Dec 19, 2025
Parts Of A Watch: Everything You Need To Know
If you're new to the watch appreciation game and anxious to engage in discussions, debates, and diatribes with fellow aficionados who have been into the hobby longer, you may have hesitated for one important reason: nailing the proper terminology. "What are all the parts of a watch called, anyway?" you may have asked yourself in moments of doubt. Never fear: we've assembled a primer below on all the important parts of a watch and what they do. [toc-section heading="The Watch Case"] The case is the outer shell of the watch, comparable to the chassis of a car. While a handful of cases are milled from a single block of metal (and called “monobloc”), most of them consist of three main parts, the caseback, case middle or casebody, and bezel. Cases can be made of a wide variety of materials, including but not limited to: plastic, resin, stainless steel, titanium, bronze, ceramic, various types of gold, and other precious metals such as platinum.Cases that combine different materials for their parts (i.e., a steel casebody and a gold or ceramic bezel) are referred to as “two-tone,” “bi-metal,” or “bi-material.” [text-media heading="" text="The most traditional watch cases are round though watchmakers have used a variety of other shaped cases, some of which have become iconically associated with certain brands and models. These include cushion-shaped (“coussin”) cases, such as on the Panerai Luminor and Piaget Polo; square and rectangular cases, such as on t...
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