Some Common Terminologies

TERMINOLOGY

• SS = Stainless Steel
• 316L = A low carbon grade of stainless steel that is very corrosion resistant
• GMT = Greenwich Mean Time - also used to describe a watch with a second time zone indicator or a 24 hour watch
• Bead Blasted = A finish applied by literally blasting a watch case with a course medium to give it a frosted finish
• Bezel = Rotating or fixed area surrounding the crystal, outside the case. Often bezels have engraved scales or markings.
• Brushed = A finish applied to a watch case to give it a satin finish
• Chronometer = Swiss made watch that is tested & meets certain standards set by the Swiss Official Chronometer Control mainly -4 to +6 seconds average per day
• COSC = See Chronometer
• Destro = A watch that has had it's case "flipped" so the crown faces the opposite direction. The term is used often with Panerai watches. Destro is Italian for "right."
• DLC = short for Diamond Like Carbon. It provides a stronger, more scratch resistant coating on the watch than with traditional PVD methods.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond-like_carbon
• Lume = Luminosity - Chemical compound that absorbs then gives off light energy. Used on watch dials, hands, bezels, and reflectors. The chart below shows the relative brightness of various materials with C3 SuperLuminova as the reference point. C3 grade A is now available. It is not brighter than original C3, but it glows longer.

 

• Auto = Automatic Movement - A watch movement that is wound by the normal motion of your wrist
• CF = Carbon Fiber
• Chapter Ring = Sometimes used instead of Reflector, which is the term used by manufacturers worldwide
• Chrono = Chronograph - A watch that includes a built in stopwatch function
• HEV = Helium Escape Valve
• HRV = Helium Release Valve (same as above)
• MOQ = Minimum Order Quantity, often used when discussing manufacturing issues
• Plongeur Hands = Refers to the style of hands originally used on the Omega PloProf watch
• PVD = Physical Vapor Deposition - a black coating that provides a hard case finish
• Reflector = The ring on the watch dial under the crystal, bearing figures and minute marks. This part is called a reflector whether it turns, or it is fixed.
• Ti = Titanium
• Uni-directional = Refers to the bezel on a dive watch that only turns counter clockwise which is used by scuba divers to time their dives
• WR = Water Resistance