Glossary

Information about watch terminology.

We've put together a glossary of watch terms and definitions for your references. If you need more explanation on any subject please use the Contact Us page to send us an email where we'll personally respond to your queries.

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R

Ratchet Bezel Ring

A bezel ring that can either turn one way (counter clockwise) or both ways and generally clicks into place.

Rattrapante Chronograph

The addition of a fly back hand (rattrapante) significantly increases the potential uses for chronographs. It makes possible the measurement of split second times or timing simultaneous events of unequal duration.

Register

Another name for a sub dial; this is usually a dial within the main dial of a watch. The best example is possibly a chronograph where there may be registers for the chronograph minutes and hours. Some watches have registers with pointers showing the day and date.

Repeater

A device that chimes the time when the wearer pushes a button. Some repeaters, called quarter repeaters sound just the hours and the quarter hours ( by means of two different pitched tones); others called five minute repeaters, sound the hours, quarters, and five minute periods after the quarter; and still others called minute repeaters, sound the hours, quarters and minutes.

Retrograde

Used to describe a pointer hand on a watch dial (often a sub dial), which returns to zero at the end of a prescribed period. For example a watch may have retrograde date - in this case the hand moves up a scale a day at a time, pointing to the current date - when it reaches 31 it will spring back to 1

Rhodium Plated

Protective coating of metal with a thin layer of rhodium; hard, brittle metal which does not oxidize and is malleable only when red hot.

Rose (or pink) Gold

A softly hued gold that contains the same metals as yellow gold but with a higher concentration of copper in the alloy. A popular color in Europe, rose gold in watches is often seen in retro styling or in tricolor gold versions. Some 18k red gold watches achieve their color from additional copper in the alloy.

Rotating Bezel

A bezel (the ring surrounding the watch dial) that can be turned. Different types of rotating bezels perform different timekeeping and mathematical functions.

Rotor

The part of an automatic (or self-winding) mechanical watch that winds the movement's mainspring. It is a flat piece of metal, usually shaped like a semicircle, which swivels on a pivot with the motion of the wearer's arm.

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