C

• Calendar

  A wrist watch which indicates the full date or part of the date; the day of the week, the date, the month and/or the year. 

• Caliber

  The caliber describes the size and configuration of the movement and can now indicate shape, origin and constructor as well. 

• Carat

  The degree of purity of gold: pure gold is 24 carat, 18 carat is an alloy of which 18/24 is gold, 14 carat is an alloy of which 14/24 is gold and 9 carat is an alloy of which 9/24 is gold.

• Carbon Fibre

  Generally, within the realm of design and marketing there is a trend toward use of carbon fiber to imply a technical construction (for the given item) or associate it with traditional uses (i.e. military, or high performance) to attract a certain demographic. This is best noted in the increasing prevalence of carbon fiber in jewelery (i.e. Montblanc), pens (i.e. Caran d'Ache), and watches (i.e. TAG Heuer).

• Case

  The body of the wrist watch which protects the watch movement from dust, damp and shocks and to which the band (bracelet/strap) is attached. Cases are avilable in a wide variety of shapes and materials. 

• Case back

  The back of the case which will be screwed down if the watch is water resistant or otherwise snaps into place.

• Chromium

  Chromium is a steel-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odourless, tasteless, and malleable. 

• Chronograph

   

  A wrist watch with two independent time systems. One indicates the time of day (usually the main part of the watch). The other measures brief intervals of time (stop watch function) to measure the exact duration of an event.

  Watches that include a chronograph function are themselves called 'chronographs'.

   

• Chronometer

  For a Swiss made watch to be called a chronometer, it must meet certain very high standards set by the Swiss Official Chronometer Control. A Swiss watch labelled as a chronometer means that its mechanical movement is of the very highest quality and carries a certificate to confirm the same.

  A marine chronometer is a timekeeper precise enough to be used as a portable time standard, used to determine longitude by means of celestial navigation. 

• Complication

  In horology terms, a complication in a mechanical timepiece is any feature beyond that of a simple hours, minutes, and seconds. Common additions like day/date displays and chronographs are usually also omitted. The more complications in a watch, the more difficult it is to create, assemble and repair: typical date-display chronographs may have 250 parts, while a really complex watch may have a thousand or more parts. Watches with many complications are sometimes called grandes complications.

• Countdown timer

  A function that lets the wearer keep track of how much of a pre-set period of time has elapsed.  Some countdown timers sound a warning signal a few seconds before the time runs out.   

• Crown

  The crown is the button on the side of the wristwatch case that is used to set the time and date.  In a mechanical watch the crown also winds the mainspring.  A screw in (or screw down) crown is used tomake a watch more water resistant. 

• Clasp

  The fastening mechanism for bracelet watches. 

• Crystal

  The transparent cover on the wristwatch dial (face) made of glass crystal, synthetic sapphire or plastic.  A cover made of sapphire crystal means that it is highly resistant to scratching or shattering.

• Crystal Stone

  A clear, transparent mineral or glass - usually a transparent form of quartz, having a crystalline structure.  Crystals are thought by some to bring harmony and healing to the wearer.