Base plate on which all the other parts of a watch movement are mounted (part of the "bauche").
The driving spring of a watch or clock, contained in the barrel.
A hand-wound mechanical watch.
French term for a watch factory which itself produces the components (particularly the "bauches") needed for the manufacture of its products (watches, alarms and desk clocks etc).
Highly accurate mechanical or electronic timekeeper enclosed in a box (hence the term box chronometer), used for determining the longitude on board ship. Marine chronometers with mechaqnical movements are mounted on gimbals so that they remain in the horizontal position that is necessary for their precision.
When time is measured in 24-hour segments. To convert 12-hour time into 24-hour time, simply add 12 to any p.m. time. To convert 24-hour time into 12-hour time, subtract 12 from any time from 13 to 24.
Watch glass that has been tampered to increase its scratch resistance.
A complication on a watch that can strike the time in hours, quarters, or seconds by means of a push piece.
An indicator that keeps track of the phases of the moon. A regular rotation of the moon is once around the earth every 29 days, 12 hours, and 44 minutes. Once set, the moon phase indicator accurately displays the phase of the moon.
Iridescent, milky interior shell of the fresh water mollusk that is sliced thin and used on watch dials. While most have a milky white luster, mother-of-pearl also comes in other colours such as silvery grey, grey blue, pink and salmon.
Assembly consisting of the principal elements and mechanisms of a watch or clock: the winding and setting mechanism, the mainspring, the train, the escapement, the regulating elements. "Anatomically", the movement consists of the "bauche", the regulating elements and the other components.
