Between the timeless styles, intricate design elements, and status symbolism, there are countless reasons watches are so collectible. Once you understand the craftsmanship behind each part of a watch, it’s hard not to appreciate the fascinating details in the different types of wristwatches.
While most of us won’t become avid watch collectors or horological fanatics, we believe that everyone can benefit from some basic understanding of this impressive timekeeper. It doesn’t matter whether you’re buying your first automatic watch or gifting a special mechanical watch to a loved one: there’s guaranteed to be a timepiece that speaks to you. But don’t just take our word for it—deep dive into the world of designer watches and see for yourself.
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Are There Different Types of Wristwatches?
Watches come in a seemingly endless array of shapes, sizes, and styles. Timepieces can be roughly grouped into two broad categories: Analog watches, which continuously display the time on a 12- or 24-hour numbered dial, and digital watches, which display the time on an LCD or LED screen.
Pro tip: Understanding this initial difference will help you narrow down which watch type you’re in the market for. Past that, it’s important to note that analog and digital watches can be further categorized into many more specific types of wristwatches. Watch types may be grouped according to a number of different features, including watch movement type, water resistance, strap style, and bonus complications.
Choosing Between an Analog Watch and a Digital Watch
When it comes to actually shopping for a men’s watch or women’s watch to add to your collection, we urge you to consider the advantages of each category. Analog watches are the oldest type of wristwatch—and they’ve never gone out of style. With rotating hands that display the precise hour, minute, and seconds, long-lasting parts, and classic aesthetics, it’s no wonder that women’s and men’s watches have been crafted in this fashion for centuries.
On the other hand, the digital watch comes with an array of contemporary and technological capabilities that often offer a practical solution for the busy modern consumer. With a segmented screen display of the hours and minutes, this battery-powered watch type is changing the game. They may have been introduced during the 1970s, but the digital watch has been in fierce competition with analog timepieces ever since.
What is Watch Movement?
A watch movement refers to the internal parts of a watch that power an analog timepiece and any of its additional features, called complications. The watch movement is also referred to as its caliber, and luxury watchmakers pride themselves on their tested watch movements with specific names and certifications. The kind of movement your men’s watch or women’s watch has will affect its accuracy, servicing needs, and collectability down the line.
The parts of a watch that compose its movement create an intricate system of gears and coils that require precise craftsmanship and incredible skill. Many of these watch movements are often tested at the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) or the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology for the organization’s coveted METAs certification.
What Are the Different Types of Watch Movements?
Analog watches are available with three types of movement: mechanical, automatic, and quartz. Long before batteries were introduced to watch making, every watch type relied on mechanical movements. Each kind of movement has its own set of strengths (and drawbacks), so it’s well worth your time looking into the pros and cons of each before making a decision.
The 3 Types of Watch Movements:
- Mechanical
- Automatic
- Quartz
1. Mechanical Watch Movements
Perhaps the most traditional and definitely the most popular, mechanical watch movements are what most people think of when they imagine the inner parts of a watch. The mechanical movement relies on a tightly wound mainspring within the confines of a barrel. This mainspring is connected to various gears that, in turn, set the balance wheel and power the watch’s hands.
Mechanical watches are often the preferred caliber for those who desire a watch that exudes both history and luxury. Part of the charm of these types of wristwatches is the process of winding them, with the mainspring needing to be wound by hand using the crown. Different watches have different power reserves, but generally, you should expect to wind a mechanical watch every day or two.
Our favorite luxury mechanical watches include:
- Tank Louis Cartier Watch: With a leather strap, rose gold case, traditional Roman numerals, and the brand’s signature rectangular shape, this mechanical watch is the perfect choice for any modern woman.
- Breitling Premier Chronograph Watch: With a brown alligator leather strap, 18K red gold metal, rich cream colored dial, and a chronograph, this Swiss-made mechanical watch is an instant classic for men’s watches.
- TUDOR Black Bay Chrono Watch: With a steel case and strap, blue dial, and satin brushed finishes, this mechanical watch is a contemporary beauty.
How Do You Wind a Mechanical Watch By Hand?
