayed in an LCD window (e.g. Breitling Aerospace), or where the chronograph hands are individually driven by separate motors (e.g. Seiko Flight Computer, with four separate motors).

A "mecaquartz" movement as that term is commonly used is not a quartz movement with a mechanical charging system, such as the Seiko Kinetic or Swatch Autoquartz (see 2.2.1, below).

1.3 What is an Accutron?

The Accutron is an electrically driven movement developed in the early 1960's by the Bulova corporation, and was a precursor to the quartz revolution of the late 60's. Instead of having a mechanical balance wheel, the Accutron used a mechanically resonating system very much like a tuning fork to keep a constant vibration rate, and thus time regulation, for the rest of the mechanical movement.

Accutrons have a distinctive audible hum when operating, and their second hand is driven at such a high frequency that it truly appears to move continuously, unlike a mechanical watch (which vibrates at 10 Hz or less) or a modern quartz watch. Accutrons were the first major advance using electronics in timekeeping technology over mechanical watches.

The Horologium contains great dissection of the Remarkable Bulova Accutron.

1.4 What do I need to do to keep a mechanical watch running for a lifetime?

Within reason, a mechanical watch can always be brought back into good time keeping, and a jeweled movement can last for generations.

However, it is important to periodically service a watch to ensure that the components are well-lubricated, and that the mechanism is free from dust, dirt, and moisture. Any water that gets inside a mechanical watch will wreak havoc with the precision mechanism inside, especially the anchor escapement and escape wheel which are typically made of steel.

The typical rule of thumb is to have the water resistance (i.e., the integrity of the seals in the crown, bezel, and caseback) of a watch checked every year or so, especially if used for sports or diving. With the development of modern synthetic lubricants, most manufacturers recommend a servicing every four or five years.

"How a Watch is Tested For Water Resistance" by Richard Paige and James Dowling, and "Cost of Servicing a Watch" by Walt Odets give much more detail about how these maintenance steps are carried out, and why servicing, which may appear to be costly, is in fact a very involved process when done correctly and worth the investment.

Finally, since the crown is often the only means by which the watch owner can adjust/abuse the movement inside the case, Walt Odets has provided Some Basics In Handling the Crown.

1.5 Why should I get a mechanical watch when a quartz watch is so much cheaper and more accurate?

Yes, Virginia, a quartz watch is cheaper and more accurate than a mechanical watch. A good mechanical watch can typically be made no more accurate than 2-3 seconds per day. Your typical inexpensive quartz is usually good to 0.5 seconds per day or better. For an in-depth analysis, Walt Arnstein has written a Everything you wanted to know about a quartz but were afraid to ask .

But mechanical watches are not about achieving the ultimate in accuracy. Craftsmanship, aesthetics, and tradition are all part of the allure. Because the wheel train of an analog quartz watch is not under constant stress from a wound mainspring, it does not need to be as finely finished, nor does it require painstaking skill and precision in assembly.

Mechanical watches are good enough for most people's everyday lives, and they call to our emotional side.

2.1 What's the difference between a "manual" and an "automatic"?

An "automatic" wristwatch is a mechanical wristwatch with a self-winding mechanism. In other words, one does not have to wind the crown periodically to keep the watch running. A "manual" or "manual wind" watch must be wound by hand, using the crown, usually every day, to operate continuously.

If one were going to own only a single watch, and wear it every day, an automatic would be a good choice, since the watch will be worn consistently enough to stay wound - the owner would never need to manually wind the watch, and would only need to adjust the time to compensate for drift and at changeover to daylight/summer time and back. (In fact, several early automatic movements dispensed with the crown and moved the time-setting mechanism onto the back, under the theory that the mechanism would only be accessed infrequently. This turned out to be a marketing flop - people liked the look and easy accessibility of the crown.)

For this reason, most commonly seen watches with more than a simple date window use automatic movements - this includes "triple date" calendars, annual calendars, perpetual calendars, and any of these combined with moonphases (see 5.3 for more information about calendars). With few exceptions (oddly enough, these seem to be more expensive watches), most manual wind watches have simpler calendars, although they may include other complications like chronographs (see section 4.1).

One caveat about automatics - if you have more than one watch that is worn regularly, the automatic winding advantage is lessened - the automatic may stop if not worn often enough. With some calendar mechanisms, this is can be an increased inconvenience when the watch is reset.

