Rolex Glossary of Watch Parts & Terminology

Case – the “body” of the watch. It contains the movement and is attached to the band on its extremes.

Dial – the face of the watch on which the hands and hour markers are put on.

Hands – the hour hand, minute hand, and second hand that keeps time.

Crown – the round-shaped winder that allows one to adjust the time, day, date, and movement.

Crystal – the glass that covers the dial. It comes in either a sapphire or plastic crystal.

Bezel – the round, outer-ring that seals the case.

Lugs – the two pointed edges that attach to the bracelet on both top and bottom ends of the case.

Bracelet – or the band, is the piece that wraps around the wrist. It is usually made of stainless steel or gold.

End Piece – the small metal piece that allows the bracelet to be attached to the case.

Spring Bar – a pushpin that holds the bracelet together.

Link – each “link” makes up the bracelet and can be removed or added to fit one’s wrist.

Aftermarket Rolex Parts – non-Rolex made parts that do not display counterfeit Rolex logos or hallmarks.

Arbor – the axle that a gear rides on.

Baguette – ladies style watch featuring a thin rectangular or oval shape.

Balance Spring – controls the swing of the balance.

Bubbleback – expression used to describe the early Rolex Perpetual models, due to the thickness of the case used to house the oversized movement.

Chronograph – in addition to conveying standard time, it also performs a time measuring function such as a stop watch.

Divers’ Extension – a hinged extension within the watch’s bracelet, which allows the bracelet to be lengthened, to fit the divers’ wet suit.

Quick Set – this feature allows the date to be rapidly set via the winding crown, without having the hour hand pass the 12 o’clock position.

Concealed Clasp – the clasp buckle is concealed under the bracelet’s links, appearing to have a continuous flowing bracelet.

Hallmark – a mark or stamp indicating the purity of the metal, or the date, and/or country of import.

Mainspring – the principal spring of a watch that supplies the force of motion to the gear trains.

Perpetual Movement – another term for an automatic or self-winding movement, this movement causes a weight inside the watch to rotate backwards and forwards, thus keeping it in constant tension.

Serial Number – an identification number of a watch, usually engraved between the lugs, this number can often be used to date the production of the watch.

Sweeping Movement – refers to the movement of the second hand quickly ‘ticking’ at approximately 5-8 times per second, thus giving the illusion of sweeping.



Source by Denial A