Winding a mechanical watch by hand can sound more difficult than it is. Simply remove the men’s or women’s watch from your wrist and turn the crown clockwise until you start to feel resistance. The exact number of rotations depends on the specific design, ranging from 20 to 40 times.
When the tension increases and the crown stops turning, your mechanical watch is fully wound and should not be forced any further, as this could damage the internal workings. Push the crown back in and strap your timepiece back on.
2. Automatic Watch Movements
The automatic watch movement, invented in the 1920s, provided an innovative solution to winding a mechanical watch daily. Automatic watches feature a rotating inner weight that winds the mainspring whenever the wearer moves their wrist, negating the need to frequently handwind the watch. This offers a new level of daily convenience, making this watch type extremely practical for everyday use.
Automatic watches combine the craftsmanship of a traditional mechanical watch with modern innovation to create a true gem that will make you consider making your next watch an automatic. In fact, automatic watches are so beloved in the collector’s community that many luxury brands exclusively produce this watch type.
Our favorite timepieces that feature automatic watch movements include:
- Ballon Bleu de Cartier Watch: With a sleek, steel case and bracelet, a silver dial, a round case, dark blue hands, and a diamond-encrusted bezel, this women’s watch is the epitome of automatic style.
- Grand Seiko Hi-Beat Automatic Chronograph: With a titanium case, blue face, LumiBrite hands, and a 72-hour power reserve, the Tentagraph is a one-of-a-kind automatic watch from this company.
- Breitling Superocean Automatic Watch: With a rubber strap, 18K red gold case, black dial, and squared off hands, this men’s watch leans into the ultra-modern styles favored by automatic watch collectors.
3. Quartz Watch Movements
The advent of the quartz watch movement made precision luxury timepieces more affordable and accessible to consumers, forever changing the watchmaking industry. Both the mechanical and automatic watch types rely on gears and a precisely unwinding mainspring to time the movement of the watch hands. However, the quartz watch movement used a novel approach, applying electricity from a battery to a quartz crystal to create precise vibrations used for timing.
This innovation resulted in watch movements that were less expensive to create and that were even more accurate than previous mechanical watches. The Swiss watch industry was initially reluctant to adopt this new type of wristwatch, which nearly caused the collapse of the industry as the new quartz watch movement gained traction with consumers.
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Our favorite quartz watches include:
- OMEGA Constellation: With half-moon facets, a PVD green dial with an etched Supernova pattern, and a two-toned steel and Moonshine ™ gold case and bracelet, this women’s watch is a delightful modern-day design.
- Hublot Classic Fusion Watch: With a satin-finished and polished titanium case, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and 50-meter water resistance, this grey and black quartz watch is the timepiece of your man’s dreams.
- Cartier Baignoire Watch: With a simple leather strap, a yellow gold oval case, and blue-steel sword-shaped hands, this dainty quartz women’s watch is timelessly chic.
What is a Watch Winder?
A watch winder is a helpful accessory and storage device designed to keep automatic watches running when not worn. The box gently rotates the men’s or women’s watch in order to mimic the natural motion of a wrist. This engages the watch’s automatic winding feature, ensuring it’s always ready to be picked up and put on.
The best watch winders double as display cases, with certain designs capable of showcasing between 1 and 30 automatic watches, depending on the brand. If you intend to collect multiple automatic watches, a watch winder is well worth the investment.
What is the Difference Between a Men’s Watch and a Women’s Watch?
Traditionally, men’s watches and women’s watches have had three distinct differences: size, weight, and aesthetics. As trends have evolved, the differences have become less stark, but believe us, they’re still present in the most popular watch-making companies of today.
In general, women’s watches are made to be smaller and lighter, leaning into the assumed delicate nature of most female accessories. This results in smaller cases, ranging between 26 and 38 mm, thinner straps, and lightweight materials. Where some men’s watches are designed to look rugged and rudimentary, most women’s watches are studded with decorations, whether that’s gemstone-encrusted bezels or mother-of-pearl dials.