Finally, since frequently worn automatics are usually at or near a full state of wind most of the time, one may get the impression that they can be adjusted to be more accurate and consistent over the course of many days. This, in fact, is not necessarily the case, as a manual-wind watch that is wound consistently once per day can be tweaked so that the day to day variation is very small. In short, there is no definite performance advantage to an automatic - it is mostly a convenience.

2.2 How does an automatic mechanism work?

All self-winding watches work on the principle of converting arm motion (kinetic energy) into the winding of the mainspring (potential energy). Usually, this is performed by a half-disc of metal weighted at the edge called a rotor, which spins when the wearer's arm is accelerated unpredictably (that is, when moved normally in the course of everyday life). This rotary motion is then geared down to wind the central arbor of the mainspring. Walt Arnstein has written an in-depth article about the Physics of the Automatic Watch's Winding System.

All automatic watches have an overwind protection mechanism of one sort or another, to prevent breaking the mainspring once fully wound. In a typical system, the mainspring, which is wound at the central arbor of the barrel, is not rigidly attached to the outside of the barrel. Instead, there are a series of detents along the outer edge of the barrel that allow a stiffly constructed mainspring part called the bridle to slide along when an attempt to overwind is made. On some watches, a faint click can be heard when this happens, on others, it cannot be heard. It should be noted that this overwind protection is critical to avoid damage to the watch, and is reported to be one of the more tricky things to get right during a watch service because of the special lubricant needed to ensure proper operation.

The Horologium contains several articles about different types of automatic winding systems, including a vintage JLC/Vacheron automatic, a modern production JLC as in used in the International Watch Company (IWC) Portugieser Automatic (scroll to the bottom of the article), a modern ETA/Eterna system as used in an $85 Swatch Automatic, and an innovative bi-directional system from the IWC Caliber 8541 (now used in the new IWC Cal. 5000).

There is also a series of forum posts by several authors dealing with micro-rotor watches, as illustrated with photographs in this separate article by Hans Zbinden.

2.2.1 Are the Seiko Kinetic / Autoquartz therefore Automatics?

Not quite, but close. The Seiko Kinetic and ETA Autoquartz movements are quartz movements. However, they use a rotor system similar to those used by automatics. The difference is that the rotor's motion is converted to electricity, which is then used to charge a capacitor. The quartz movement then draws current from the capacitor as if it were a battery.

It should be noted that the latest generation of autoquartz movements can store enough power to run the watch for several months (or even years in the case of the Seiko Auto-Relay); a mechanical automatic can only store as much power as contained in the mainspring - which is usually only 40 hours or so for most automatics.

2.3 What is a watch winder, and do I need one?

As noted in section 2.1, collectors who have more than one automatic watch may have "difficulty" keeping any one watch going continuously. This leads to increased inconvenience if calendars and moonphases must be reset. A solution has been invented - the automatic watch winder.

The idea is quite simple: strap the automatic watch to a motor, which then moves the watch enough to keep it wound when not worn on the wrist. That way, one can choose to wear any watch at any time, and not have to reset the time or calendars. In theory, this device should be simple and cheap.

In practice, it's not as easy as it sounds. First, while an automatic watch has an overwind protection mechanism to avoid damage to the movement, if the overwind mechanism is constantly used for hours at a time (i.e. though constant turning, rather than the unpredictable movement of the human wrist), the lubrication of the mechanism is worn out faster. This means that watch winders must be designed to only make so many turns per day, and to let the watch sit. Furthermore, since automatic winding mechanisms vary from watch model to model, the winder must be designed to have an adjustable number and direction of turns per day. Finally, mechanical watches are considered luxury items, which means watch winders are doubly so - due to the small number of people who would actually want one.

All of this means that manufacturers for the consumer market must not only make their winders mechanically foolproof to avoid damaging watches, but they often construct the winder comparably to a jewelry box. The upshot of all this is that most consumer watch winders with programmable winding are expensive - often costing several hundred or thousand dollars.

While cheaper professional models exist, these often do not come with programmable settings, as the maker assumes that they would be used in a watchmaker's shop.

Last word - winders are not a necessity, they are a convenience. You should decide whether they are worth it based on whether you feel inconvenienced resetting your automatics occasionally, and whether they are worth it to you as a luxury item.

