Beginner Guides

A History of Horology, Clockmaking, and Watches

The history of timekeeping dates back to approximately 2000 BCE, when ancient civilizations observed the Moon and Sun as they moved across the sky. This eventually led to the development of timekeeping devices. The ancient Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to devise a way to track time by dividing the day into two 12-hour periods. The Egyptians used obelisks (a tall, four-sided monument which tapers at the top in a pyramid formation) to mark the sun's rays by reading the shadow it made. They also used sundials and developed water clocks, which were later adopted by the Chinese, the Persians and the Greeks.

Introduction to Watch Movements

Inside every watch, no matter the power source, there is a little engine that is delivering information to the display. This is referred to as either the "movement" or the "caliber," with both terms referring to the same thing. Generally speaking, there are two types of watch movements: mechanica...

Introduction to Watch Styles

A GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) watch is a watch able to show time in multiple time zones simultaneously (normally two or three time zones). The GMT function isn't restricted to any particular style of watch and can be found as an additional complication on a d...

Introduction to Watch Types: Analog Vs Digital

Broadly speaking, there are two types of wristwatch displays: analog and digital. This display can be referred to as the dial or the face, but in either case it is the part of the watch that displays the time. The dial can come in many different shapes and sizes. Dials are often bold colors to impr...

Introduction to Watch Bands, Bracelets, and Buckles

There are many different types of deployant clasps, all with slightly different names. The fold-over deployant clasp means the strap is never under the same stress or strain as it is when using an ardillon buckle. It’s also a security mechanism, because once the clasp has been correctly fitted to th...

Introduction to Watch Materials: Steel And Gold

The most common and popular material in watchmaking is 316L Stainless Steel, but that is not the only material that watches are made out of. Today you can find watches made out of gold, platinum, ceramic, carbon fiber, plastic, bronze and more...

A Beginner's Guide To Watch Features

Here is a quick guide to getting up and running with the world of watches. Here is a great place to start if you are just getting your wrists wet with some timepiece research .

↑