A

Accuracy
How closely a watch keeps time compared to the official standard. Mechanical watches vary slightly day to day; chronometers follow strict tolerances.

Acrylic crystal
A plastic crystal used mainly on vintage watches. Modern Christopher Ward watches use sapphire instead.

Applied indices
Hour markers fixed physically to the dial (rather than printed). They add depth, reflect light and give a premium feel.

Arabics
Numerals on the dial (1–12). Often found on field, aviation or retro‑inspired designs.

Armin Strom
An independent Swiss atelier renowned for skeletonisation and movement architecture. Collaborated with Christopher Ward on Apex.

Automatic movement
A mechanical movement powered by the motion of your wrist through a rotating rotor.

B

Balance wheel
The oscillating wheel that controls the heartbeat of the watch. Free‑sprung balances offer better long-term stability.

Barrel
A housing containing the mainspring. SH21 uses twin barrels to deliver a long, steady power reserve.

Beats per hour (BPH)
How many vibrations the movement makes per hour. Many CW watches use 28,800 bph (4Hz).

Bevel / chamfer
A polished angled edge on metal surfaces. Adds sparkle and refinement. Found on cases, bridges and dial components.

Bezel
The outer ring that surrounds the dial. On divers it is usually unidirectional and used for timing.

Bracelet taper
How much the bracelet narrows towards the clasp. Affects comfort and visual balance.

Bronze
A metal that develops natural patina over time. Used in the C60 Bronze models (and others).

C

Calibre
Another term for movement. CW’s key calibres include SH21, CW‑003 and the JJ‑series complications.

Caseback
The back of the watch. Can be solid or sapphire to show the movement.

Ceramic bezel
A scratch-resistant material used for modern dive bezels. Has a glossy, durable finish.

Chronograph
A stopwatch built into a watch, often operated with start/stop and reset pushers.

Chronometer
A movement certified for timekeeping accuracy by COSC. SH21 and certain SW300-based CW models qualify.

CNC machining
Precision milling used to create sharp lines and facets, especially on titanium models like Twelve X.

COSC: COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) is the Swiss institute that tests movements for precision, certifying only those that meet strict daily accuracy standards as official chronometers.

Crown
The small knob used to set the time and wind the movement.

Crystal
The transparent cover over the dial. CW uses sapphire, which is extremely scratch resistant.

Cushion case
A square‑rounded case style used in certain early CW tool watches (e.g. C11 Makaira) and the C65 Super Compressor.

D

Dial
The face of the watch displaying hands, markers and complications.

Display back
A transparent caseback (usually sapphire) allowing you to view the movement.

Diver
A watch with a rotating bezel, strong lume and significant water resistance for underwater timing.

Double barrel
Two mainsprings running together for smoother power delivery and extended reserve (e.g. SH21).

E

End links
The end piece of a bracelet that connects to the watch case. Integrated designs have fixed end-link geometry.

Escapement
The mechanism that releases energy from the mainspring in regulated pulses.

F

Finishing
Decorative and functional polishing or texturing on cases, dials and movements (brushed, polished, grained, chamfered).

Five‑day movement
A movement capable of running for around 120 hours fully wound, such as the SH21.

Free‑sprung balance
A more stable, premium method of regulating a movement. Used in CW‑003.

G

Geneva stripes
Decorative stripes applied to movement bridges. CW often favours modern finishing styles.

GMT
A complication that tracks a second time zone using a 24‑hour hand.

GPHG
Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève — the “Oscars” of watchmaking. Bel Canto won the Challenge Prize.

H

Hand‑wound
A movement wound manually by turning the crown.

Hacking seconds
Seconds hand stops when you pull out the crown to set the time. Helps with precise setting.

Hour marker
Indices or numerals marking each hour on the dial.

I

Integrated bracelet
A bracelet designed as part of the case itself (e.g. The Twelve, Twelve X).

Indices
The hour markers on the dial.

ISO dive standard
An optional formal certification for dive watches; not required for real-world capability.

J

Jewels
Small synthetic ruby bearings that reduce friction inside the movement.

Jumping hour (JJ01)
A complication where the hour is displayed digitally and “jumps” forward at the top of each hour.

K

Kingfisher
Christopher Ward’s first colourful diver from the late 2000s. Considered an early classic.

L

L2L (lug‑to‑lug)
Measurement from the top of the top lug to the bottom of the bottom lug. More important than diameter for fit.