PART II: Brands & Accuracy

3.1. Who makes the best watch? Is it [insert brand here]?

In my opinion, the answer to these questions depend almost exclusively on what is important to the person asking them. Consider the following qualities that a watch can have, any of which can be the most important factor in some people's minds:

Accuracy - how well does the watch keep time?
Features - can the watch act as a analog or digital calculator? a calendar which never needs setting? keep important phone numbers? can be used when diving to hundreds of meters? double in a pinch as an altimeter, depth gauge, navigation system, and emergency locator? can it be used as a stopwatch? - the variations these days are endless!
Status - will the other company's negotiator be unconsciously swayed by the fact that I have a recognizable status symbol on my wrist? (Note - I believe that this is a legitimate question for some people!)
Ruggedness/Dependability - can I wear this watch in combat? can I wear it near strong magnetic fields? will it need a battery replacement at an unacceptable moment?
Aesthetics - is this watch a work of art? does it fit with my personal sense of taste?
Craftsmanship - what do the dial, case, and movement say about the skill and care of the watchmakers who made it?
Cost - how cheap can I get it for?

...the list goes on. Ask any number of people, and they will not only differ on the relative importance of these categories, but they will also differ on whether a particular watch is satisfactory in each category!

My own personal opinion - figure out what is important to you in a watch, and find out whether the watch you're looking for has it. Don't ask people to make a sweeping judgment about the overall worthiness of a watch - you'll get way too many conflicting answers.

3.2 How accurate can I expect a [insert brand here] to be?

This is truly a Frequently Asked Question, in that people will post that they have just bought a new IWC/Rolex/JLC/Revue Thommen/Omega/etc., and it gains/loses X seconds per day - they then ask whether this acceptable for this brand.

After reading several articles on this subject, I've come to the following conclusions:

Just about any current production watch is capable of running overall within 1-2 seconds/day - this includes relatively inexpensive brands like Hamilton and ORIS, as well as high-end brands like Patek, JLC, and Lange.
The stability of a given rate can be quite ephemeral, with the instantaneous rate even in a single position varying constantly. This means that the rates for a given watch are constantly drifting - although for higher grade movements the amount of drift tends to be much smaller.
The question of accuracy is more subtle than it appears on the surface. The reason is that, due to the limits of how small components can be, forces will act on the components differently when worn on the wrist vs. when resting in any particular position. In other words, even a watch which has a daily error rate of 4-5 seconds/day in any single position can be made to show zero overall drift though the combination of wearing the watch and letting it sit overnight in a particular position to compensate for drift obtained during wear.
A higher quality watch may or may not be more accurate than a lower quality watch at any given instant in time, but it has the potential to be more accurate. The reason is that a higher quality watch has been adjusted to minimize the variation in error in several positions, and has less drift in the rate over time.
It is a relatively simple operation for a watchmaker to adjust a watch that runs consistently fast or slow to near zero error. This operation, which is called regulation - merely increases or decreases the overall rate without compensating for rates in positions.

Also, the conventional wisdom is that a typical new watch needs to be run-in - in other words, while sitting unused in the jeweler's shop, lubricants pool in certain locations. It takes a couple of months for the lubricants to be properly redistributed, and for the motion to wear away some of the microscopic imperfections that all parts have. Bottom line - let a new watch run for about 2 months before taking it in to be re-regulated.

3.2.1 What does "adjusted" vs. "unadjusted" vs. "regulated" mean?

These are terms to be used in conjunction with the discussion in section 3.2.

An "unadjusted" movement is a movement where no attempt has been made to ensure that the daily error rate in several orientations (positions) have been minimized across the positions. An "adjusted" movement, therefore, has had some extra care in ensuring that the variance in accuracy between several orientations is minimized.

Watches are typically adjusted to 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 positions. Traditionally, they are ordered as follows:

Dial Up
Crown Down
Dial Down
Crown Left
Crown Up
Crown Right

For example, a watch adjusted to two positions include positions 1 & 2 from the above list (i.e. face up and crown down). Similarly, a watch adjusted for 4 positions has been adjusted in positions 1-4, and so on. Watches can also be adjusted for isochronism (i.e. constant time across varying states of wind) and temperature. Some manufacturers (Franck Muller, some Patek Phillipe) adjusts to 8 positions (the above six plus two half-way orientations); some on the forum would say that this is a bit over-the-top.

A "regulated" movement is a when the overall rate of the entire movement (either adjusted or not) is brought into correct absolute timing. Unlike adjustment, this is a simple tweak, which moves the daily rates of all of the positions up or down without intentionally changing the relative rates in positions.

