Parts of a Clock – 14 Labeled Parts, Dial to Pendulum

All 14 parts on the diagram

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Clock from the front 7

Dial (face) The numbered face the hands sweep round.
Hour hand Goes round once every 12 hours.
Minute hand Goes round once an hour.
Second hand Goes round once a minute.
Numerals Roman here; many clocks use Arabic numbers.
Case (bezel) The housing that holds the dial and the works.
Hand shaft Concentric shafts, one for each hand.

Cut from the side 2

Movement The motor and gears that turn the hands.
Battery Powers a quartz movement.

Pendulum movement 5

Mainspring Wound up, it stores the power that drives the clock.
Winding arbor The key turns it to wind the mainspring.
Gear train (wheel train) Passes the power on and sets each hand's speed.
Escapement Lets the gear train turn one tooth per swing.
Pendulum Its steady swing keeps the time.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. (1) A clock parts supplier's quartz movement terms, https://www.clockworks.com/posts/quartz-clock-movement-definitions-of-terms : dial (Arabic or Roman numbers), hour, minute and second hands, the movement's hand shaft post, movement, battery, hex nut, hanger, case, bezel, pendulum movements. (2) A clock maker's glossary, https://www.american-time.com/resources/glossary-of-terms/ : bezel as the main housing, also called the case; crystal or lens; dial as the clock face; movement (motor and gear box); battery clock; minute hand and sweep second hand. (3) A clock repairer's glossary, http://www.bowerswatchandclockrepair.com/glossaryclocks.htm : dial, hour, minute and second hands, case, main spring, arbor wound with the key, winding key, escapement and escape wheel, pendulum. (4) Wikipedia, Clock face, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock_face (dial, hour and minute hands on concentric shafts, second hand, Roman or Arabic numerals); Clock, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock (mainspring or weight, gear train or wheel train, escapement, pendulum); Pendulum clock, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendulum_clock (anchor escapement, mainspring). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Licence: own work

How it works

A clock face has a dial with numerals, three hands on a hand shaft and a case round it. Behind the dial the movement turns the hands: a battery in most wall clocks, a wound mainspring and a pendulum in older ones.

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Reading the hands

The short hour hand goes round once every 12 hours, the long minute hand once an hour, and the thin second hand once a minute, all turning on the one hand shaft. This clock shows ten past ten.

Inside a pendulum clock

Winding the arbor coils the mainspring. The gear train carries its power towards the escapement, which lets the train turn one tooth at a time as the pendulum swings, and so keeps the time steady.

Questions and answers

What is the face of a clock called?

The dial. It carries the numerals, or plain marks, and the minute marks round its edge. The frame round it is the case, which some makers call the bezel.

What does the escapement do in a clock?

It lets the gear train move forward one tooth each time the pendulum swings, then locks it again. That turns the steady swing into steady movement of the hands.

Why is four written IIII on this clock?

Many clock dials with Roman numerals show four as IIII rather than IV. This drawing follows that custom; both mean four.