The Journal

Les Genevez: The Village Where Your Watch Is Made
Every Claude Bernard is put together by hand in one small village in the Swiss Jura. The story of how a company registered in 1973 ended up owning a watch house founded in 1884. Read more...
What Is a Moon Phase Complication, and How Accurate Is It?
A moon phase shows how much of the moon is currently lit. How the disc works, why a standard one drifts by a day roughly every two and a half years, and how to set it correctly. Read more...
What Is an Open Heart Watch?
An open heart watch has an aperture cut into the dial so you can watch the balance wheel oscillating. What you are looking at, why it exists, and how it differs from a skeleton. Read more...
How to Measure Your Wrist and Choose a Watch Case Size
Measure the wrist, then read three numbers on the spec sheet rather than one. Diameter is the number everyone quotes and the least useful of the three. Read more...
Sapphire or Mineral Crystal: Which Should You Care About?
Sapphire resists scratches far better than mineral glass and is the reason a watch still looks new after five years. What the trade-offs are, and how to tell which one you are looking at. Read more...
What Does 200 m Water Resistance Actually Allow?
Water resistance ratings describe pressure, not depth. What 30, 50, 100 and 200 metres really permit, why the numbers are misleading, and the two rules that matter more than the rating. Read more...
What Is a Chronograph, and Do You Actually Need One?
A chronograph is a watch with a built-in stopwatch. Here is how the pushers and subdials work, what the tachymeter scale is for, and an honest answer on whether you will ever use it. Read more...
How Often Should a Mechanical Watch Be Serviced?
Most manufacturers suggest every four to six years. Here is what a service actually involves, the signs your watch is asking for one, and what changes if the movement is quartz. Read more...
Automatic or Quartz: Which Watch Movement Should You Choose?
Quartz for accuracy and minimal upkeep. Automatic for a mechanical object that can be serviced indefinitely. A plain comparison of how each works, what each costs to own, and how to choose. Read more...
What Does Swiss Made Actually Mean on a Watch?
Swiss Made is not marketing language. It is a legally protected designation, and a watch may only carry it if it meets conditions set out in Swiss law.The short answerFor a wristwatch to be called Swiss Made, four things must be true: the movement is Swiss, the movement is cased up in Switzerland, the manufacturer carries out the final inspection in Switzerland, and at least 60 per cent of the manufacturing costs are generated in Switzerland.What makes a movement SwissA movement counts as Swiss when it is assembled in Switzerland,... Read more...