Depending on whether it’s accompanying you to a black tie gala, the bottom of the Mariana Trench, or trackside at Formula One, your watch will likely boast a distinct aesthetic and occasion-specific complications. But regardless of whether you’re sporting a dress watch, dive watch, chronograph, or even a grand complication, all watches share certain fundamental components. Understanding the different parts of a watch will enable you to talk about your own in a convincing and confident manner, and prevent you from ever referring to a component as “those uh, little circle things”.
The different parts of a watch
Case
The body that encases the movement and dial. Watch cases are typically made out of metal — either stainless steel, bronze, or titanium, or precious metals like gold, rose gold, or platinum — however nowadays watch brands are also experimenting with materials like ceramic.
Related: A Guide To The Different Watch Case Shapes
Dial
The dial is the front of the watch which displays the time and houses the indices (hour markers) or numerals, hands, and any subdials. It’s sometimes colloquially referred to as a ‘face’, however dial is the correct horological term.
Crystal
The crystal is the clear covering that protects the dial and is typically crafted from sapphire crystal or mineral crystal, with the former being the strongest.
Bezel
The bezel is the outer ring that holds the crystal in place. Certain watches—such as the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona pictured above—use the bezel to house extra information like a tachymeter scale or slide-rule (in the case of the Breitling Navitimer). The bezel may also be able to rotate — unidirectionally to mark elapsed time or bidirectionally to set an additional time zone.
Crown
Also known as the stem, the crown is used to control the winding and time-setting of the watch. It’s typically found at 3 o’clock.
Pushers
In the case of a chronograph watch, pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock (either side of the crown) are used to stop, start, and reset the chronograph function. The top pusher starts and stops the chronograph while the bottom pusher resets it.
Indices
Also known as hour markers, indices are sometimes used in place of Arabic or Roman numerals.
Window/aperture
While not pictured above, some timepieces display additional information in an aperture. This can be as simple as a date window or even a moonphase display.
Minutes track
The minutes track is located on the periphery of the dial or between the hour indices and is expressed as small lines that allow for more precise time-telling.
Small seconds
Some watches opt to display the seconds on a subdial rather than using a central seconds hand. This is common with chronograph watches which feature a central chronograph hand.
Subdial
The small seconds display is an example of a subdial, as are the additional two chronograph counters on the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. A subdial is a miniature dial that sits on the watch dial and is used to display additional information. This can be in the form of small seconds, chronograph counters, or even a date indicator or calendar function.
Lugs
Lugs are projections that extend from the watch case and allow the case to be fastened to a strap or bracelet.
Strap or bracelet
All wristwatches are presented on either a strap or bracelet that secures the watch case to the wrist. Straps are made of leather or fabric, while bracelets are made of metal.
Want to learn more about watches? Our Ultimate Guide To Watches has everything you need to know; from the types of watch movements to the key watch styles and complications.
Words by AR Staff
