WATCHMAKING KNOW-HOW – COMPLICATIONS AND

MOVEMENT FINISHES

Hello everyone,

Let’s wrap up this round of courses on watchmaking know-how with an overview of the
complications and movement finishes that TAG Heuer offers.

[TACHYMETER]

In watchmaking, a tachymeter designates a chronograph scale that indicates an average

speed in units (km/miles etc.) per hour. The measurement is performed using the
chronograph’s seconds’ hand. The longer the time interval, the slower the speed, therefore
the graduation of the scale begins with large values and then decreases. TAG Heuer places
its tachymeter scales on the bezel or the dial.

[TELEMETER]

Another time-measuring complication is the telemeter, a chronograph scale indicating

distances by using the difference between the speeds of sound and light. A graduated scale
indicates distances based on the speed of sound, or 360 meters per second. The time
interval between the visual observation of an event (such as a lightning) and the perception
of the sound it emits serve to determine the observer’s distance from the event.

[GMT]

The GMT acronym, for Greenwich Mean Time, on a watch, means that it displays a
secondary time zone in synchronization with universal time. At TAG Heuer, we use two ways
to indicate a secondary time zone: through the center hand or a different counter on the dial.

[CALENDAR]

Finally, several TAG Heuer models are equipped with a date function, sometimes associated
with the day of the week (it’s then called day-date). The date is probably the most widely
used complication.

[FINISHES]

As far as the finishes on the pieces of a movement are concerned, there are four different
kinds.

Côtes de Genève, or Geneva stripes, consists in undulating lines. It’s frequently used to
adorn high-quality movements and usually reserved for the visible surface of bridges.
Stippling or circular graining, is commonly used for bridges, bottom plates and dials. This
technique consists of engraving circles on a surface by drawing concentric lines in a very
close-set pattern, sometimes even slightly overlapping.

Polishing includes several techniques of rubbing metal components with various abrasive
materials, in order to obtain a shiny finish.

Lastly, there’s brushing, which consists of creating fine lines on a surface. Depending on the
orientation of these lines, this decoration can be called a sunray, circular satin or snailing
finish.

Thank you for your attention!

Watchmaking Know-How – Complications and Movement Finishes