Bezel – What is a bezel on a watch?

Anyone who deals with the world of luxury watches will inevitably come across the term "bezel." This is a classic element in design but also equipped with various functionalities. Over the past decades, manufacturers have developed a diver's bezel, a count-up bezel, bezels with a tachymeter scale, or bezels for different time zones.

What is a bezel on a watch?

When the term is reduced to a minimum, the bezel is a ring that fixes the watch glass on the watch. Manufacturers of luxury watches quickly realized that such a ring can contribute to enhancing the watch by being equipped with functions or colored.

Diver's bezel as the best-known form of bezel

The diver's bezel established itself quite early. Most diver watches use a bezel equipped with a 60-minute scale. The first 15 minutes are marked in one-minute increments, while the remaining 45 minutes are spaced at five-minute intervals. A diver's bezel is unidirectionally rotatable counterclockwise. This is an important safety measure to prevent accidental misadjustment. This diver's bezel was used to determine how long a diver has already been underwater. This form of bezels is also called count-up bezels.

Chronograph bezels with tachymeter scale

The bezel is used very versatilely in chronographs. Equipped with a tachymeter scale, various units per hour can be determined. The most common application is measuring speed, as chronographs have a stopwatch function. The combination of bezel and time measurement allows for quite precise speed determination. The two best-known luxury watches with a chronograph bezel are the Omega Speedmaster Professional and the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, which enjoy unbroken popularity.

Bezel for two time zones on GMT watches

This form of bezel is mainly used on GMT watches, which were originally designed for pilots. Through the 24-hour scale on the bezel and an additional hand on the dial, the time in a second time zone can be read, and in some models even in a third. Rolex is considered a pioneer, as in 1995 the GMT-Master came onto the market and caused great excitement. The GMT-Master became the official chronometer of Pan American World Airways. Meanwhile, these watches and, of course, the bezels for multiple time zones are available from several luxury watch manufacturers.

Bezels: colors and material

Bezels are usually made from the same material as the case. There are versions and models where the bezel is highlighted in color. An example of this is the Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi” with the typical brand colors red and blue. In women's watches, there are models where the bezel is additionally enriched with precious diamonds. In terms of shape, the round bezel naturally dominates, but there are also interesting variations like in the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, where it stands out as an octagon.

The bezel is a wonderful example of how a watch can receive a distinctive design with high recognition value solely through its outer frame.