As Christmas approaches so does boom time for the watch retailers. But with thousands of luxury timepieces available it can be a hard task choosing the right one. This A to Z aims to demystify the watch-speak that many often find baffling.

A is for Auctions, which are worth considering as a source of contemporary watches as well as vintage pieces; Automatic, which refers to a watch that self-winds through an oscillating weight that reacts to the wearer’s movements; Atm, short for atmospheres and used to gauge water resistance rating.