Choosing Your Watch

So, what must you consider before you decide on the best suitable watch for you. Consider the following points:
 

Think about why you want the watch.

Every watch serves a purpose, from the most utilitarian to the most artistic. No matter what purpose yours will serve, there is an appropriate watch to meet your expectations. 

Watches can be generally divided into the following categories :

• dress watch
• sports watch
  - diver’s watch
  - pilot’s watch

Determine your price point.

In most cases, the cost of a watch is a consideration, but there is no formula for determining how much you should spend. However, you should take into account value and quality because it can be far more economical to buy a good watch that will last for years rather than several economical "disposable" watches. However, there is certainly nothing wrong with having a nice collection of shorter-lived fashion watches, if that is your aim.

All watches vary greatly in price from the very affordable to the extremely luxurious, including Swiss watches. So what makes one watch so much more expensive than another?

Generally, mechanical watches, by nature of their movements, are more costly than quartz watches, but there are a number of other factors that affect the cost of watches.

In relation to the movement, even on inexpensive models, this part is well designed and all the highly functional elements make use of the latest technology. In more expensive movements, all parts, whether functional or not, are finished with great care. All steel components are polished; bridges are decorated and chamfered; all parts are of the highest quality and undergo stringent tests; in short, the manufacturing standards are extremely high.

Case materials vary. These include plastic, resins, stainless steel, base metal (usually brass), gold-plated base metals, gold-filled and precious metals. Check either the back of the watch case or the documents accompanying the watch for the disclosure of metallic content. Plastic and resin composites generally are the least costly and are found primarily in fashion and sport watches. Stainless steel is a robust metal, used widely in sport watches.

Prices of gold-plated watches vary depending upon the thickness of the plating, which is measured in microns. Gold plating can range from 2-micron thickness to 30-microns and more. Precious metals used on watch cases include 14K or 18K gold, sterling silver and, in some very high-end watches, platinum.

Crystal types also vary, but with fewer options. Generally, the crystal, which is the glass-like covering designed to protect the dial of the watch, is either plastic, mineral glass, or synthetic sapphire. Plastic is mostly used in lower-priced, mass-market watches, while mineral glass is sturdier. Sapphire crystals, more expensive than mineral glass, are not only sturdy, but also highly scratch-resistant.

Bracelets can also influence watch prices considerably. There are straps made of plastic, rubber, leather and exotic skins that can range from $10 to hundreds of dollars. Similarly, metal bracelets can range from inexpensive base metals to precious metals, to specially developed tungsten carbide or titanium.
 

Let your lifestyle and environment be your guide.

The selection of a watch, in terms of style, design and brand, is purely based on individual taste. But there are a few factors that you should consider when selecting a watch from the thousands of models that are available.

To get started, ask yourself a few simple questions: 

What is your lifestyle? 
In what type of environment will you wear the watch? 
In what types of activities will you participate while wearing the watch? 

If your live a casual lifestyle, enjoy sports and outdoor activities, and your watch will occasionally be exposed to the elements, consider purchasing a sports watch. In particular, look for a water-resistant model with a stainless steel bracelet that will withstand rigorous activity and various weather conditions. If you're a sports-enthusiast, think about a chronograph-a watch that features a stopwatch function.

If your lifestyle revolves around the corporate world and you want a watch that projects a professional image, consider a classic watch with a timeless design. For a traditional look, choose a small square or rectangular dial with a leather strap. For a look with a modern edge, select a large round dial with a two-tone metal bracelet combining steel and gold.

If you're looking for more of an accessory or special occasion watch to be worn in formal settings, you might consider an elegantly refined timepiece. The natural choices are solid gold or platinum. For added drama, select a watch set with diamonds or other precious stones that serves not only as a timepiece but also as a beautiful piece of jewelry.

Above all, when selecting your watch, look for one that conveys your unique personality and individuality. The watch must ultimately be one that you love.
 

Consider what type of maintenance the watch will require.

The type of maintenance the watch requires, which will ultimately determine the watch's life expectancy, should also influence your purchase.

Mechanical (manual and automatic) watches should be cleaned and serviced every three years or according to the manufacturer's recommendations to ensure trouble-free time keeping and to retain the value of the watch. In quartz (battery operated) watches, the watch should be serviced when the battery is replaced. A watch battery usually lasts between two and five years, depending on the type of watch. Certain types of watches feature a power reserve indicator. When the second hand starts jumping every five seconds, it is time to have the battery replaced. Some watches are equipped with lithium-iodine batteries that have a theoretical lifetime of ten years.

