Glossary of Rolex watch parts and terminology
Case – the “body” of the watch. It contains the movement and is attached to the band at its ends.
Dial: The face of the watch on which the hands and hour markers are placed.
Hands: the hour hand, the minute hand and the second hand that mark the time.
Crown: the round-shaped winder that allows you to adjust the time, day, date and movement.
Crystal: the crystal that covers the sphere. It comes in a sapphire crystal or plastic.
Bezel: The round outer ring that seals the case.
Lugs: The two pointed edges that join the bracelet at the top and bottom ends of the case.
Bracelet – or band, is the piece that wraps around the wrist. It is usually made of stainless steel or gold.
End piece: the small piece of metal that allows the bracelet to be attached to the case.
Spring Bar: A thumbtack that holds the bracelet together.
Link: Each “link” makes up the bracelet and can be added or removed to fit your wrist.
Rolex Replacement Parts: Non-Rolex manufactured parts that do not display counterfeit Rolex logos or hallmarks.
Arbor: the shaft on which a gear is mounted.
Baguette: a feminine style watch that features a slim rectangular or oval shape.
Balance Spring – controls the balance of the balance.
Bubbleback: expression used to describe the early Rolex Perpetual models, due to the thickness of the case used to house the large movement.
Chronograph: In addition to transmitting standard time, it also performs a time measurement function, such as a stopwatch.
Divers Extension: A hinged extension within the watch band, which allows the bracelet to be lengthened to fit a divers wetsuit.
Quick Setting – This feature allows the date to be set quickly via the winding crown, without the hour hand passing the 12 o’clock position.
Hidden Clasp: The clasp buckle is hidden under the links of the bracelet, appearing to have a continuous flowing bracelet.
Hallmark – a mark or stamp indicating the purity of the metal, or the date and/or country of importation.
Mainspring: The mainspring of a watch that provides the moving force to the gear trains.
Perpetual Movement: Another term for an automatic or self-winding movement, this movement causes a weight inside the watch to rotate back and forth, thus keeping it under constant tension.
Serial Number – An identification number of a watch, usually engraved between the lugs, this number can often be used to date the production of the watch.
Sweep Movement: Refers to the movement of the second hand that rapidly “ticks” approximately 5 to 8 times per second, thus giving the illusion of a sweep.