How to Set a GMT Watch
A calm, step-by-step guide to reading the 24-hour GMT hand, telling a caller GMT from a true flyer GMT, and setting home and local time.
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Complication
A complication is the umbrella term for any watch function beyond plain hours, minutes and seconds. A date, chronograph, GMT, moonphase or power reserve are the common examples. Each one adds usefulness, but also makes the calibre more complex and raises the price.
Tourbillon
A tourbillon is a watch complication that mounts the entire escapement inside a rotating cage. Because the cage turns continuously, it averages out the effect of gravity on the watch's rate. It was devised for pocket watches and today is prized mainly as a showcase of hand-finishing and prestige.
Reference Number
A reference number is the manufacturer code that identifies an exact watch variant. It pins down the combination of case, dial, strap and movement. You use it to look up specifications, source the correct spare parts and check that a watch is authentic. It is usually engraved on the caseback.
Indices
Indices are the hour markers on a dial: the points you read the hands against to tell the time. They can be printed directly onto the dial or applied as separate pieces that sit slightly proud. Common styles are baton, Arabic numerals and Roman numerals, and each affects legibility.
Dial
The dial is the face of the watch: the surface that carries the markers, hands and printed text. It is the backdrop the hands sweep across, and it shapes both legibility and character. Dials come in finishes such as lacquer, sunburst and enamel.
Shock Resistance
Shock resistance is a watch's ability to withstand drops and knocks without losing accuracy or breaking, often tested to the ISO 1413 standard. In a mechanical watch, sprung jewel settings such as Incabloc cushion the balance staff pivots so a hard knock does not snap them. A digital quartz watch takes a different route: the Casio G-Shock has no balance wheel to protect, so it floats its electronic module inside a cushioned case instead.