Because the majority of people own quartz watches, it is very critical to stress that battery changes should be done by authorized service centers. If for some reason this is not possible the battery change should be done by a professional watchmaker. The reason for this is that during the battery replacement, the o-ring (gasket) must also be replaced and reattached to the back cover of the watch, then the watch must be properly sealed and undergo a water resistance test.

All of the aforementioned steps are crucial to ensure that your watch remains water-resistant. If water penetrates the case, causing rust and damage, this can lead to a very expensive repair. A wide variety of businesses now offer "while-you-wait battery replacements," allowing you to walk away happy with a new battery and a watch that is once again running. Unfortunately, you may later be disappointed to find water droplets on the dial of your watch, or worse yet, no signs of leakage--that is until your watch stops completely. Then it may be too late to repair the watch without a complete overhaul.
 

Consider the watch's life expectancy.

Another important consideration in your purchase of a watch is the life expectancy of the timepiece.

The life of mechanical watches can be almost infinite, as long as skilled watchmakers are available. Their finely crafted parts can be repaired, replaced and even remade by a skilled watchmaker.

Since quartz watches contain electronic components, their parts often cannot be repaired, but must instead be replaced. The life of a quartz watch can certainly be limited by the availability of those parts.
 

Before you take the dive, check for water-resistance.

Water-resistance is measured in bars (unit of pressure, 1 bar being equivalent to 1 atmosphere), and watches are tested at these pressures for a certain period of time. Exceptional pressure, as when diving, may exceed those limits, so if you are a diving enthusiast you will need a watch that can tolerate those conditions.

Manufacturers often measure water-resistance to a number of feet, meters or atmospheres (atm). Normally, terms of depth imply that a watch will remain resistant at that (atmospheric pressure) depth in still conditions. As a general rule, the following guidelines apply: 

3 atm (30 m or 100 ft): rain, gentle splash 
5 atm (50 m or 165 ft): swimming, splashing in pool, but not heavy diving or jumping 
10 atm (100 m or 330 ft): minimum for sport diving 
20 atm or more for serious diving 
 

Decide whether you simply want the correct time or need some extra bells and whistles.

Watch measurement functions (in addition to the hours, minutes and seconds) are referred to as "complications." The best-known complication watches are calendar watches, the most common of which display only the date. There are also chronographs with a center second hand which can be started, stopped and brought back to zero using one or two push-buttons on the side of the watch. Other additional functions include second time zone, alarm, moonphase, repeater, perpetual calendar, etc.

A chronograph is a timepiece that not only indicates the time of the day in hours, minutes and seconds, but also measures continuous and discontinuous intervals of time. Basically, it is a watch with a stopwatch function.

A chronometer is a high-precision timepiece whose movement, after rigorous testing, has received an official timing certificate from an official timing bureau. It is a precision instrument that is accompanied by a certificate.
 

So, what’s important, and what’s not important?

BRAND REPUTATION is IMPORTANT - Learn about the reputation of the watch manufacturer. Don't ask watch-store sales people, they often are staggeringly ignorant on watches and often speak a lot of authoritative sounding nonsense, half-facts and downright wrong information. Instead, ask people who already own the types and brands of watches you are considering. Post questions on Internet forums dedicated to watches. 

RESALE VALUE is IMPORTANT, but ONLY IF YOU UNDERSTAND IT CORRECTLY-- Many buyers have lost lots of their money on poor watch purchase decisions made based on poorly understood measures of "high resale" value. People usually incorrectly focus on how much of their investment they will get back if they resell a watch. But you should instead be focusing on how much you gain or lose in the transaction. 

UNDERSTANDING YOUR WANTS AND NEEDS is IMPORTANT-- You will make the best choice in your purchase if you understand what you want and what is really important to you in owning a fine watch. Many people get caught up in excessive details that end up impairing, rather than increasing, their enjoyment. Consider what you want: a watch to impress other people, one to impress you, something stylish, something that makes a statement, one that only you know it is special, with unusual functions, of specific metals, for dress / casual / recreational / active / sports wear, so accurate that you never need to think of resetting it between time changes, or any of dozens of other attributes. Once you have a good handle on these aspects, it will be much easier to select a watch.

