Thursday, April 30, 2009
Why do they use synthetic ruby?
Without any jewels, the steel wheel pivots would very quickly grind away the bridge and plate material until the wheels came out of alignment, and the movement would crash to a halt.In the inexpensive watch of yesteryear, the pivot holes may have been provided with hardened metal bushings.
Ruby is significantly better than steel in handling the forces involved, wearing long, and providing a nice low friction surface suitable for both high-load as well as high-speed motion. With modern production methods, they are cheap (~$0.02 each). And they look nice.
Also you can find some good watches with the real ruby,such as Rolex replica,Porsche Design replica,Richard Mille replica,Zenith replica,Hublot replica and Ferrari replica watches.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
What is the difference between a movement, an ebauche, and a caliber?
Many watch companies will purchase complete movements from a major supplier such as ETA or Lemania, engrave their company's name and other information onto them, and encase it with their own or even contractor-supplied cases.This practice can be up-front - where the company acknowledges that the movements are not of their own design or manufacture, or it can be hidden - where the watch company claims to use "in-house" movements when the movements are in no way designed or manufactured internally.
Some watch companies will purchase an ebauche from a major supplier, polish and decorate the parts (i.e. finish the parts), and assemble it with standard parts to create a higher quality-controlled movement than the stock ready-made movement.
Other companies purchase ebauches, finish them to a high standard, modify parts of the movement, and add custom components like an upgraded escapement assembly - to create what might be called a custom version of that movement, much like how Carroll Shelby, AMG, or BMW's "M" division re-engineer existing automobiles to produce something with higher performance and exclusiveness.Many times, the company will rename the caliber as its own to reflect the modifications and finishing of the movement vs. an unmodified stock movement.
There is often a debate on whether a particular company is being deceptive in renaming a movement based on an outside supplier as an in-house caliber.
It should also be noted that the largest supplier of ebauches in Switzerland, ETA, can provide a wide variety of finishes on its products, from very raw parts to fully finished movements complete with Geneva stripes and other decoration.They even have a subsidiary, Soprod, that can perform custom finishing and even modifications to the basic movement.Therefore, there is by no means a single level of quality that one can ascribe to an ETA movement - there are basic versions all the way up to fully finished ones.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
How to Measure Watch Band?
Measure the width between the extended parts of the case in mm.
Size Conversion Chart
Inches Millimeters
5/16 8mm
11/32 9mm
3/8 10mm
7/16 11mm
15/32 12mm
1 /2 13mm
9/16 14mm
19/32 15mm
5/8 16mm
21/32 17mm
11/16 18mm
3/4 19mm
25/32 20mm
13/16 21mm
7/8 22mm
15/16 24mm
1 26mm
What is a long or short watch strap?
Sizes 6mm to 15mm are Ladies lengths. 16mm and up are men’s lenghts
To get the length of the band, measure the watch band, excluding the buckle.
Chart for Men’s Bands
Band Lengths Inches Millimeters
Short 6.75-7.15 177 mm
Regular 7.25-7.50 190 mm
Long 7.75-8.50 213 mm
Chart for Ladies Bands
Band Lengths Inches Millimeters
Short 6.25 in 155 mm
Regular 6.50in 165 mm
Long 7.50in 190 mm
Monday, April 27, 2009
Watch Movements
Watches(Rolex replica,Porsche Design replica,Richard Mille replica,Zenith replica,Hublot replica and Ferrari replica watches) tell time through the integration of three main components: an energy source, a time regulating mechanism, and a display. A watch's energy source can be electronic (battery-powered) or mechanical (spring-wound). The main timekeeping mechanism is called 'movement', while the display can show time in two different ways: digitally, in which the watch uses a liquid crystal display to show the time in numbers, and/or analogue, in which the watch uses the traditional dial and hands. Today's watches fall into four major types of movement: mechanical/automatic, quartz, solar and kinetic:
Mechanical and Automatic Watches: Mechanical watches are made up of gears and springs that work together to tell time. They are powered by manual winding. Automatic mechanical movements mark the passage of time through a series of gear mechanisms that are wound by the movement of the wrist. These watches are often quite beautiful and designed with precise craftsmanship,for example: Breitling replica,U-Boat replica,Bell&Ross replica,Patek Philippe replica and Omega replicas.
