Watch Basics
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All you need to know about watches
The time may be accessible in many places, including our phones, but the elegance and ultimate practicality of a watch will never make it obsolete. The style evoked by a watch alone makes it an essential for any jewelry wardrobe. Get to know the basics of watches.
Anatomy & materials
At its simplest, a watch is a watch case and a band. The watch case houses the mechanisms and has a crystal on top that reveals the dial. The band is, of course, what holds the watch case and attaches to your wrist. Sometimes, a band that is metal may be referred to as a bracelet and other materials, such as leather, may be called a strap.
Some ordinary watch materials
- Alternative metals: titanium, stainless steel
- Traditional metal: gold
- Leather
- Ceramic
- Rubber and resin
- Nylon
- Diamond or crystal accents
Movement mechanisms
Watches have three predominant types, two of them traditional and one of them quite new and modern.
Mechanical
- Manual models require winding while automatic models rely on the arm motion of the owner, which initiates the winding.
- Can require frequent maintenance
Quartz
- Battery operated and no winding required
- Feature analog or digital displays
Smartwatches
- Battery operated and intended to be connected with your smartphone
- Fine watch designers have created designs that resemble traditional styles
Special features
There are a few top additional features when it comes to watches. They are all equally practical and cool. The most in demand include
- Water-resistance
- Calendar, tide and moon phase trackers
- Time keeping (or chronograph) abilities