If you chose to read this article it’s because you really understand that the watch bezel has a specific beauty. Depending on the price range, watch bezels are made of different types of materials including stainless steel, ceramic, or even aluminum. But this is far from the whole list of bezels’ characteristics.
As a matter of fact, the watch bezel has a certain primary function. However, the brands have continuously adorned them with different forms, shapes, and additional elements. Therefore, nowadays, these are also viewed as an aesthetic compound that comes to delight the visual pleasure of watch enthusiasts.
Here, we are going to cover their specifics and primary functions. It is a true talent to design bezels combining both functional and artistic aspects. If you have gone through our replica watches, you might have observed that most of them are dive bezels with rotational dials. Nonetheless, there are plenty of other types as well. Less traditional, bus functional bezels include those that have time zones tracking, compass, or tachymeter. We will discuss them in detail in this article as well.
Replica watch bezel typology
To begin with, you should know that there are several types of bezels. As a general rule, each luxury watch brand can use them all in order to draw the customer’s attention and match their preferences. Plain bezels, dive bezels, tachymeter, or decimal bezels- they all have different functions and watch enthusiasts can select them according to their needs.
Plain bezel
This typology is the simplest of all. As a general rule, these come to beautify the visual aspect of the replica watch. These don’t carry a specific technical function. Instead, they might contain specific motifs of the brand like engravings or patterns. Bezels that contain jewels also are part of the plain category, since the jewels bring their aesthetic impact to the overall replica watch design.
Dive bezels
As the name suggests, this category of bezels is specific for dive watches. In addition, they are frequently met on any other sports-type replica timepieces. The main specifics of these bezels consist in their scale of 0 to 60 that line up with the replica watch minutes. The owner of such a replica watch can track a specific period of time with the help of such a bezel. By setting a starting point, the bezel is able to count the elapsed time for up to an hour. Regularly, sports practitioners and divers need such a function. This is why this function is characteristic of sports replica watches. Alternatively, dive bezels are also known as count-up bezels.
Countdown bezels
The opposite version of the count-up bezels is the countdown bezels. The principle of action is very close between both types. The only difference is that the countdown bezels use the scale measurement backward, that is to say from 60 to 0. Such types of bezels are integrated into sports replica watches as well. Runners, racers, or cyclists are those who mainly need this function in their replica watches.
Tachymeter bezel
The tachymeter function is usually hunted by watch enthusiasts that are also passionate about motorsports and similar activities. The principle of action is to measure speed in accordance with the distance. The setting of this function is pretty simple. All a replica watch owner has to do is reset the stopwatch to 0 each time he wants to perform a race. At the beginning of the race, the owner starts the counting process and stops it whenever he needs it. The tachymeter scale will indicate the speed taking into consideration the distance performed.
Telemeter bezel
Now we gradually dive into the less common types of bezels and the telemeter bezel is one of them. The bezel comes along with a chronograph and allows the owner to count the distance between a certain person and a certain object. To understand better the principle of function, take a soldier as an example. The soldier can use a replica watch to measure the exact distance between his location and the enemy military base. As you can deduce, this is a specific function and is not necessarily practical in the modern era. Therefore, such bezels are not frequently found in luxury watch brands’ portfolios.
Decimal bezel
Another type of bezel sharing the same function as the count-up bezels is the decimal model. This one tracks the time with the help o a scale that comes with 100 sections. These sections help the owner in the decimal conversion of time. Similar to the previous type of bezels, this one is a pretty specific type and has a narrow usage area. The function is typical for scientific timing activities and traditionally comes along with a chronometer to the owner in the reading process.
GMT bezel
It would be a mistake to say that this is an uncommon type of bezel. On the contrary, many Rolex replicas come with such a function, not to mention other popular brands. The reason is quite simple: the bezel is useful for those that are used to traveling a lot to different countries since such bezels help read time in different time zones.
“GMT” abbreviation comes from the Greenwich Mean Time. These bezels always come with 24 hours marking and a GMT hand. This means that you can read on your replica watch both the local time of the current location and the home time as well. The overall dial construction of such replica watches seems to be more complex in comparison to other types. This is all due to the additional GMT hand that might confuse the owner. In fact, the reading is as facile as possible since watch brands design the additional hand using another shape or color to make it differ from the other hands.
Compass bezel
These types of bezels don’t need a long description. They are specific and recognizable through the letters of the cardinal points engraved on them. These are particularly attractive for hikers or any other traveling aficionados who need a compass to determine the required direction to go. A specific aspect should be taken into account by watch enthusiasts: as a general rule, such types of bezels are neither electronic nor magnetic. They usually function when exposed to direct sunlight. In case you opt for a replica watch featuring such a type of bezel, speak to your dealer about the exact mechanism of functioning.
Yacht-timer bezel
Further on, You probably have observed that watch brands take into consideration every type of activity and create bezels according to the specifics of one or another sport. In this context, watch brands don’t disconsider those that are passionate about yachting, and the yacht-timer bezels are specifically designed for them. Traditionally, these bezels incorporate a scale of 10 to1 across 2/3 of the bezel. However, this is not a golden rule and brands might adapt the structure according to their individual taste and design approaches. Either way, the main function of such bezels consists in calculating the time remaining until the beginning of the race. In addition, the function prevents from going over the starting line before the race begins.
Pulsometer bezel
Watches with such types of bezels are pretty expensive. There are two reasons explaining their high price. The first reason is their complex function. The second is their rarity. Such bezels are almost no longer produced currently and can be mostly found in vintage watches, which makes them scarce and high-priced, respectively. Pulsometer bezels had a specific target audience. As you can intuit: it’s about doctors. During the early 1920s, healthcare providers could use these watches to calculate the patient’s heartbeat rate or respiratory rate. Their design implied professional and complex craftsmanship.
Slide rule bezel
Here we are with the last and the most complex type of bezel: the slide rule. Basically, only the most iconic brands are able to design them, since they involve a large spectrum of functionalities. This type of bezel particularly includes all the above-mentioned functions in just one timepiece. And not only. These include the calculation of distance, speed, different logarithms, and flight time indicators. Some of them can even determine the fuel consumption of your car. Of course, not every watch enthusiast needs all the complicated functions of this type of bezel. Therefore, the target audience of those who embrace such functionalities is fairly restricted. However, these watches are a great complement to watch collections of those who adore owning distinguished and eccentric timepieces.
The bottom line
If you are new to the matter, now you know what those indicators of your replica watch bezel mean. These are beyond a pleasant visual aspect. It is always a great idea to choose a replica watch depending on your needs and hobbies. We encourage you to think twice before purchasing a replica timepiece. A great design involving a yacht timer bezel might not be the best option in case you have nothing in common with regatta racing.
Try to choose your replica watch wisely, opting not only for a good-looking accessory but for a functional one as well. You might not find all the 11 bezels mentioned here in our replica store. Neither will you find them in other online stores. This is simply because some of them are already discontinued and remain to be historical elements reminiscent of the great artistry of the horological universe. However, AAAReplica is rich in modern and exquisite replica watches that are ready to serve you, regardless of the activity you are passionate about.