Ebauche: Refers to the basic movement. To this, a particular manufacturer may add complications, decorate the movement or refine the movement by adding higher grade components.

End of Life (E.O.L.): In quartz movement the end of battery life is indicated by the seconds hand which starts to jump every four seconds. The battery should be changed immediately.

Electroplating: Process of covering metal articles with a film of other metals. The article is immersed in a chemical solution; electric current (D.C.) flows through the solution from a piece of metal (anode) to the article (cathode), depositing metal thereon by electrolysis. Precious metals which can be used for plating include gold, chrome, and palladium. Other materials can produce additional colors such as black or blue.

Engine: synonym for a watch movement.

Escapement: The escapement in a mechanical watch refers to a combination of parts including the anchor, pallets and balance wheel amongst others which translate the power of the mechanism into regular timekeeping. The escapement is responsible for the familiar ticking sound of a mechanical watch.

F

Face: Another term for the dial of a watch. Most are decorated with Arabic or Roman numerals. Note: traditionally IIII, rather than IV, is used to indicate the 4 o'clock position in Roman numeral styling.

Flyback chronograph: A deceptively complex chronograph which uses a single push of the button for stopping, resetting and restarting the chronograph function of the watch. A flyback chronograph usually has the crown at 3 o'clock and pushers at 2 and 4 o'clock. The flyback function is controlled by the button at 4 o'clock whereas the one at 2 o'clock is used to start and stop the timed session.

Frequency: In the case of mechanical watches refers to how many times an hour the watch "ticks" for a given time period (amplitude). It is often referred to as half-swings per hour or beats per hour (BPH). Ex. a watch beating at an amplitude of 28,800 per hour ticks 8 times per second.

G

Gear Train: The gears used in a mechanical watch which run from the mainspring which powers the watch through to the escapement which translates that power into timekeeping.

Geneva Stripes: A form of decoration in higher grade watch movements which look like stripes on the movement plates. These used to be applied by hand; in many cases in modern times, they are applied by machine.

Glass: Generic term used to describe the clear material making up a watch crystal.

Guilloche: A style of intricate decorative engraving on watch dials, usually comprised of very thin lines interwoven to create a surface design and/or texture. In strictest definition, this word refers to the art of performing this work by hand, or guiding machines by hand. The term "guilloche design" refers to a similar look being created by stamping the dial.

H

Hack/Hacking: Describes the feature of a movement whereby the seconds hand can be stopped for exact setting of the time. Originally a military term for this feature.

Hand: The pointing device anchored at the center and circling around a dial indicating hours, minutes, seconds, and any other special features of the watch. Styles include: • Alpha: A slightly tapered hand.

• Baton: A narrow hand sometimes referred to as a stick hand.
• Dauphine: A wide, tapered hand with a facet at the center running the length of the hand.
• Luminous: Hands treated with luminous material.
• Skeleton: Cut-out hands showing only the frame.

Handwind/Handwound: Simply describes a watch with a mechanical movement which needs to be wound by the wearer using the winding crown. This winds the mainspring up which then releases its energy to power the watch.

Hard metal: A scratch-resistant metal comprised of binding several materials, including titanium and tungsten-carbide, which are then pressed into an extremely hard metal and polished with diamond powder to add brilliance.

High-tech ceramic: Used as a protective shield for spacecraft reentering the earth's atmosphere, high tech ceramic is polished with diamond dust to create a highly polished finish. Because the ceramic can be injection molded, pieces can be contoured. It has a very smooth surface, and while usually found in black can be produced in a spectrum of colors, and is prized for its superior scratch resistance.

Horology: The science of time measurement, including the art of designing and constructing timepieces.

Hourly time signal: Single beep/chime which rings on the hour, every hour when it is engaged.