PART III: Features

4.1 What is a chronometer? What is a chronograph?

These two terms are commonly confused among new watch aficionados. They actually have very little to do with each other.

A chronometer is a watch which has passed a test given by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres, or COSC. The COSC is an official Swiss government agency which tests watches to ensure that they fit within a narrow-but-usually-obtainable window of acceptable error (i.e., the rate in all positions falls into the range of -4 seconds/day to +6 seconds/day). While some watch companies tout their products as having a COSC certificate, it really is not that difficult to pass the test, and over 95% of the watches submitted pass. Another factor to consider is that the COSC does not test watches as they are sold in the store, but movements fitted with a temporary case, dial and hands. In addition, the COSC certificate cannot say anything about how the movement was handled after testing. For more information on COSC testing and the meaning of the results reported on the COSC certificate, see Mike Disher's article "Reading and Understanding a COSC Certificate". Several watch manufacturers actually put more stringent tests than the COSC procedures on all of their watch production (the JLC Master Control 1000-Hour series is probably the most well known.) Paul Schliesser has written an essay on how COSC testing is performed.

A chronograph is a watch that tells the time of day and also allows the user to time events of short-to-medium durations (i.e. from a few seconds to a few hours, typically). This is usually done in a mechanical watch through the central seconds hand, and one or more subdials (the regular, or continuous seconds, is also located on a dial). Chronographs are of varying usefulness, and are an interesting complication to put on a watch, as they often give the watch a sporty image. In addition to elapsed time, chronographs are often fitted with several scales designed to measure other things, such as pulse rate or units manufactured per hour. Mike Margolis has written a short discourse on chronograph scales.

A typical modern chronograph is operated with two pushers: one to start and stop the timing, and a second to reset the hands to zero when the timing is stopped. (In some older chronos with only one-button for control, the sequence of pushes was start-stop-reset - there was no provision to continue timing once the mechanism was stopped.)

4.2 What is a Rattrapante?

A "Rattrapante" is a chronograph with an added second hand, to allow, for example, lap times in a multi-lap event to be read off without stopping the chronograph. A chronograph is usually started with one pusher, which starts both second hands moving (one superimposed over the other). When the operator desires to read an intermediate time, he/she pushes a second pusher. On the dial, one of the second hands stops (the "split" hand), while the main second hand continues. If the second pusher is pressed again, the split seconds hand "catches up" with the main second hand, and is ready to be used again.

Interestingly, three languages describe this function in different ways: "Rattrapante" is the French term for "catch up" (describing the motion of the split hand); the German term for this function is "Doppelchronograph", or double chronograph; the English term is "Split Seconds" (describing the appearance of the second hand when the function is activated).

An example of this function is on the IWC Doppelchronograph or Breitling Chronoracer (a mecaquartz (!) rattrapante).

4.3 What is a Flyback?

A "Flyback" or "Retour a vol" is a function which allows the chronograph to be reset to zero without having to stop the chronograph first (recall that a normal chrono requires one to stop the timing before resetting). This is useful for aviation, where several segments or legs of a route are flown for specific periods of time in sequence; the act of stopping, resetting, and restarting leads to a short delay in the beginning of timing the next leg. This delay, reportedly, can be a factor in some precision military operations, for example.

Examples of chronos with flyback include the Blancpain Flyback Chronograph, and the Breguet Type XX Aeronavale.

4.4 What is a Column-Wheel?

As one can imagine, constructing a chronograph is fraught with the potential for inadvertently stopping or damaging the entire movement. For example, if the reset mechanism was somehow activated while the chronograph was running, large destructive forces would be applied to the entire movement train, which would at the very least jam the movement, and would likely destroy several components.

The column wheel was one of the successful early designs to ensure that none of the above happened. If you can visualize the top of a castle turret, with tooth-like battlements, this is what a column wheel looks like. The pushers that control the chronograph rotate this wheel, and the various parts of the chronograph are controlled by fingers that fall into and out of the spaces between the teeth. This ensures that each of the chronograph parts is coordinated properly.

Because producing and finishing a column wheel is labor-intensive, a simpler, easier method of producing chronographs was needed to keep this complication from appearing only in very expensive watches. The most common method is to use an oscillating pinion to coordinate the chronograph start, stop, and reset (i.e. a cam shaped device that rotates back and forth as the various functions are activated.) This allows for reliable operation without nearly as much fiddling and hand adjustment as a column wheel requires, and the pinion can be built using pieces of stamped metal.