Quartz Watches: A quartz watch works with a series of tiny electronic components fitted together behind the face. Rather than a wound spring, it is powered by a battery. The battery on a quartz crystal watch sends an electrical current to a tiny quartz crystal, which in turn vibrates at a very high frequency (32,768 times a second) to keep extremely accurate time. Quartz technology accounts for more than 90% of the world's watch production.
Solar Watches: The quartz accuracy in these watches is powered by electricity converted from natural and artificial light. They are made with solar panels and sometimes come with rechargeable batteries, such as lithium ion polymer batteries. This technology was developed by Japanese watchmaker, Citizen.
Kinetic Watches: Batteries are not required for these advanced watches. Kinetic watches utilise an innovative movement of microelectronics that respond to the movements of the wrist, maintaining quartz accuracy. The watch 'sleeps' if not worn for 72 hours, but wakes up when shaken and immediately returns to the correct time. The kinetic movement was developed by Japanese watchmaker, Seiko.
Friday, April 24, 2009
HOW DO I SET THE GMT & LOCAL TIME?
To adjust time, please follow the instructions below:
1. Unwind the crown anti-clockwise softly and slowly until it loosen up. There are two steps of pulling out the button stem. Do not exert too much force here and please make sure you do it lightly and carefully,as too much force will do harm to your beloved watches,such as Chopard replica,Cartier replica,Chanel replica,Corum replica,Franck Muller replica,Graham replica,Longines replica,Tudor replica,Romain Jerome replica and Tag Heuer replica.
2. STEP ONE is for setting the GMT second time zone. STEP TWO is for setting the local time. Pull one-step out is to set GMT and date by winding the button clockwise and anticlockwise respectively. Pull one more step is for setting local time. Pushing the crown inward one step will bring it back to GMT setting. Pushing it two steps will bring it back to normal position and you can wind it back clockwise while pushing it back softly to secure the crown onto the watchcase.
3. Set local time FIRST and then GMT SECOND time zone. When you set local time, GMT time will also be changed at the same time.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
WHAT IS SCREW-IN CROWN? HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS?
No matter the watch has a screw-in crown or not,if it is Chopard replica,Cartier replica,Chanel replica,Corum replica,Franck Muller replica,Graham replica,Longines replica,Tudor replica,Romain Jerome replica and Tag Heuer replica,you will find they are also very good.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING I NEED TO DO UPON RECEIVING THE WATCH?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
WHAT IS A TACHYMETER AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
Also there are many other brands watches with such function, Rolex replica,Porsche Design replica,Richard Mille replica,Zenith replica,Hublot replica and Ferrari replica watches are also better choices for you.
Monday, April 20, 2009
set the time
OK, well firstly a watch equipped with a date feature will normally have three positions for the crown: in, pulled out one click (for date setting) and pulled out two clicks (for time setting). Simple enough. Two main tips here really. Firstly, when setting the time wind the hands slowly if possible, don't overdo it in the speed department - the simple reason for this is that doing so very quickly can cause premature wear to the components upon which the hands ride. Relatively slowly and gently is fine and preferably in a clockwise direction. Don't adjust the time backwards through midnight unless a watch specifically allows this. Secondly, when using the rapid date advance feature AKA the quickset feature, as a general rule avoid doing so between 8.00pm and say 4.00am - serious damage can be caused to the date mechanism if this advice isn't heeded. If the watch has stopped then make sure you set the time once through midnight and well into the safe zone before quicksetting the date..
You should carefully operate when setting the time of your watch,especially Rolex replica,Porsche Design replica,Richard Mille replica,Zenith replica,Hublot replica,Ferrari replica watches, Longines replica,Tudor replica,Romain Jerome replica and Tag Heuer replica.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Why does my date change at noon instead of midnight?
When setting a watch that has run down, make sure you roll the hands forward past 12:00 at least once so you can see when the date changes. Then set the time accordingly so the next date change will occur at midnight, not noon.
