Bulova watches
by David Barth
written June 2003
Components of a Watch
There are three major components of a watch.
Ebauche
This is the movement blank. It contains the mechanism that makes the watch work.
Regulator
This is the part of the watch that releases energy from a mainspring or battery to the watch in controlled amounts. In a mechanical watch, this part is called the
escape mechanism, and it consists of the anchor fork and balance wheel.
Support
Support components include the hands, case, crystal, crown, face, strap or bracelet, etc.
Glossary
Chronograph
A chronograph usually refers to a watch that has a timing device, such as the second hand, that can be used to time events.
Chronometer
A chronometer is a watch or other timepiece that is more accurate than a timepiece with a traditional movement.
Complication
A complication in a watch is a subsystem consisting of two or more parts. Examples of complications in a watch include a tourbillon, an alarm, a date/time mechanism,
moon phase display, a calendar, a self-winding movement, etc.
Dressing a watch
Dressing a watch is the final step in which the finishing touches are added including markers, hands, and face.
Ebauche
This is a movement “blank” that consists of the main watch components. It does not have the regulating components such as the escape system (anchor fork, balance
wheel, etc.) and case, crystal, band hands, etc.
Eco-Drive
Through the use of photocells, this Citizen-trademarked movement developed in 1994, converts light, even the weak light from candles, into electrical energy to power the
movement. The light enters solar panels through the surface of the face. Since excess energy is automatically saved in storage cells, these watches can continue to
keep time even after they have been in the dark for months.
Flyback Mechanism
A flyback mechanism sets the second-hand back to zero in watches that use it as a timer.
Geneva Seal
The Geneva Seal is a Swiss recognition embossed on the movement and given only to outstanding Swiss watches.
Half-Hunter
A half-hunter watch is a modification to the hunter watch. While the hunter watch has a full cover over the crystal to protect it from damage during strenuous activities,
the half-hunter has a hole in the center of the cover enabling the wearer to see the inner portions of the hands. An anecdote describing how it came about is that
Napoleon Bonaparte became irritated at always having to lift the cover on his hunter watch to see the time, so he had a hole cut in the center so that he could see the
time when the cover was closed.
Hunter
A hunter watch is one that has a cover over the crystal to protect it from damage during hunting, strenuous activities such as sports like rugby and polo.
Jeweled Movement
The traditional, mechanical movement uses inexpensive synthetic jewels as bearings for the moving parts in a watch because they are relatively friction-free compared
to metal bearings. However, low-priced watches use the pin-lever movement, which is less expensive than a jeweled movement.
Kinetic Collection
In 1992 Seiko introduced the Kinetic collection, a line of quartz watches that are electrically charged by movement of a self-winding mechanism. The Kinetic Auto Relay
goes into suspended animation when unworn for three days, conserving energy. With a few shakes of the wearer's wrist, it wakes up and resets itself to the exact time.
It can keep track of the time for five years.
Mechanical Movement
Until the advent of the quartz watch, mechanical movements were used. Because mechanical movements are expensive to build and are not as accurate as quartz
movements, they lost favor during the 1970s and 1980s when the market was flooded with inexpensive quarts watches. However, during the 1990s interest in
mechanical watches increased, and now high-end mechanical watches with accurate movements are popular.
Millonometer
LeCoultre developed the the Millonometer, the world's first instrument capable of measuring accurately to one thousandth of a millimeter.
Pin-Lever Movement
A pin-lever movement was designed around 1950 and was used in the first Timex-branded watch, introduced in 1950. A pin-lever movement replaces a jeweled
movement making it less expensive, more durable, and easier to produce than watches with jeweled movement.
Private Label Timepieces
Since early in the twentieth century, many companies select a watch manufacturer to make watches with their company name or logo on the face. For example,
Cartier, Tiffany, and other jewelers selected Concord, a subsidiary of the Movado Group, to make watches for them.
Quartz Movement
A quartz watch uses a quartz crystal to power a stepping motor that moves the hands. Quartz movements have relatively few components, are very accurate, and
can be inexpensive to make.
Reverso Watch
A reverso watch is designed with hinges on the band to allow the watch to be rotated toward the wearer's arm to protect the crystal. One story is that it was built by
request of English polo players who wanted to protect their watch crystals. Examples include Jaeger-Le Coultre Reverso, and a Chronoswiss model.
Tourbillon Complication
The tourbillon was invented in 1795 by Frederic Constant Tourbillon to make clocks and watches more accurate by reducing the effect of gravity on the balance wheel.
If the balance wheel axis is not perpendicular to the earth's surface, the wheel will slow down or speed up, depending on the angle to the surface. The tourbillon rotates
a mobile structure containing the balance wheel mechanism in 360 degrees each minute. This evens out the effects of the position of the balance wheel in relation to
earth's gravity. The tourbillon is one of the greatest complications in horology. Blancpain and Jaeger-Le Coultre manufacture watches with tourbillon
complications.
Wire Cutting system
The wire-cutting system was the first automatic timekeeping device. It was developed by Longines in 1912.