A handy guide to decoding basic watch jargon

For anyone who’s getting into a new hobby, they’re inevitably going to need some time to adjust to the new lingo that comes with it. Watches are no different, and not being familiar with the necessary terms could easily cause confusion. No matter where you look, you’ll encounter words like “lug width” and “COSC”, and at some point surely confuse “crystals”, and “jewels”. To get you pointed in the right direction with the most basic stuff, we’ve put together a short guide that covers the most common watch nerd terms you’ll need to get familiar with, but if you want to get into all the different parts of a watch, we’ve got a guide for that too.

Diameter, thickness, lug-to-lug, lug width

When talking about any watch, its dimensions will be crucial to understanding how it’s positioned and designed. You can get a good sense of a watch’s size using four common metrics, three of which you can see in the example of the Erebus Ascent GMT above. The most common is the diameter, which is usually measured from one side of the case to the other, and doesn’t include the crown – for the Erebus, it sits at 40mm. Next is lug-to-lug, one of the most important measurements, as it measures the distance from lug tip to lug tip – too big, and it’ll hang over the sides of your wrist. The Erebus’ 46mm means it’ll fit most wrists. Finally, it’s the lug width, which refers to the width of the straps you can fit to a particular watch. 20mm is the most common dimension you’ll see. The one dimension you won’t find here is the thickness, though it is the most self-explanatory one. Measure the watch side-on, from the top of the crystal, to the bottom of the caseback, but beware – some brands make their watches appear slimmer by not including the crystal in the measurement.

Finishing

The masterfully finished Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain II

You’ll see this word used to describe the types of decoration a watch brand applies to their movements, but also extends to the style of material finish used for the case and dial elements. For example, movement finishing types include polishing, graining, striping, and bevelling, and you’ll see the same words used to describe the finishing of the case. If you’re a francophone, you might have a bit of an advantage here, as many finishing terms are derived from French. “Côtes de Genève”, “colimaçonnage”, and “perlage” all describe particular styles of brushing applied to a movement, while “anglage”, “azurage”, and “guilloché” are decoration techniques – we’ll cover them in more depth in a separate article.

Chronometer vs chronograph

If you’re already deep down the rabbit hole, you might wave your hand in dismissal. “How could anybody not know this?” Well, you’d be surprised how many people with considerable collections have asked me about this. If that’s you, don’t worry, the explanation is simple. A chronograph is a timekeeping device used to measure increments of time accurately – think of it as a stopwatch complication in a watch. A chronometer is a watch whose accuracy has been deemed to be of a very high standard. Bodies like the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS) creating standardised tests that certify watches that pass it as chronometers.

Patina

Avery tropical Rolex Explorer ref. 1016. Image courtesy of Analog:Shift

Depending on where you stand on vintage watches, patina could be just another word for “damage”. To most fans of vintage, however, there are desirable forms of damage that go far beyond the simple definition of the term as “oxidation of a surface”. In fact, certain types of patina are sought-after by collectors, demanding premiums over examples without that particular type of ageing. So, while a dial clearly stained or damaged by water ingress probably won’t increase the chances of selling that old watch sitting in your drawer somewhere, there’s a whole other glossary out there used by enthusiasts to refer to types of desirable damage. Here’s a few, just for fun: pumpkin lume (luminescent material that has aged to a creamy orange), spider dial (black-lacquered dials that have cracked over the years due to manufacturing errors), tropical dial (usually black dials that have turned a gradient brown due to sun exposure)…

Strap monster

You might come across this term when browsing for a versatile watch, and it simply means that it’s a watch that works on a wide range of strap options. While the community hasn’t prescribed any exact guidelines, these watches usually have muted dial colours that work with a variety of strap colours and a 20mm lug width that has become the golden standard for easy aftermarket strap changes.

GADA watch

Here’s a sentence that could scare a budding watch enthusiast: “That Speedy is such a strap monster, it makes it a great GADA watch.” We’ve covered the first half of the sentence, and it ties into the idea of the Go Anywhere, Do Anything watch. GADA watches don’t need to be particularly versatile when it comes to swapping straps, though it does help, and people usually expect them to not lean too much into any one aesthetic, while retaining tough elements like sapphire crystals and 100 metres of water-resistance. Where their versatility shines is in all sorts of wearing conditions, whether it’s with board shorts or in the board room, with popular examples being watches like the Erebus Ascent, Second Hour Mandala, and RZE Resolute.

Beaters and grails

These two terms are what inspired this article, and represent two distinct ends of the collecting spectrum. A beater watch is one that represents something that the wearer can do anything with without too much fear thanks to their affordability, though the definition varies from collector to collector. In my case, my beater watch is the Casio G-Shock GWM5610, with the job sometimes going to the Seiko SKX. That said, I’ve had conversations with people claiming that their Tudor Black Bays are great beaters – though in all honesty, I don’t think they do with those what I do with my G-Shock.

A grail, on the other hand, can be any watch you aspire to, whether that be the next purchase, or the ultimate purchase – you’ll hear most people referring to the latter, though.