Digital watches do not have this confusion, because you have to explicitly tell them whether it is AM or PM. Watches that display 24-hour or military time also are clear on where in the 24 hour day the time is,such as Longines replica,Tudor replica,Romain Jerome replica and Tag Heuer replica.But most watches display a simple 12-hour representation of the time--leaving it up to the wearer to understand which half of the day they are in.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
How does magnetism affect quartz watches?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Is it okay to leave my chronograph function running all the time?
On quartz chronographs it is certainly okay. Though some quartz chronographs may limit the duration that the chronograph will run. Also, some quartz watches may disable the chronograph functions to conserve battery power when the battery is very low.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Why does my automatic watch run down in less time than the stated Power Reserve?
To test to see if your watch is really getting its full power reserve, try this: manually wind your watch at least 40 turns and make sure the time is correct. Then leave it on the dresser for two to three days and see what time it stops. If it runs for close to the stated power reserve (usually 40-44 hours for many modern mechanical watches), then your watch is perfectly fine,you can find such fine watches in the market,such as Chopard replica,Cartier replica,Chanel replica,Corum replica,Franck Muller replica and Graham replica.If it runs significantly less than that, it may need cleaning or an adjustment.
If your power reserve is functioning correctly, then you may need to simply manually wind the watch when you take it off to ensure it is sufficiently wound. Or you may choose to change your wearing habits to keep the watch on your wrist for more active time. And finally, you can always consider getting a watch winder to keep your automatic watch ready to wear even when you do not use it regularly.
Monday, April 13, 2009
What is a chronograph?
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Are more jewels better?
Only those pieces of the movement which are between the mainspring and the escape wheel are candidates for jeweling, as these are the movement parts that experience the large forces or relatively high speeds of the mainspring or escapement. Other components, such as the motion works (i.e. hour and minute wheels), calendar mechanisms, and winding train are not under this constant stress, and thus arguably do not need jewels.
Automatic winding movements will add about 4-8 jewels to help most efficiently transfer the relatively small rotor forces into winding the mainspring.Another factor has to do with how the watch is constructed - especially for chronograph movements and perpetual calendars. Some chronograph movements used today (including the ETA 2894-2) are modular in construction - meaning that a plate containing the chronograph works is grafted onto a basic timekeeping movement. Since the original timekeeping movements were not always designed with this in mind, it becomes critical for the add-on module to add as little "drag" as possible - which may indicate use of jewels for their low friction properties.
BTW, one will occasionally encounter a quartz movement with jewels in it - they technically aren't really necessary because a quartz wheel train is not constantly under stress.
As a historical note, there was a "jewel craze" about 50 years ago, where manufacturers, under the belief that the public thought more was always better, came up with 75 or even 100 jewel movements. Most of these jewels were not functional in any way, and the results looked ludicrous to an informed eye.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
What is a Flyback?
There are many kinds of watches which have the flyback function,such as Rolex replica,Porsche Design replica,Richard Mille replica,Zenith replica and Hublot replica.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
How does an automatic mechanism work?
All automatic watches have an overwind protection mechanism of one sort or another, to prevent breaking the mainspring once fully wound,such as Rolex replica,Porsche Design replica,Richard Mille replica,Zenith replica and Hublot replica.In a typical system, the mainspring, which is wound at the central arbor of the barrel, is not rigidly attached to the outside of the barrel.Instead, there are a series of detents along the outer edge of the barrel that allow a stiffly constructed mainspring part called the bridle to slide along when an attempt to overwind is made.On some watches, a faint click can be heard when this happens,such as Ferrari replica watches,Breitling replica,U-Boat replica,Bell&Ross replica,Patek Philippe replica and Omega replicas.On others, it cannot be heard.It should be noted that this overwind protection is critical to avoid damage to the watch, and is reported to be one of the more tricky things to get right during a watch service because of the special lubricant needed to ensure proper operation.
The Horologium contains several articles about different types of automatic winding systems, including a vintage JLC/Vacheron automatic, a modern production JLC as in used in the International Watch Company (IWC) Portugieser Automatic (scroll to the bottom of the article), a modern ETA/Eterna system as used in an $85 Swatch Automatic, and an innovative bi-directional system from the IWC Caliber 8541 (now used in the new IWC Cal. 5000).
