Glossary

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Welcome to the world of fine luxury timepieces. In order to familiarize yourself with various watch brands and its functionality, its important for you to know some of the standard terms in the industry. Here are some commonly used terms.

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Click one of the letters above to be taken to a page of all terms beginning with that letter.
m
Mechanical movement
A movement powered by a mainspring, working in conjunction with a balance wheel. Most watches today have electronically controlled quartz movements and are powered by a battery. However, mechanical watches are currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
Minute repeater

A watch which can tell the time, at the push of a button or move of a small slide on the side of the case, by striking the hours, quarter hours and minutes on small goings inside the watch. Such complex watches are very expensive.

Moonphase display

A graphic display by means of a specially shaped aperture in the dial to indicate the phase of the moon, i.e. full, new or somewhere in between. It is often represented by a blue disc with gold print of the moon & rotates underneath the dial, showing partial to full moon on the 15th lunar day.


 

Mother-of-Pearl
Multi-colored shell of any fresh water mollusk, thinly sliced and used on watch dials.
Movement
The inner mechanism of a watch that keeps time and moves the watch's hands, calendar, etc. Movements are either mechanical or quartz.