| Accuracy | Refers to rate constancy of a watch, not only on whether it is showing the exact time. A watch that gains or looses exactly the same amount every day is considered accurate. |
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| Acrylic Crystal | Sometimes referred to as Hesolite, an acrylic crystal is composed of a plastic composite that is generally less expensive and less durable than a sapphire or mineral crystal. Acrylic crystal flexes rather than shatters on impact, it produces little glare under bright light, and can be polished easily. |
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| Alarm | A feature that sounds an alarm at a pre-set time or at regular intervals. Alarms are available on both quartz and mechanical watches. |
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| Altimeter | Commonly found on pilot watches, an altimeter provides altitude by responding to changes in barometric pressure. |
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| Analog Digital | A watch that displays time in both a digital format and with the hands of a conventional watch. Usually featured on sport watch styles. |
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| Analog Watch | Displays the time with a dial, hands, and numbers or markers. |
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| Annual Calendar | A watch feature that shows the day, date, month and time, adjusting automatically for short and long months. |
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| Aperture | Some watch dials have small openings, called apertures, in which certain indications (such as the date, hour, etc.) are provided. |
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| Atmosphere | Unit of pressure used in watch making to indicate water resistance. |
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| Automatic Watch | Also called “self-winding,” a watch with automatic movement needs no battery. The mechanism winds itself by the motion of the watch wearer’s arm. Most automatic watches have up to 36 hours of power reserve. If an automatic watch is not worn for a day or two, it will wind down and need to be wound by hand to get it started again. Typically, an automatic watch is more expensive than a quartz watch. |
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