Photo by Sabrianna on Unsplash
If you have a strong fascination with luxury vintage watches, you certainly aren’t alone, as many people collect luxury vintage watches and who could blame them? A 1970s Rolex Submariner, for example, is a masterpiece of micro-engineering and a valuable timepiece that increases in value over time.
Here are some watch terms that will help you to gain a deeper insight into the mysterious world of luxury vintage watches.
- Analogue - This refers to a watch with mechanical moving parts, which is very different from a digit watch that requires a battery. If you are looking for a one of a kind vintage watch for sale, look no further than a leading antique dealer near you.
- Automatic Winder - Most luxury vintage watches are auto wind, which means the kinetic movement when the watch is worn on the wrist causes the mainspring to wind automatically. Of course, if this type of watch is left in a drawer for a few weeks, the mainspring will uncoil and the time-piece will stop, but once the watch is worn, it will start winding automatically. Older timepieces are manual wind and great care must be taken not to overwind such watches.
- Balance Wheel - A precision wheel that regulates the watch movement. This is extremely thin and should be perfectly balanced.
- Rotating Bezel - Typically found on diving watches, a rotating dial allows the wearer to set reminders on how long they have underwater before they need to surface. This could also be used by a mountain climber who wishes to limit their time on a summit. Some Rolex watches have a rotating bezel with numbers for reference.
- Bridge - This is a plate that acts as a stable framework to hold the inner workings of a timepiece.
- Case - As the name implies, the case is the metal container that houses the inner workings, the dial and the hands.
- Chronograph - A watch that can also be used as a stopwatch.
- Chronometer - The technical term for a timepiece that keeps time with a high level of precision and accuracy. Ideal for navigation, a chronometer would be the watch of choice for sailors and pilots.
- Clasp - The fastening method for a watch strap.
- Dolphin Standard - This type of watch is certified for underwater use and the watch would state to what depths it has been tested.
- Functions - This refers to the features that a watch has. Luxury vintage watches have many amazing features. Examples include a stopwatch, auto winding, dual time etc.
- Gear Train - A series of cogs and wheels that drive the hands, which control the movement. This is very much the meat and potatoes of a watch and gear trains can be very complex.
- Limited Edition - Of course, many watch manufacturers set a limit on the number of watches in a particular line; a limited-edition watch would be more valuable, due to the finite number produced. Timepieces with low numbers tend to fetch higher prices than watches with high model numbers.
- Perpetual Calendar - A watch that automatically takes into account the number of days in a month, plus some models also recognise leap years.
- Quartz Movement - A timepiece that uses a quartz crystal to keep precise time.
Photo by John Torcasio on Unsplash
As you can see, there are many terms used with vintage watches and if you are looking to start a collection of luxury watches, your local antique dealer is the person to contact. There are so many famous watch manufacturers that created stunning timepieces over the years and for the best selection of second-hand luxury vintage watches, search the web for an established antique dealer who has premises nearby