Men’s watches, on the other hand, are much larger. With larger cases ranging between 38 and 46 mm, thick, durable straps, and, commonly, additional chronograph features, men’s watches are designed to make a statement.
Are There Any Unisex Watch Types?
If you’re more interested in a gender neutral watch type, you’ll be happy to learn that many of the top designers produce unisex timepieces to satisfy any wearer. To suit every wearer, unisex watches tend to have an average case size, between 36 and 40 mm, minimalist designs, and versatile wearability, ensuring they can be sported wherever and whenever you wish. While you’re welcome to wear any mechanical watch or automatic watch that catches your eye, we recommend asking the sales assistant if they have any timepieces that fit these unisex perimeters.
What are the Parts of a Watch?
Watches may seem like simple devices for a simple function—their basic job is to keep accurate time. The process of achieving this feat, however, requires skill, patience, and extreme precision. The inner parts of an automatic or mechanical watch are incredibly intricate. The additional features and functions of luxury watches, called complications, can add dozens more components, with certain luxury watches including over 400 parts!
While you don’t need to know all parts of a watch from A to Z to make an informed choice or to maintain your timepiece, it is helpful to have a general understanding of the watch’s outer construction to help you diagnose any issues and appreciate the distinctive design elements on different timepieces.
These visible parts of a watch are common across most timepieces. Understanding these different components will help you make an informed choice about your style preferences and help you ask questions.
Externally Visible Parts of a Watch:
- Dial
- Case
- Bezel
- Crown
- Hands
- Crystal
- Strap
- Lugs
- Buckle
What is a Watch Dial?
Think of the dial as the face of the watch. Its primary purpose is to act as the backdrop for the informational elements, such as the hands, indices, brand signature, and any additional features like date windows or subdials. Analog watches, both mechanical and automatic, will have a clock-like display, whereas digital watches will have a screen.
Common Types of Watch Dials:
- Crosshair
- Enamel
- Guilloche
- Skeleton
- Tapisserie
What is a Watch Case?
The case is what we call the outer hull of the watch. It protects all the inner workings, including the mainspring or battery, depending on the watch type, from everyday wear and tear, moisture, and dust. The case serves as the main structural body and is typically made from highly durable metals, like titanium, gold, or stainless steel.
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What is a Watch Bezel?
The bezel is the often flat (but sometimes rounded) ring that surrounds the watch face and connects the case to the lugs. Depending on the watch type, the bezel can be embellished with diamonds and other precious gemstones or left plain for a sleek and sophisticated look. Securing the crystal in place, the case doubles as a protective piece and decorative feature.
Types of Watch Bezels:
- Fixed: the most common kind of bezel is completely stationary and designed to protect the dial edge
- Rotating: seen mainly in diving and pilot watches, can be turned or rotated around the dial for measuring elapsed time
- Tachymeter: best for men’s watches worn by road and bike racers, measures speed over a fixed difference
- GMT: made with an additional hour hand and a 24-hour bezel to allow the tracking of multiple time zones
- Diving: designed for diving watches, help track immersion time to reduce the danger of submerging for extended periods of time
What is a Watch Crown?
The crown, or the screw-shaped dial on the side of the watch case, is used to change the time, date, and other complications. In mechanical watches, it’s also used to wind the movement. In water-resistant watches, the crown screws down into the watch case to create a watertight seal.
What are the Watch Hands?
The thin parts of an analog watch that rotate around the dial to indicate the hours, minutes, and seconds are called the hands. The hands can be found in various styles, with certain shapes copyrighted by luxury brands. Whether you prefer the block, angular Snowflake hands found in TUDOR timepieces or the standard straight stick hands seen in more common watch types is up to you.
What is a Watch Crystal?
The crystal is a fancy term for the clear window that protects the watch's dial from dirt, dust, and moisture. Also referred to as the “glass,” the crystal is a crucial component for both the design and durability of a mechanical watch. Contrary to the name, the crystal is commonly made from acrylic, mineral glass, or synthetic sapphire.
What is a Watch Strap?
