How Does a Moon Phase Complication Work?
On a dial, the moon is not merely a romantic motif. It is slow mechanics, a millimetre-perfect ballet between steel and sky. The moonphase complication tells the story of the…
Watchmaking
85 posts
Explore the technical world of watchmaking: automatic movements, complications, materials such as sapphire and titanium, and watch adjustment and maintenance. This category breaks down the mechanical and technological aspects of watches to give you a better understanding of how they work and their value.
How to Read a GMT Bezel Correctly?
Why the GMT bezel still fascinates The GMT bezel is the elegance of a 1950s transatlantic flight translated onto a wrist. Born from Pan Am pilots’ needs and immortalised by…
Why Do Some Watches Have Domed Crystals?
The curve that changes everything A tiny detail, an instant sensation: a domed crystal transforms a watch. It rounds the light, softens the angles, slips under a cuff like a…
What Is a “Super Compressor” Watch?
A simple idea, a stroke of genius In the history of dive watches, the term “super compressor” is no marketing affectation. It refers to a patent developed by Ervin…
What Is the Lifespan of a Mainspring?
A Coiled Heart: Understanding the Mainspring In a mechanical watch, the mainspring is more than just a component. It’s the invisible muscle, curled inside a slim steel drum—the barrel—that releases…
What Is a “High-Frequency” Movement in Watchmaking?
Definition: what do we mean by a “high-frequency” movement? In watchmaking terms, frequency expresses the number of oscillations of the balance per second (measured in Hertz, Hz). The contemporary…
Why Do Some Dials Change Color Over Time?
When time colours time One morning, you wind your old dive watch. The light catches the domed crystal and—surprise: the deep black of its dial has taken on a chocolate…
How to Test a Watch’s Water Resistance Without Equipment?
The Myth of Permanent Water Resistance A watch is never “waterproof forever”. It is—until proven otherwise. And that proof, unfortunately, often arrives at the worst possible moment: by the pool,…
Why Do Mechanical Watches Gain or Lose Time Every Day?
Why does a mechanical watch—sometimes adjusted with the exacting standards of a master watchmaker—lose or gain a few seconds each day? Because behind its flawless dial, a delicate score is…
How Does an Escapement Work in a Mechanical Watch?
Why the escapement is time’s beating heart In a mechanical watch, everything begins with a mainspring housed in the barrel. It unwinds, powers a gear train… and would, unchecked, run…
What’s the Difference Between a Chronograph and a Chronometer?
Two words, two worlds: why we still confuse chronograph and chronometer In everyday language, “chrono” covers everything. We use it to describe both an interval timer and an extremely accurate…
Why Do Some Watches “Vibrate” on the Wrist?
When a watch “lives” on the wrist A slight shiver, a secret rustle, sometimes a genuine buzz that seems to travel through the case. Anyone who wears mechanical watches has…
Why Are Some Watches Antimagnetic?
The Invisible Enemy of Watches: Magnetism A watch can survive rain, cold, shocks. But when it comes to magnets, its Achilles’ heel is the balance spring. Exposed to a…
What Are Blued Screws Used for in a Watch Movement?
A blue glint that’s anything but accidental Open the sapphire caseback of a well-bred watch and you’ll spot that discreet, almost electric shimmer: blued screws, set like inked punctuation…
How Does an Automatic Movement Really Work?
It’s a silent dance you wear on your wrist. An energy born of your movements, passed from one piece of metal to the next, regulated to the hundredth of a…
What Are Jewels Used for in Watch Movements?
The red secret at the heart of calibres They barely glint, set like cold stars beneath a movement’s bridge. You often catch them through a sapphire caseback, engraved with…