The long development history of the watch maker in the world, especially the Swiss watch has left humanity the art masterpieces on their owner’s hand. Each of the watches contains the history, essence, and countless stories revolve around it. Whether or not you have really understood about these watches? You are wondering when to choose yourself a watch like that but does not know where to start? We would like to introduce you to a series of articles with basic knowledge about watches and terminology around it, hoping to help you better understand the clock to add love and pride of your watch:
Typical structure of a wristwatch apparatus
Here is a video clip about the structure and name some basic parts make up clockwork:
MACHINE TYPES OF WATCHES
1. Quartz movement
– The general concept: Quartz movement is a type of watch with a dynamic mechanism by a “quartz crystal”. The crystal oscillates when it is placed in an electric field, thereby providing energy for the clock. Quartz watches are affordable watches today. Mainly, quartz watches are run on batteries.
* Classification according to headquarter of manufacture:
– Switzerland Machines (Swiss EB, Swiss Movement): A type of machine with high precision and durability, good quality and are usually fitted to the premium brand watches that are the very expensive price. Therefore, although there are many brands of watches not in Switzerland, they have been sealed in the presence of Swiss in the dial or the bottom of the watches. To get this, the brand needs to ensure the regulations such as having over 70% or more the clockwork components that are manufactured in Switzerland, the watch machine must be assembled in Switzerland, and clockwork quality must be tested in Switzerland before distributed to the market.
– Japan Movement (Japan Quartz): A type of machine is manufactured in Japan or production commissioned by the Japanese watch maker. The quality of these watches is very good and relatively reasonable price.
– Taiwan and China Machines: accuracy is not high, low reliability, low price and is often used for installation for cheap watches, counterfeit watches, and fake watches.
2. Solar Watch (Absorb energy from light)
Watches using solar technology do not use batteries and run entirely by energy generated from any light source, the light from the sun, artificial or natural light. With the use of the solar panel mechanism as well as the battery charging tool, sunlight is transformed into energy and stored to help the watch operation.
Solar watches are fully automatic in-energized, users only need to let their watch be exposed to the light source, preferably sunlight, the watch will automatically absorb and convert light sources into energy. When the power is fully charged, even in the dark, the watches can run from 6 months to 1 year, depending on the product line, it has NO battery, no winding, no need waved, it is the clock that is never your nuisance.
3. Automatic Watch
– The general concept: A types of machine is powered by energy from the winding does not use batteries
* Classification: There are 2 types of automatic watches that are popular today:
– Hand winding: Type the watches that wearers have to use their hands to squeeze the knob for winding into a certain amount of time, which is usually specified how many hours or how many days.
– Automatic winding: The clock is winding through arm movements of the wearer. Based on the principle of gravity of the earth, a rotating rotor and transmits its energy to the springs through an appropriate mechanism. This means that the clock does not need to recharge by hand and unlike a quartz clock, it does not need batteries. This system invented by the Swiss Abraham-Louis Perrelet invented in the 18th-century watch machines. The most popular “Automatic” watch is currently from Switzerland (for luxury watches) or Japan (for the fine quality watches).
* Note when using Automatic watches:
– For Hand winding watches: When winding, user should use only suitable force on the knob (feel tense through your hands) or count the rotation of about 10-15 rounds. If screwed too tight, it can break, causing engine damage.
– For Automatic watches: The clock is automatic based on arm movement but the wearer should be those who regularly wear the watch. But to make Automatic watch “Automatic winding” to work more durably with waiting time while not in use, you should weekly support winding the watch by turning the knob and turn up only 10 – 15 rounds for once / 1 week.
COVER WATCHES
1. Inox and stainless steel shell
– It is made of inox shells or stainless steel. Features: it is Durable, no oxidation phenomena and rusty. This type of shell if have color coating, it is usually very durable and hard to fade (for at least 3 years or older, it may be fade).
– How to recognize: With the stainless steel shell watch, it has the sharp lines, and smooth steel surface, with ridges of the matte tools on the steel surface. On the bottom of the clock, it is usually recorded in Stainless Steel Case & Band (straps and stainless steel shell) or All Stainless (the entire watch is made of stainless steel).
2. The different types of shells
– Scratch-resistant alloy shell, high-tech ceramic (Tungsten, Ceramic): high-tech ceramic outside the high hardness, scratch resistance as Sapphire glass.
– Titanium alloy Shell: Lightweight, durable, non-oxidized, dark gray.