The strap is the part of the watch that allows the wearer to secure it to their wrist. Typically made from leather, rubber, cloth, or silicone, the strap or band has a big effect on the overall aesthetic of a women’s watch or a men’s watch. If it’s made from interlocking links of metal, then the strap is referred to as a bracelet.
What are Watch Lugs?
Those small, metal protrusions where the strap and bracelet connect to the watch dial are called lugs. In most watches, the lugs can be found at the 12 and 6 o’clock positions. Expert collectors may refer to these watch parts as horns.
What is the Watch Buckle?
The watch buckle is the part that connects the two sides of an automatic watch’s strap or bracelet. This necessary mechanism can be simple, functioning like a belt, or more involved, like a pin or deployment buckle. These fastening pieces are often overlooked but remain one of the most important features for wearability.
What is a Watch Complication?
Watch complications may sound complicated, but it's really just a fancy way of referring to the additional features an automatic, quartz, or mechanical watch can perform apart from telling the time. These bonus attributes are only called “complications” because an increased level of mechanical complexity is required for a watch to perform more advanced functions. For many dedicated mechanical and automatic watch collectors, the complications are the main draw for buying a new model.
What Are the Most Popular Watch Complications?
Did you know that the watch movement, the part of a watch that powers the timekeeping function, is also responsible for powering complications? As technology advances, more and more complications are being added to women’s and men’s watches. Whether you want a timepiece with simple or complex complications is a matter of personal preference.
Common Watch Complications:
- Date display: shows the date in a small or large aperture window
- Chronograph: a stopwatch function that allows the wearer to measure elapsed time
- Dual time: allows the wearer to track two time zones at the same time
- Moon phase: a visual display that depicts the current phase of the moon, on a 29.5-day cycle
- World time: displays all 24 time zones at the same type, typically with an inner ring with city names
- Power reserve indicator: shows how much remaining energy the mainspring holds to indicate when a manual or automatic watch needs to be wound
- Tourbillon: a rotating cage around the escapement meant to counteract gravity’s effects and improve timekeeping accuracy
- Perpetual calendar: automatically adjusts for variations in month lengths and leap years, requiring no manual adjustment for decades of use
- Annual calendar: accurately depicts the date, day, and month, requiring a once-a-year adjustment on March 1st
Are Swiss-made Wristwatches Actually Better?
For years, Swiss-made watches have been considered the gold standard for timepieces—but why? It’s not that all the parts within the mechanical watch are necessarily made 100% from Swiss materials. It’s more so that Swiss-made watches have gotten quite the reputation and are now synonymous with high quality.
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Swiss watchmakers have long since dominated the art, ever since Rolex and OMEGA produced their wristwatches, way back in the ‘30s. In the following decades, the industry expanded, with more artisans building watches for consumers, until the country held 50% of the growing global market. When the Japanese watch brand Seiko introduced quartz oscillators to the market, it nearly toppled the Swiss’s ranking, but it climbed back on top with the creation of the Swatch watch.
The question of whether or not Swiss-made watch types are “better” is entirely a matter of opinion. But one thing is clear: Swiss-made timepieces hold a premium standard of craftsmanship, quality control, and prestige. You can’t go wrong with that.
Swiss-Made Watch Brands:
Watch Styles for Every Occasion
A watch’s timekeeping ability isn’t the only factor when selecting a designer timepiece. Often, where you plan to wear the watch and the activities you engage in will be the primary drivers for your choice. It is important to match the type of wristwatch you choose to your lifestyle needs, whether that be a casual wear watch, a dress watch, or a rugged sports watch.
The Main Watch Styles:
- Casual
- Dress and fashion
- Sport and diving
Watches for Casual Wear
Casual wear watches don’t simply mean basic. Often, these types of wristwatches are anything but! In this category, you’ll find comfortable watches for everyday living.
High-quality materials like stainless steel are durable and make a sharp impression. You may prefer a quartz movement, as these cases are typically slimmer, lighter in weight, and can boast some practical digital features.
Sporting a Dress or Fashion Watch
Dress watches marry function and stunning form to celebrate the watch as not only a timepiece but also a fashion accessory. These wristwatch types often feature precious metals and gemstones like diamonds. They may not have any water resistance, however, which means that you’ll need to take great care with everyday tasks like handwashing.