These days, relatively few column wheel designs are still being produced - the Zenith El Primero, some Lemania and F. Piguet movements, and (interestingly) a F. Piguet rattrapante mecaquartz are examples. The most common movements, such as the Valjoux 7750 and various Lemania movements (1874, 5100), are not of column wheel design.

Walt Odets dissected a Frederick Piguet column wheel chronograph and an oscillating pinion Valjoux 7750 in the Horologium.

4.4.1 Are Column-Wheel chronographs better than other types?

Tough question - much like the question of which watch is the best.

Certainly column wheels are a traditional method of coordinating the chronograph components, and tradition counts for a lot.

On the other hand, the newer, non-column wheel movements have certainly proved themselves in a variety of demanding situations. Both the column-wheel and non-column-wheel version of the Omega Speedmaster were certified for space flight by NASA. And the non-column-wheel Lemania 5100 has been one of the few mechanical movements to be accepted as sufficiently rugged by modern military forces.

So - much like the question of which watch is best, I suggest that one think about which factors are personally most important in a chronograph, and make the decision from there.

4.5 What was the first automatic chronograph movement?

The late 60's saw a race among three sets of manufacturers (two Swiss groups and Seiko in Japan) to create the first automatic winding chronograph movement. Interestingly enough, they all succeeded within a few months of each other. This story is documented by Ignacio.

5.1 What is a complication?

A complication is defined as a wristwatch function beyond that required for simple hour, minute, and second. More practically, common additions such as a day/date window are typically excluded from this definition. This leaves a wide variety of features that can be either commonly or less frequently found on watches.

Chronographs of all flavors have been dealt with in Section 4. This section will discuss some of the more commonly seen (or at least coveted) complications.

5.2 What's a Reserve de Marche?

A Reserve de Marche, or Power Reserve, is an indicator that displays the approximate number of days or hours left on the current state of mainspring wind. This typically cannot be done by a simple gear train, since a watch is wound from the center arbor of the barrel, and the power is removed from the outer rim of the barrel. Therefore, a gear train that can act as a differential is required to read out the difference between the arbor position and the barrel rim position.

This can be a very useful complication, as it lets one know whether a watch is wound before putting it on. This is true for automatics (which may be in any state of wind) or long power reserve watches (such as the Eberhard 8 days, Lange 1, or the new Patek 5100 ten-day reserve).

5.3 What's a Perpetual Calendar? How is it different from an Annual Calendar or Triple-Date?

A perpetual calendar is the most developed form of the simple date window on a typical watch. It keeps track of date, day-of-the-week, (sometimes weeks), months, year, leap years, and sometimes even centuries. Because of the relatively complex rules governing the Gregorian calendar, including the varying lengths of months, and leap years every four years, a typical perpetual calendar has wheels turning from several times per second (e.g. balance wheel) all the way to once every four years. Because of the complexity of the Gregorian calendar, some perpetual calendars will require an experienced watchmaker open the watch to make an adjustment at AD 2100, or later (assuming that an experienced watchmaker still exists then).

Some less complex calendars are also available:

Semi-perpetual calendars (e.g. the Breitling Montbrilliant 1461), which requires an adjustment on leap year day only.
annual calendars (of which the Patek Philippe 5035 is an outstanding example), which only require a user adjustment once every February
"triple date" calendars, which contain month, day, and date - but need to be manually advanced at the end of each (short) month

Some would say that the inconvenience in resetting the date on a true perpetual calendar is the main reason for the existence of the watch winder industry. :-)

Walt Odets has analyzed the calendar mechanisms in several models of the IWC line, and the Patek Philippe 5035.

5.4 What's a Tourbillon?

A tourbillon is a holdover from the days of the pocket watch.

As discussed in Section 3.2 on adjusting a watch for positions, in even the best watches there are small variations between the different vertical orientations (i.e. in the crown up, down, left, or right positions). This is largely due to the combined effect of gravity, the hairspring shape and attachment point on the balance staff and cock, and the regulator pins.

Unlike a wristwatch, a pocketwatch worn in a vest will spend the majority of its time in a vertical position. Therefore 18th/19th century watchmaker Abraham Louis Breguet allegedly decided that, for the absolute best accuracy, some means of balancing out the effects of gravity in the various orientations was needed. The solution he devised placed the balance wheel, escape lever, and escape wheel in a cage, which then rotated as a unit within the movement as a result of the normal escapement process. In this way, the overall effects of gravity get balanced out, as the escapement of the movement never spends any significant time in one vertical position.