Saturday, April 4, 2009
What is an automatic wristwatch?
If you are like many of our customers, you probably have more than one watch.If you do not wear an automatic for a day (24 hours), it will still be running the next morning, but it is recommended to wind it by turning the crown about 20 times.This will guarantee the watch is fully ‘charged’.
If an automatic watch is allowed to run down fully, as in when it is shipped, or if it remains in your jewelry box, simply turn the crown clockwise 20 to 30 times to give the mainspring a full wind.You can not over wind an automatic movement – there is an internal clutch mechanism – the crown will simply keep turning but the watch will not wind any further.Rolex specializes in producing automatic watches,such as Rolex Daytona replica,Rolex Datejust replica,and Rolex Yacht-Master replica.
Friday, April 3, 2009
What is a quartz movement?
Quartz watches became very popular in the 1980’s and threatened the very existence of mechanical movements.Quartz watches are extremely reliable, and are by far the best time keepers – if you are looking for accuracy, quartz watches will serve your purpose.But, they do not have the same ‘life’ that mechanical watches: Rolex replica, Richard Mille replica,Zenith replica,Hublot replica,Ferrari replica watches have.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
How Quartz Watches Work
Have you ever wondered why it is called a quartz watch? Or why quartz watches are so much more accurate than wind-up watches?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
What is Horology??
It's now in the hands of scientists who measure time in billionths of a second with atomic clocks, but most of us aren't interested in billionths of anything. The first timekeeping device was probably a stick in the ground, and some clever soul noticed that the stick's shadow moved as the sun moved. From that came the present sundial. Other devices were the water clock, in which a bowl was either filled or emptied within a certain period of time, probably timed by the shadow of a stick in the ground—but you could use the water clock at night. Other devices were marked candles, oil lamps that would burn a measured amount of oil, or a stick of incense that burned at a measured rate, and would drop a thread-suspended metal ball on a bell.
The first mechanical clock was probably made by a blacksmith somewhere in Italy, as an alarm clock for a brother in a monastery who had to wake his mates at a certain time of the morning to start the day's worship sequence.
From this sprang the monster tower clocks, again made by blacksmiths, that appeared all over Europe after about 1200. These only had one hand because they were so inaccurate—maybe within two hours a day.
With increasing sophistication came the smaller mechanical clocks that the wealthy could keep in their bedrooms, or use as an alarm to wake the servants to prepare Milord and Milady's breakfast. These usually ran for only 30 hours at a winding, and still weren't very accurate. But, life was a bit slower-paced back then; it was kind of hard to buzz off to Cancun for the weekend.
The first watch appeared in about 1500. Not very accurate, but a toy for the wealthy. Over the centuries, with the invention of the hairspring, and other improvements, it became more accurate and smaller until it evolved into the small jewel you wear on your wrist today.Also there are many top grade watches in the market,such as Rolex replica,Porsche Design replica,Richard Mille replica,Zenith replica,Hublot replica,Ferrari replica watchesBreitling replica,U-Boat replica,Bell&Ross replica,Patek Philippe replica and Omega replicas.
The properties of the pendulum had been known from the time of Galileo, but they weren't applied to the clock until a Dutch mathematician, Christiaan Huygens, used one successfully on a clock in 1673.
Clock accuracy took a spectacular jump—from within hours a day to within minutes a day, and never looked back. Clocks became evermore accurate, designs, both technical and decorative, took off, and hundreds of thousands of people were employed in making clocks, or in making parts for clocks.
Even though technical improvements were being made, further accuracy didn't really come along until Lee Deforest invented the vacuum tube in the 1920s, and the later invention of the transistor in the 1940s.
Thousands of people like yourself are fascinated with clocks and watches, and collect them avidly. There are several organizations today whose members devote themselves to the study of horology and its history. One of these is the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, based in Columbia, PA.
Take a few minutes to look over our Web pages, or stop in at the Museum. Either way, we'll be delighted to see you.