Pro tip: When selecting a dress or fashion watch, you’ll want to consider when or where you’d wear it. Is your gemstone-bedazzled automatic watch going to be reserved for special occasions? Then you should also invest in a watch winder to keep it in tip-top shape in storage.
Upgrading to Sport and Diving Watches
Athletes often make strenuous demands on a timepiece, which is why you should take special care when selecting a watch that you plan to use to support your outdoor activities. These wristwatch types typically feature exceptional water resistance and rugged case and strap materials. Sports watches may also feature additional watch complications like a chronograph or dual timekeeping that can be helpful in sporting activities.
One highly specialized sports watch is the diving watch, which actually has its own set of requirements set by the International Standards Organization. These requirements state that in order to be marketed and sold as a diving watch, a timepiece must resist water to a depth of 100 meters, employ a secured mechanism to measure dive time, and feature luminous elements that are visible in underwater darkness.
What is Watch Resistance?
Watch resistance refers to the ability of the watch to resist water intrusion. The delicate internal parts of a watch can be destroyed by water, so if you plan to use your watch in or around water in any way, pay special attention to the watch’s resistance.
Resistance is typically measured in meters or bars, which simply refers to the pressure that correlates to an underwater depth. The most water-resistant types of wristwatches are meant for deep diving, like the OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean, which boasts an astounding resistance of 6,000 meters.
Watch Water Resistance Levels:
- 0 meters: This type of wristwatch is not water resistant. Take care with everyday tasks.
- 30 meters: This watch's resistance is a good safeguard against handwashing and rain showers.
- 50 meters: These automatic watches can tolerate gentle swimming and submersion.
- 100 meters: This is the minimum water resistance allowed for a diving watch; good for snorkeling and swimming.
- 200+ meters: We recommend a resistance of at least 200 meters for true scuba diving.
How Can You Maintain Watch Resistance?
Water-resistant watches are constructed with special rubber gaskets or O-rings that protect them from water intrusion around the case joints. Some of these joints include where the watch crystal and back meet the case and around the automatic watch stem.
While these gaskets do a great job of preventing water intrusion, they can become dry and brittle over time, reducing their effectiveness. It is important to schedule routine service at a trusted jeweler to ensure that your Swiss-made watch maintains its water resistance. A jeweler can perform a water-resistance test as well as address other common watch problems that can compromise your watch’s water resistance.
What Watch Maintenance Services Do I Need?
Designer watches are crafted to last a lifetime—and beyond. These treasured pieces often become family heirlooms and are enjoyed for generations. To preserve the integrity of your Swiss watch and ensure you enjoy its full lifespan, schedule routine watch maintenance with a reputable jeweler.
A skillful watchmaker should be able to address any watch maintenance and repair needs that you may have, from simple battery changes for your quartz wristwatch to full overhauls in your Swiss-made mechanical watch. Occasionally, you may need to have your watch case opened and the internal mechanism cleaned, which is certainly best left to a professional.
Your jeweler can also update your luxury timepiece by changing the strap or bracelet and can sometimes add or remove watch links to adjust the sizing. These parts of a watch are often overlooked but can make a big difference in the comfort of your timepiece. Scratches, loose gemstones, and other cosmetic damage can also usually be rectified. These repairs should be undertaken as soon as you notice the damage to minimize the cost and overall harm to the automatic watch.
Can I Change My Own Watch Battery?
To keep your automatic watch looking and functioning its best, see a jeweler for regular battery replacement instead of changing it yourself. This is especially important if your watch is water resistant, as changing the watch battery involves opening the case, which can compromise the seal of the rubber O-ring gaskets and risk damage to the inner parts of the watch.
With this knowledge about the various features and parts of a watch, you’ll be well-equipped to make an informed decision about the type of wristwatch that is right for you. Whether you choose a quartz movement with a sleek, modern digital display or a time-honored, hand-wound, Swiss-made mechanical watch with a chronograph, you’re sure to love your timepiece for a lifetime. Head to your nearest designer watch shop and see what you find!