However, this solution is very complex, with the result that a tourbillon has become more a statement about the watchmaker's skill rather than having any real performance advantage - starting price on a tourbillon is roughly in the $50,000 range. The performance advantage is even further nullified by the fact that wristwatches spend a less predictable amount of time in less predictable positions.

(Fun fact - Lemania makes several tourbillon movements which are supplied to a number of high-zoot companies, so these companies can sell tourbillons without having to spend the development time and money. This list of companies, naturally, is very tightly held.)

5.5 What's a Repeater? How is it different from a Sonnerie?

A repeater, or "Repetition Minutes" is a variety of chiming watch. Unlike a striking clock, repeaters do not automatically strike the hour, quarter, or minutes in passing - they must be activated by the user, usually through a slide or push button.

Watches which do strike "en passsant" (in passing) automatically are called Petit or Grande Sonneries.

Repeaters currently come in several varieties, based on the smallest unit of time which they can indicate:

Quarter Repeater: Chimes the hour, followed by the number of quarter-hour intervals at the current time. (example: 4:21 would have four chimes for the hours, then 1 chime for passing the first quarter-hour.)
Half-quarter Repeater: Chimes the hour, followed by the number of half-quarter hours (i.e. 7.5 minute intervals) past the hour. (example: 4:21 would have four chimes for the hours, then two chimes for two half quarters. Note that it would chime three times once getting past 4:22:30)
Five-minute Repeater: Chimes the hour, followed by the number of five-minute intervals (example: 4:21 would have four chimes for the hours, then four chimes for passing 20 minutes past the hour.)
Minute Repeaters: Chimes the hour, followed by quarter-hours, followed by minutes (example: 4:21 would have four chimes for hours, 1 chime for passing the first quarter-hour, and six chimes for minutes into the second quarter hour.)

These again are very high-priced items, with one exception - the Kelek five-minute repeater at $5,300 list. More typically, they are in the $20,000 and up range.

Part IIII: Materials

6.1 Should I be concerned about radium on a vintage watch dial? How about Tritium? And what's this Luminova stuff?

The short answer is, don't worry about it, but don't eat the dials either.

Radium was used after about 1900 as a means of illuminating watch hands and markers at night. It was widely used until the 1940's or so, when the hazards of radiation were (belatedly) understood. Since them, a less powerful radioactive source, tritium (a kind of hydrogen) has been used. At the time of this writing (November, 2000), tritium is being phased out of watch dials, partially due to availability of tritium, and partially due to the development of non-radioactive luminous compounds like Luminova which "hold their charge" of light better.

The main victims of radium were the watch dial painters, who were encouraged to keep a fine point on their paint brushes by licking the brush end. The wearers of the watch receive only a small dose of additional radiation per year, much less than the natural background radiation.

A thorough examination of the issue is contained in Bruce Lulu's definitive article on luminous watch hands.

7.1 What's the difference between acrylic, mineral, and sapphire crystals?

An acrylic watch crystal (i.e. the see-through window above the dial) is a kind of plastic, which has the advantage of being resistant to shattering, but can be scratched easily. Fortunately, scratches can be easily removed from acrylic.

Mineral crystal is a kind of glass, which is more scratch resistant than acrylic, but not as as good as sapphire. Mineral crystals are also somewhat better at shatter resistance compared with sapphire. Unlike acrylic, scratches in mineral glass are more difficult to buff out; and unlike sapphire, mineral glass will scratch. In my opinion, the mineral crystal seems to be a poor compromise between the two extremes.

A sapphire crystal is indeed made of synthetic sapphire, which is a transparent form of corundum, or aluminum oxide (Al2O3). It is extremely hard (Moh's scale 9), and will resist scratching by most substances short of diamonds. However, if struck sharply and from the correct direction, sapphire will shatter. Despite the relatively large size compared with sapphire gemstones, sapphire crystals aren't very expensive (~$20). (Another fun fact - the windows built in to grocery store checkout lines which scan for the bar code on products are often made of synthetic sapphire - for the same reasons that watch crystals are!)

7.2 How do I remove the scratches from an acrylic crystal?

Good old-fashioned toothpaste is a good start. Start by buffing a little bit onto a clean cloth over the area of the scratch. Rub lightly, and rinse with a very slightly damp cloth. Repeat until gone.

