It so happens that a person does not get carried away for hours at all, but it is necessary to maintain a conversation in the company. Or, for example, they presented a cool watch, but it is not immediately clear what is cool about it. Or, finally, a person is interested in mechanics himself, but is not ready to read a whole textbook on the history of watchmaking, because there is no time. For all these cases, here are ten simple answers to the most common awkward questions about watches. Just five minutes of thoughtful reading, and you are definitely not a "teapot" anymore.
How to tell quartz from mechanics
Don't start laughing right away. This is a trick question. Obviously, most often the type of mechanism is indicated by dial: they write Quartz or Automatic, sometimes Mechanical. But it happens that nothing is written! And the back cover is solid, you can't see what's inside. Then you need to look at the second hand. If it goes almost smoothly, but mechanism it ticks regularly and often, so it is a mechanic. If the arrow jumps in jerks, and the mechanism "clicks" once a second, then it is quartz. True, there are two exceptions: the first is the mechanism of the “dead second” (seconde morte or dead beat), in which case the ticking of the mechanics will be heard, but the hand will clearly move in second divisions, and the second is the Spring Drive technology from Seiko, here the second moves perfectly smoothly without the slightest hesitation.
How to distinguish a perpetual calendar from a complete one
Everything is pretty simple here. Unlike a full or annual calendar, a perpetual calendar shows not only the date, day of the week, month and often the phase of the moon, but also knows how to automatically take into account the length of each month, as well as leap years. Therefore, he necessarily has one more indicator, consisting of numbers from 1 to 4 - just to show a leap year. It's easier to see this thing on the dial, even from a distance, than trying to make out what's written there: full, annual, or perpetual (advice for a first date).
How to use the lunar calendar in your watch
Honestly - many are convinced that the moon phase indicator in a watch is for beauty. In part, it is, but it can actually show the position of the satellite. When a metal disk creeps out from behind the left tubercle in the lunar calendar, it is a new moon. When it is fully open and exactly in the center of the starry sky, it is a full moon. Well, then it crawls behind the right hillock and is not shown until the next new moon (in fact, there are two disks on the lunar indicator, because it makes a full revolution not in 28 days, but in 59 days). Naturally, periodically Lunar Calendar should be corrected. It is better to do this during the full moon and at night from 11 pm to 4 am.
How to wind the watch correctly
As my grandfather taught - every night before going to bed. You need to remove the watch from your hand and turn the crown about twenty times from yourself, wishing yourself good dreams. For ordinary manual-winding mechanics and a power reserve of 42-55 hours, this is more than enough. If the watch is automatic, then it is wound up only once - upon purchase. And then, if you have completely got up, only a dozen rotations are enough to start the mechanism again.
How to translate the date correctly
If, winding up the watch before going to bed, you notice that the date does not correspond to the real one (for example, the clock shows April 30, but in fact May 1), you should not translate the date manually! It is better to bring the hands to the 12 o'clock position, let the calendar jump to the next day on its own, and only then set the hands to the correct position. The mechanism will be more intact.
How to distinguish Tourbillon from open balance
Again, the word Tourbillon will most likely be written on the dial in clear letters. But you can also be smart. The Tourbillon is a revolving platform within which the balance spins like a squirrel in a wheel. Therefore, if the balance is running in a circle, then we have a Tourbillon, and if it is motionless, then it is just an open balance or Open Heart. The difference is fifty thousand dollars.
How to distinguish a chronograph from a chronometer. And never be confused again!
Chronograph Is a sports watch with time meters. They have additional indicators on the dial, two buttons on the sides of the crown, and the central second hand, as a rule, stands still, because it keeps track of the seconds when the top button is pressed. And the chronometer is just a very precise movement that has received an official certificate of accuracy. Moreover, only Swiss brands have the right to write Chronometer on the dial. The rest have to somehow get out.
How to distinguish a column-wheel chronograph from a cam-operated chronograph
This and the next item is already a pro level, one can be regarded as a connoisseur among the owners of chronographs. So, the first life hack. A column wheel chronograph is considered much more prestigious than a standard cam chronograph (usually series production). Therefore, look for the column wheel from the side of the back cover! It will most likely be bright blue to make it easier to find.
How to Distinguish Vertical and Horizontal Chronograph Gears
The second life hack for chronograph lovers. The horizontal gear "slows down" a little while the wheels mesh with each other, while the vertical gear starts immediately.
How to tell a sapphire crystal
It is believed that the most affordable type of sentry glasses - plexiglass, aka plexiglass - easy to scratch, but very difficult to break. But the most expensive and prestigious sapphire crystal shatter on strong impact, but very scratch resistant. Mineral (they are also silicate) glasses are somewhere in the middle. Therefore, if the glass on the watch is in a small "cobweb", then the glass is plexiglass, and the watch is most likely a diver.
