What is a Bezel?

If you walked up to someone and asked them to describe their bezel, you might get a "deer in the headlights" look. However, it is a known fact, many people aren't aware that a bezel is just a humble part of their watch. Many people know that they have a ring of diamonds around the face of their watch, but they don't know that's called a diamond bezel.

In the most technical of terms, a bezel is a groove or flange designed to hold a beveled edge, as of a watch crystal. Bezel can also apply to terms regarding the cut of gems but for the most part, people are referring to a watch when they discuss the term.

If you are a diving enthusiasts, no doubt you already knew the term as many divers use the movable bezels on their diving watches to conveniently mark the times when they make decompression stops during ascents. As you know you need to stop a number of times when you've been diving underwater for a while and allow the gases that formed in your body time to dissipate. This is known as a deco stop and it simply means a diver remains at a certain depth for a set period of time and then ascends a little more. This is to avoid getting a serious and life threatening condition known as "the bends". It is so named because the pain is so bad from the accumulated gases the diver bends over in agony.

Another tips about bezels that you should know is that you may be looking at the bezel markings thinking that they are off a bit; but it is actually your eye playing tricks on you. Some manufacturer may have set the bezel markings off a bit to compensate for any settling during shipment or packaging.

So now you know a little more about the modest bezel and use this knowledge to make the choice for the best watch for your individual needs.
 posted by Watches Giant