PALLETS
Device of the escapement transmitting part of the motive force to the balance, in order to maintain the amplitude of oscillations unchanged by freeing a tooth of the escape wheel at one time.

PAWL
Lever with a beak that engages in the teeth of a wheel under the action of a spring.

PERLAGE
Surface decoration comprising an even pattern of partially overlapping dots, applied with a quickly, rotating plastic or wooden peg. Also called circular graining, this embellishment had the original use of preventing dust and dirt from gathering  on the movement's plates. Today it is mainly a traditional type of decoration.

PERPETUAL CALENDAR
A complication which enables a watch to continue displaying the correct date regardless of leap years or short months.

PILLAR-PLATE OR MAIN PLATE
Supporting element of bridges and other.

PINION
Combines with a wheel and an arbor to form a gear. A pinionhas less teeth than a wheel and transmits motive force to a wheel. Pinion teeth (normally 6 to 14) are highly polished to reduce friction to a minimum.

PIVOT
End of an arbor turning on a jewel support. As their shape and size can influence friction, the pivots of the balance-staff are particularly thin and, hence, fragile, so they are protected by a shockproff system.

PLATE

A metal platform having several tiers for the gear train. The base plate of a movement usually incorporates the dial and carries the bearings for the primary pinions of the "first floor" of a gear train. The gear wheels are made complete by tightly fitting screwed-in bridges and bars on the back side of the plate.

PLATED
Said of a metal treated by a galvanizing procedure in order to apply a slight layer of gold or another precious metal (silver, chromium, rhodium or palladium) on a brass or steel base.

PLEXIGLAS
A synthetic resin used for watch crystal.

POINCON DE GENEVE
Distinction assigned by the Canton of Geneva to movements produced by watchmaker firms of teh Region and complying with all the standards of high horlogy with respect to craftmanship, small-scale prouction, working quality, accurate assembly and setting. The Geneva Seal is engraved on at least one bridge and shows the Canton's symbol, i.e. a two-field shield with an eagle and a key respectively in each field.

POWER RESERVE
The amount of time a hand-wound or automatic watch can run without having to be re-wound or worn. Duration (in hours) of the residual functioning autonomy of a movement after it has reached the winding peak. The duration value is displayed by an instantaneous indicator: analog (hand on a sector) or digital (through a wondow). The related mechanism is made up of a series of gears linking the winding barrel and hand. Recently, specific modules wre introduced which may be combined with the msot popular movements.

PRECISION

Accuracy rate of a watch, a term difficult to define exactly. Usually, a precision watch is a chronometer whose accuracy-standard is certified by an official watch rating bureau, and a high-precision watch is a chronometer certified by an observatory.

PULSIMETER CHRONOGRAPH

A scale onn the dial, flange, or bezel that, in conjunction with the second hand, may be used to measure a pulse rate. A pulsometer is always marked with a reference number ---- if it is marked with gradue pour 15 pulsations, for example, then the wearer counts fifteen pulse beats. At the last beat, the second hand will show what the pulse rate is in beats per minute on the pulsometer scale.The pulsimeter scale shows, at a glance, the number of pulse beats per miunte. The observer releases the chrongraph hand when starting to count the beats and stops at the 30th, the 20th or the 15th beat according to the basis of calibration indicated on the dial.

PUSHER, PUSH-PIECE or PUSH-BUTTON
Mechanical element mounted on a case to activate and deactivate functions, such as a stopwatch on a chronograph.

PVD
Abbreviation of Physical Vapor Deposition, a plating process consisting of the physical transfer of substance by bombardment of electrns.