Journal

The short answer An automatic movement is mechanical: it winds itself from the motion of your wrist, its seconds hand sweeps, and it needs no battery, but it gains or loses a few seconds a day and wants servicing every few years. A quartz movement runs on a battery, keeps time to within seconds a

The short answer Iced out is the umbrella term for a watch set with stones. Flooded describes a dial covered in stones. Bust-down means the whole watch — bezel, dial, case and often the bracelet — is set. Watchmakers describe the same work in older, more exact words: pavé, snow setting and gem-set. The words

The short answer Moissanite is the best balance for a gem-set watch worn often: harder than sapphire, with more fire than diamond, at a fraction of diamond’s price. Cubic zirconia gives a bright, clean white sparkle at the most modest price of the three, though it wears less well over years. Lab diamond is chemically

The short answer Measure your wrist just above the wrist bone. Most men wear a 40 to 42 mm case and most women 30 to 36 mm. A gem-set bezel wears larger than its diameter, so choose the smaller size when you are between two, and check the lug-to-lug span against the flat of your

The short answer Wear the bracelet on the same wrist as your watch, on either side of it, in the same metal, and in proportion: a fine chain beside a slim case, a heavier Cuban link beside a larger one. Leave a little room between the two so the case is not scratched, and let