• A is for ARNOLD, JOHN - English Watchmaker (Born 1736, died 1799).  John Arnold and his rival, Thomas Earnshaw were the first to produce chronometers in significant quantities.  Arnold set up a small factory in Essex in 1788 where he was the first to produce a pocket chronometer.  He turned his attention to more accurate timepieces, eventually inventing one of such quality that Captain James Cook used it on his south sea voyages!

• B is for BEZEL - This referrs to the retaining ring in the watch in which the crystal of glass is mounted.  It forms part of the case and was usually hinged to the main body until about 1880, after which screw-threaded or snap on bezels gradually came into use.

• C is for CHRONOMETER - This is the name for a portable timekeeper that was designed to help seafarers find the longitude position of their ship.  This is a task that requires equipment of exceptional accuracy that will work under extreme weather conditions.  The marine chronometer was invented by John Harrison in 1730.  In Switzerland, only timepieces certified by the COSC may use the word ‘chronometer’ on them.

• D is for DISPLAY - unsurprisingly referrs to the portion of the watch face on which the readout, be it analogue or digital, is placed.

• E is for ELGIN - The Elgin national watch company is a US watch manufacturer which was founded in chicago in 1864.  It’s founding name was the ‘National Watch Company’ and by the early 1900s was the largest watch manufacturer in Ameria.

• F is for FLIRT - this rather obscure term refers simply to something that moves in ‘jerks’ rather than a smooth continuous motion.  An obvious example would be the motion of the hand indicating seconds on a modern watch or clock.

• G is for GUCCI - The House of Gucci, which is better known as Gucci is a world famous and iconic Italian fashion and leather goods label.  Founded in Florence in 1921 by Guccio Gucci they eventually expanded their portfolio to include glamarous designer watches.

• H is for HOROLOGY - the name given to the science of time measurement.  The word comes from the original Greek hora meaning ‘point of time’ and logos meaning ‘process of reasoning’.  Strictly speaking, a Horologist is an abstract researcher rather than a maker of timepieces.  Horology and Horologists have numerous organizations, both professional associations and more scholarly societies.

• I is for ISOCHRONOUS - The word isochronous, or isochrony referrs to the time taken by an oscillation object such as a pendelum and the particular fact that the time taken for one ’swing’ to be the same regardless of the distance covered.   This science is the beating heart behind most timekeeping devices.  An explanation of the maths behind this can be found by clicking the image below:

• J is for JEWEL - this is most commonly a piece of ruby or sometimes sapphire or aquamarine that is used as a substitute for steel where great resistance to wear is needed.  This is usually in a watch bearing in which the pivot of a wheel rotates.

• K is for KARUSSEL - A Karussel is a slow turning variety of tourbillon (A rotating fram, containing the escapement of a clock or watch, that attempts to compensate for the effects of gravity) which was devised by Bonniksen of Coventry in 1894.

• L is for LUG - these are the protrusions on the case of a watch to which the bracelet or strap is fitted.  The most commonly found lugs are rounded lugs, teardrop lugs and hidden lugs.

• M is for MAURICE LACROIX - Maurice Lacroix is a prestigious brand of Swiss watches.  Unlike Guccie, ‘Lacroix’ is not an actual person but is in fact a name that was invented purely for marketing purposes.  Maurice Lacroix has a total of 220 employees worldwide and is one of the most successful Swiss watch brands.  It is also one of the last few independent Swiss watch manufacturers.

• N is for NORTON, EARDLEY - Eardley Norton (born 1760, died 1794) was a fashionable watch maker whose work was patronised by King George III.  He made astronomical watches for Buckingham Palace with his colleague, Christopher Pinbeck - some of which are still there to this day.

• O is for OMEGA - Omega is a world famous Swiss manufacturer of luxury designer watches.  They were set up in 1894 and are especially well known for their long list of celebrity ambassadors who include George Clooney, Cindy Crawford, Michael Schumacher and of course - James Bond!

• P is for PORSCHE - World famous sports car manufacturer Porsche are also known for their large catalogue of Porsche related accessories, including sunglasses and even smoking pipes.  They have even gone as far as to turn their hand to designer watches

• Q is for QUARTZ - Quartz is used to describe a watch powered by an oscillating quartz crystal which draws its power from a small battery.  Oscillating 32,768 times per second, an electronic circuit divides this oscillation into precise increments of 1 second or less.  Click on the image below to find out more about the science behind this.

• R is for ROLEX - Rolex watches are possibly the most famous watch brand in the world and are well known as status symbol accessories.  Because of their widespread reputation, the Rolex name is synonymous with the many fake watches that plague the brand.  Like Omega, Rolex make heavy use of celebrity endorsements to promote their brand.

• S is for SWITZERLAND - Switzerland is recognised as a world leader when it comes to watchmaking, home as it is to brands such as Rolex and Omega.

• T is for TACHYMETER - A tachymeter is a scale used to measure units per hour and it commonly found on the bezels of chronograph watches.

• U is for UTC - This stands for Universal Time Coordinated and is a universal time based on the Greenwich Meridian which is used by the military and in aviation.  Greenwich mean time (GMT) can be considered approximately equal to UTC.

• V is for VERSACE - Gianni Versace founded his clothing company in 1978 with the first boutique being opened in Milan that year.  Versace design clothing, accessories, fragrances and home furnishings and went on to launch their first watch collection in 1994.  The first collection was named Atelier and was instantly snapped up by the legions of Versace faithful.  The Versace watch line are produced under licence agreement in Switzerland, with Timex buying the license in 2005.

• W is for WINDING CROWN - Quite simply, this is used for winding the watch and setting the time and date.

• X is for XEMEX - Xemex watches have been produced since 1996 and are designed by acclaimed graphic designer Ruedi Kulling.  In 2000 and 2001, Xemex won first place for a design innovation contest in both Germany and the US. Their watches have several unique design details that identify the brand. The minimalist dials are instantly legible, the brushed and polished SS cases are also unique to Xemex, as are the flexible lugs that allow a great fit for any wrist. The designs of Xemex watches are modern, yet manage to show classic design that do not seem to age.

• Y is for YACHTIMER - The Yachtimer is a model of watch particularly associated with the Nautica watch brand.

• Z is for ZENITH - With a history that dates back to 1865, Zenith is yet another Swiss watch manufacturer that produces some of the finest chronometric instruments on the market today.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm and is filed under FAQ, Gucci, Porsche, Rolex, Zenith, celebrities, history, omega. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.