Note that there are also purpose-made polishes for this purpose, such as Polywatch or Crystal-Kleer

(Legalese: I cannot be held responsible if you try this for yourself, and end up ruining your watch. This procedure is intended for people willing to take responsibility for their own actions only.)

8.1 If a watch is advertised as "18K", what does that mean?

The term 18K refers to solid gold. Pure gold is very soft; gold is made in several "karats", or 1/24th proportions of gold, to make it harder and stand up to daily wear.

9K = 9/24 purity of gold = 37.5% purity (sometimes seen in vintage and/or UK market watch cases, along with 10K gold)
14K = 14/24 purity of gold = 58.3% (sometimes marked 583 or 585 in gold hallmarks)
18K = 18/24 purity of gold = 75% (sometimes marked 750 in gold hallmarks)
24K = 24/24 purity of gold = 100%, which I'm guessing you'll never see in watch cases.

So, that JLC you were looking at in 18K gold has a case made of real 75% purity solid gold. No wonder it's so expensive. :-)

(BTW, bracelets sold with solid gold watches are often themselves solid gold - which as you might expect adds significantly to the price.)

8.2 What do PVD, CVD, or PE-CVD mean?

Physical Vapor Deposition is a method of plating gold or other substances to a thickness of several microns (1/1000ths of a millimeter) over a base metal surface. Other methods include Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), or Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE-CVD). This allows the watch to look like a gold watch, but it won't last for more than a few years of normal wear. When it does finally show through, it cannot be repaired.

8.3 What does Gold-Filled mean? How about Rolled-Gold Plate?

Gold-filled means gold bars are soldered to a base metal, then rolled into sheets to give a somewhat higher thickness of gold than any plating method. The resulting layer of gold is slightly thicker than a sheet of paper. Gold-filled cases were originally warranted to last a certain number of years in normal wear - e.g. 25 years, and are somewhat more durable than modern gold plating.

This practice was common until the 1960's, but has been largely replaced by plating processes.

Rolled-gold plate was another vintage method of plating gold, except the gold was rolled out flat before being bonded to the base metal. This process has been supplanted largely by electrochemical plating and PVD.

9.1 What are some other materials used as watch cases?

Aside from the standard gold and stainless steel, high-end watches are often made of platinum or titanium.

Platinum is a very heavy metal, and gives a shiny white metal appearance. Unlike gold, pure platinum is fairly hard and resistant to scratches (similar to hard stainless steel). For this reason, it is often used in 95% purity (i.e. Pt 950). However, raw platinum is more expensive to use, not only because of its rarity, but also because it is used in higher purities and requires more effort to work into a final shape.

Titanium is a relatively light-weight metal, with a hardness exceeding that of most steels. It also has a poor heat transfer capability, which means that it won't carry heat away from your skin as quickly as steel or aluminum (i.e. it will feel warmer to the touch - sometimes you'll see claims that titanium "remains at skin temperature" - this is technically incorrect, any more than a small piece of wood stays at skin temperature). Several varieties of titanium are available. Titanium has some interesting mechanical properties: it can "rip" when cut so it is difficult to machine, and two pieces of titanium pressed together can "weld" themselves together. This latter property is why it is important that watches with titanium cases and backs have the casebacks removed periodically - the threads can actually rip out of the case if left undisturbed too long.

Other case materials which one will run across occasionally (especially on the vintage market) are Sterling Silver (92.5% purity silver), Coin silver (80% purity silver), nickel silver or silveroid (not silver, but 66% copper, 24% zinc, and 10% nickel), nickel, and nickel plated steel. Also, more recently, one can even find watch cases made of ceramic (zirconium oxide, as used recently by IWC) and aluminum (used in conjunction with other metals, as currently used by Porsche Design and BVLGARI.)

In addition, for more information on Titanium, see Mycroft's other article on IWC's Titanium.

9.2 How do I remove scratches from my watch?

Depends on the finish. Justin Time explains the process for Stainless Steel. For gold or platinum, use the appropriate polish from a jewelry store, keeping in mind that a brushed gold/platinum finish will be harder to match than a glossy finish (see the stainless steel article for pointers on matching the pattern.)

A certain member of the forum, whose real name is Norman, sells a leather patch which people have used to good effect in removing scratches from watches.

For gold filled or gold plate, I would recommend that you leave them alone - you don't want to remove any more of the finish than already exists!