Unidirectional Rotating Bezel:
An elapsed time rotating bezel, often found on divers watches, that moves only in a counterclockwise direction. It is designed to prevent a diver who has unwittingly knocked the bezel off its original position from overestimating his remaining air supply. Because the bezel only moves in one direction, the diver can err only on the side of safety when timing his dive. Many are ratcheted, so that they lock into place for greater safety.
UTC:
Universal Time Coordinated. A universal time based on the Greenwich Meridian used by the military and in aviation. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) can be considered approximately equivalent to Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). GMT as such is now obsolete however, being replaced by UTC. Using this timezone/standard avoids errors and problems associated with different time zones and summer times operational in different countries.
VHP:
Very High Precision. A quartz movement with a temperature sensor to keep rate variations to within extremely narrow margins. The movement corrects itself to a precision of ?0 seconds a year.
Vibration:
Movement of a pendulum or other oscillating bodies, limited by two consecutive extreme positions. In an alternate (pendulum or balance) movement, a vibration is a half of an oscillation. The number of hourly vibrations corresponds to the frequency of a watch movement, determined by the mass and diameter of a balance and the elastic force of the balance spring. The number of vibrations per hour (vph) determines the breaking up of time (the “steps” of a second hand). For instance, 18,000 vph equals a vibration duration of 1/5 second; in the same way 21,600 vph = 1/6 second; 28,800 vph = 1/8 second; 36,000 vph = 1/10 second. Until the 1950s, wristwatches worked mostly at a frequency of 18,000 vph; later, higher frequencies were adopted to produce a lower percentage of irregularities to the rate. Today, the most common frequency adopted is 28,800 vph, which assures a good precision standard and less lubrication problems than extremely high frequencies, such as 36,000 vph.
Water Resistant:
Made to prevent water from entering. Water-resistant case, watch-case whose joints are made to prevent moisture from entering. Basically water resistance means the watch will withstand splashes of water or rain but should not be worn while swimming or diving.
Water resistant -> to 50 meters (165 feet) - Suitable for showering or swimming in shallow water.
Water resistant -> to 100 meters (330 feet) - Suitable for swimming or snorkeling.
Water resistant -> to 150 meters (500 feet) - Suitable for snorkeling.
Water resistant -> to 200 meters (660 feet) - Suitable for skin diving.
Diver's to 150 meters -> Meets ISO Standards and is suitable for scuba diving.
Diver's to 200 meters -> Meets ISO Standards and is suitable for scuba diving.
MORE ON WATER RESISTANCE
Waterproof:
An ILLEGAL and misused term (in the USA): No watch is fully 100 percent waterproof. According to the Federal Trade Commission, no watch is fully 100 percent waterproof and no manufacturer that sells watches in the U.S. may label any of their watches "waterproof." The FTC demands that watches only be referred to as "water resistant."
MORE ON WATER RESISTANCE
Wheel:
Circular but toothed element combines with an arbor and a pinion to make a gear. Wheels are normally made of brass, while arbors and pinions are made of steel. The wheels between barrel and escapement make up the called train.
White Gold:
> See Metals >
Winding:
Operation consisting in tightening the mainspring of a watch. This can be done by hand (by means of the crown) or automatically (by means of a rotor, which is caused to swing by the movements of the wearer's arm).
MORE ON WINDERS
Winding Stem:
The button on the right side of the watch case used to wind the mainspring. Also called a "crown."
Window:
Aperture in the dial that allows the wearer to easily read the underlying indication which is usually the date.
World Time Dial:
A dial, usually on the outer edge of the watch face, which tells the time up to 24 time zones around the world. The time zones are represented by the names of cities printed on the bezel or dial. The wearer reads the hour in a particular time zone by looking at the scale next to the city that the hour hand is pointing to. The minutes are read as normal. Watches with this feature are called "world timers."
Yacht Timer:
A countdown timer that sounds warning signals during the countdown for a boat race.
Yellow gold:
> See Metals >
0 comments:
Post a Comment