Glossary

Passions Watch Exchange >

Welcome to the world of fine luxury timepieces. In order to familiarize yourself with various watch brands and its functionality, its important for you to know some of the standard terms in the industry. Here are some commonly used terms.

a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | j | k | l | m | p | r | s | t | w
Click one of the letters above to be taken to a page of all terms beginning with that letter.
w
Water resistance

The ability to withstand splashes of water. Terms such as "water resistant to 50 meters (5 ATM)" or "water resistant to 200 meters (20 ATM)" indicate that the watch can be worn underwater to various depths. However, watches with the term 3 ATM or 30m are not suitable for diving or even swimming.


 

Winding stem

Also called a stem or pin, it is a tiny metal rod with screw thread that holds the crown & connects it to the movement of the watch. It is then used to set time & winding of the mainspring. You must take extra care when setting time or winding up your watch. Always remove your watch from your wrist to adjust the crown or there are chances that the winding stem will be snapped if you subject it to abnormal pressure.

 

See also: Crown, Screw-lock crown
World time dial
A dial, usually on the outer edge of the watch face, that tells the time in 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."See also: Sub-dial