– Aluminum alloy casing: Lightweight, durable, non-oxidized, white matte.
Types of crystal
1. Mica:
In essence, this is not the glass but the transparent synthetic resins, it is often used for children’s watches because of cheapness use in short times, then faded, scratched and unable to polish.
2. Sapphire Glass:
If a kind of crystal clear rock with no scratches unless you take the diamond scrub on the Sapphire or Sapphire rubbing against Sapphire or the edge of the Sapphire, on the other hand, Sapphire glass is very brittle, there is just slightly collision can break it. Sapphire is divided into 03 categories as follows:
– Thin-coated Sapphire: the glasses are often coated with a thin layer of sapphire. This type is usually mounted in watches imitating the famous trademark, or the no-name watches. The characteristics of this type of glass is brittle, it is easy to break because of just very slightly on impact, while using some time, it is scratched because after several months of use, the sapphire layer fades away leaving the only ordinary glass. You should note that although coated sapphire but examined with test machine still release the same result as with the genuine watches. So, do not be in a hurry when the private sellers give you the test to watch, even when buyers and sellers are in place trying to show you by taking sharp items to scratch on the surface, but just a few months later, the crystal is mercilessly scratched. Identity is on the watch that shows Sapphire coated.
– Thick-coated Sapphire: This type is similar to the above, but coated with thicker Sapphire layer so that it should be used for longer time before being scratched….
– Monolithic Sapphire: This is the best kind of Sapphire glass, if the watch has Sapphire crystal; you will see it is sparkling with 7 colors when under sunlight. Typically, these genuine brands use this kind of crystal. The crytal of a watch which is made from monolithic Sapphire is very expensive. Usually, it only fits for high-end watches. The monolith Sapphire crystal has the hardness up to 9 points, just lower than diamond which is 10 points. This glass has excellent scratch resistance, can be concrete grinding without scratches.
* Note when using:
– Do not test the hardness and scratch resistance of watch crystal (Sapphire crystal) with those materials with harder nature than Sapphire, diamond as this will damage the watch crystal.
– Do not wear the watch while doing the heavy work, work with multiple movements collision with external objects such as machinery repair, porters … because watch shell, glasses are strap are easily scratched damage.
– Avoid allowing the watch to frequently contact with chemicals such as soap, sea water, detergents, and acids. They not only damage the thickly coated sapphire crystal but also ruin the clock strap, the shell.
– Replacement of the watch will reduce its ability to water resistant so that in case of watch crystal replacement, it should not be changed at the stores where there are no close room and hydraulic tools but should choose those stores with trustful instruments and enough tools.
– Sapphire crystal is always brittle upon impact.
– Genuine Watches despite using sapphire coated glasses, they are also coated with thick layer and high quality so that it can have long time using before being scratched.
3. Mineral Glass
– From the advantages and disadvantages of sapphire glass, scientists invented Mineral Glass to bring one advantage of Sapphire glass, which is not scratched and overcomes the weaknesses of Sapphire, the crispiness. But Mineral glass lost when comparing the stiffness with Sapphire glass.
– The fact that the mineral glass has very high stiffness to limit scratches and unbroken under the accidental collision.
– Mineral Glass is rarely scratched, but whether there are scratches, the polishing is bright as new.
It is from the above advantages, the companies today often install their watches with mineral glass and over 80% of watches produced. From that point, those people who understand the watches always choose the copper mineral glass.
Straps
The most popular strap today:
– Stainless steel or Inox strap: Durable, do not oxidize or rust.
– Coated strap: A type of strap that is usually made from steel or gilding. This kind of strap over time will be oxidized.
– Titanium alloy strap: Lightweight, durable, non-oxidizing, translucent white.
– Leather Band
– Normal skin band
– Premium leather band (Crocodile leather band).
– The other bands: Plastic bands, synthetic bands, rubber bands, Silicon band, Metal band, nylon band (all kinds of fashion watches for teenagers or for sports).
The back
The back of the watch is often made of stainless steel or titanium alloy with some kinds of back as follows:
– Snap back: Waterproof average, some kinds of good water resistant
– Rotation back: Good waterproof
– Screws back: average waterproof, some kinds of good water resistant.
– See through back: Gaskets molding to clearly see the internal machine: a medium waterproof kind.
The bezel
It is located between the shell parts and the crystal of the watch, usually made of stainless steel or steel or some other materials. Some common types of bezel today:
– Interval Meters
– Dive Watch Bezels
– GMT and World Time Bezels
– Scratched resistant bezels