Light‑Catcher case
CW’s modern case design using multiple facets and curves to reduce perceived thickness.

Loco (C12)
CW’s open‑dial integrated watch with the CW‑003 movement and front‑facing balance wheel.

Lume
Photoluminescent paint allowing hands and markers to glow in the dark.

M

Makaira
A tough early CW tool diver with a bolder, more industrial case.

Manual wind
A movement requiring hand winding. Offers a tactile connection with the watch.

Micro‑adjust
Bracelet feature allowing small, tool‑free sizing changes.

MoD (Ministry of Defence) watches
CW’s Sandhurst, Cranwell and Dartmouth — licensed watches inspired by British service heritage.

Moonphase (JJ04)
Tracks the lunar cycle. JJ04 moonphase is geared to remain accurate to one day in 128 years.

Movement holder
A ring that stabilises the movement in the case.

N

NATO strap
A durable one‑piece nylon strap that threads under the case.

Nickel moon disc
The large, embossed moon disc used in CW moonphase watches.

O

Open‑heart
A dial cut‑out that shows the balance wheel.

Open‑worked / skeletonised
Parts of the movement or dial removed to expose the mechanics (e.g. Apex, Twelve X).

Owner’s Manual Archive
CW’s online library of watch manuals.

P

Patina
The natural ageing and colour change in metals like bronze.

Perlage
Circular‑pattern finishing often applied to movement plates.

Power reserve
How long a fully wound movement will run:
• SW200 = ~38 hours;
• SH21 = 120 hours;
• CW‑003 = 144 hours.

Pro 300
Slimmer, lighter C60 Trident with 300m WR.

Pro 600
C60 Trident with classic 600m WR and a more robust diver look.

Q

Quartz
Battery‑powered movement. Very accurate with minimal maintenance.

Quick-release spring bars
Allow straps to be changed easily without tools.

R

Regulator
Part of the movement used to adjust timing. Free‑sprung balances use fixed regulators.

Rehaut
The inner wall between dial and crystal.

Rotor
The weighted component that winds an automatic movement.

S

Sapphire (crystal or dial)
Extremely scratch-resistant synthetic sapphire. Used for fronts, backs and sometimes dials.

Sealander (C63)
CW’s everyday sports watch family (automatic, GMT and solar variants).

Service interval
Recommended frequency for full maintenance — usually every 4–6 years for mechanical watches.

Shock protection
Mechanisms like Incabloc that help protect the movement from impact.

SH21
CW’s in-house 5‑day movement: twin barrels, chronometer grade, modular design.

Single‑pusher chronograph (JJ02)
Chronograph operated entirely by one pusher inside the crown.

Skeletonisation
The deliberate removal of material to show movement architecture.

Strap taper
How a strap narrows toward the buckle.

T

Tapered bracelet
Bracelet that narrows towards the clasp for comfort.

The Twelve
CW’s modern integrated‑bracelet sports watch line.

Twelve X (Ti)
A titanium, skeletonised SH21 model celebrating 10 years of the movement and CW’s 20th anniversary.

Titanium (Grade 2 / 5)
Light, strong metal used in CW’s Elite, TiX and Twelve X models.

Tritium
A radioactive lume once used in vintage watches; not used in modern CWs other than the Tri-tech.

Twin‑barrel
Two mainsprings working together for longer, more stable power delivery (SH21).

U

Unidirectional bezel
A bezel that only rotates counter‑clockwise, preventing accidental time extension underwater.

Under‑crystal tension
How tightly a crystal is fitted; sapphire requires precise machining.

V

VPH (vibrations per hour)
Measure of movement beat rate. Higher values can indicate smoother seconds motion.

Vintage lume
Lume tinted to resemble the warm tone of aged tritium.

W

Water resistance
Indicates how deeply a watch can be submerged. CW divers range from 150–1,000m.

Winding
Turning the crown to power the mainspring.

Worldtimer (JJ03)
Complication showing time across multiple world cities using a 24‑hour disc and city ring.

X

X‑ray dial
A transparent or semi‑transparent dial revealing the movement (e.g. C60 Sapphire).

Y

Yellow lume
A lume pigmentation used to create a vintage tone.

Z

Zero‑reset seconds
A feature where the seconds hand snaps to zero when setting time. Not on CW watches but common in high‑end movements.