KNOWING WHAT YOU BUY is MORE IMPORTANT than BUYING WHAT YOU KNOW-- Often, the best brands of luxury products in terms of quality and value are ones the 'average Joe' may seldom if ever hear of. Rolex and Tag Heuer are the two premium watch brands that are best known to the general public. But simply being popular is not a guarantee that those brands are your best choice or the only high quality, high value products the market has to offer. It is far more beneficial for you to research all your options instead of blindly selecting among the few brands that are 'household names.' You may still end up choosing one of their watches--but do so out of knowledge of your choices, not ignorance of them.

BRAND HISTORY is of SOME IMPORTANCE-- While many brands trace their heritage back 100 years or more, you need to consider how informative this is based on whether the watch you are about to purchase is better because of the experience this history implies, or is merely riding on the coat-tails of ancient successes or bought out fine names of long ago. A number of modern brands bearing fine names are mere shells of what their companies meant decades ago. Look at their new models and compare them to the older models for sale on used watch dealer sites and Internet auctions. Are 5 year old models of this brand worth anything? Are the much older models worth more than more recent ones? These can be signs of dramatic changes in the quality of watches from a manufacturer.

WATCH MOVEMENT DETAILS are usually of LITTLE IMPORTANCE-- Unless you are an expert, connoisseur or collector, do not worry to much about the details of the movement inside a watch beyond whether it is a) quartz, b) certified mechanical (Chronometer), or c) non-certified mechanical. Frankly, most watches from any premium brand are sufficiently fine devices for keeping time that will give you several decades of use if properly maintained. Technical details of the mechanical "movement" (the actual mechanism inside the watch) are seldom particularly important unless the watch you are buying is over $10,000 or has some unique functions. Over 98% of mechanical watches made mainly tell the time, date, and maybe include chronograph functions. All mechanical watches with just these basic features use technology invented over 75 years ago, and nobody has really improved it since then. So do not waste time fooling yourself into believing one standard mechanical watch mechanism is perceptibly different from another--especially to the extent of paying more for one watch over another based on that attribute alone.

ROMANTIC NOTIONS OF WATCHMAKING are MOSTLY UNIMPORTANT and OFTEN FALSE OR MISLEADING-- Many fine watchmakers try to give the feel that their expensive products are finely hand crafted. They do this by creating an image of your watch being made by generation old families of dedicated watch craftsmen, in a quaint village in the Swiss Alps, with movements made by the same people who make the rest of the watch, each crafted over long periods of time. But all of that is nothing more than romantic baloney designed to make you feel better about spending so much money on a watch. The truth is that very few watches under US $20,000 are hand crafted. Most are mass produced by machines in large quantities. Even the highly reputed Rolex is mass produced--they make over a million watches a year! Notions of the movement of the watch being better if made 'in-house' than if made by a separate company (even if owned by the same parent organization) are antiquated concepts that have little to no meaning in the modern age of large corporations and mass production. In fact, it is the modern techniques of mass production that ensure the higher level of consistency and quality that we enjoy of modern watches.

PRICE is NOT IMPORTANT -- "What?" you say? Price not important? That's right--it is not!! Price is only one measure of the value and deal you are getting. What good is a low price alone when the dealer is unable or unwilling to resolve a problem and you have no recourse with the manufacturer because you bought through an unauthorized cut-price dealer? What good is saving an extra few percent on a very expensive purchase if the product never arrives, turns out to be a counterfeit look-alike product, lacks good warranty coverage, or otherwise will disappoint you or cost you more money in the long run? So always choose your watch over the value you will receive for your money, not simply the lowest price for something that looks like what you wanted.

NUMBER OF JEWELS INSIDE THE WATCH is NOT IMPORTANT -- The number of jewels in the watch movement are normally prominently mentioned as if they really meant something. But in fact they are a just a red herring. These are not jewels of value. They are small synthetic ruby elements used as extremely low friction pivots for a few critical parts of a watch mechanism. They are worth only a few pennies and do not add value to a watch. The exact number that is appropriate for any watch movement depends on the exact design and functions of the movement. It is perfectly normal for two watch movements with identical performance and functions to use a different number of jewels. A standard mechanical movement usually requires a minimum of 17 jewels--but beyond that, more is not better in any way that you could interpret.