Watching the Watch The ultimate guide when buying a time piece

We all own an accessory or 2 - some obviously 10 or 20 more than others 🤗. Accessories accentuate any outfit by breathing life to your clothes. The best pieces, when selected carefully, will last you a lifetime. One accessory that intrigues me is the wrist watch.

Not many people wear them - I have discovered as I interact with people, that men mostly don wrist watches, I’ll simplify this and say its probably because they have fewer accessories to add to their outfits compared to the fairer sex.

This easily explains why there are so many articles and buying guides online for men’s wrist watches. Shopping around, I’ve also noticed how complicated men’s wrist watches look compared to ladies watches. Design, weight and fabrication come through with strong masculinity and to this I applaud designers of men's watches.

Hollow Skeleton Giga Watch

In this topic I want to cover some basics to consider when purchasing a wristwatch. There are some interesting facts I will share that I discovered as I developed a passion for watches. This made me realise that purchasing a watch is just about how good it looks on your wrist or how perfectly it matches your latest pair of brogues - there is more detail one needs to consider before forking out that hard earned money.

So, I’ll start off by getting into a bit of detail about the 3 main types of watches based on movement - this is not a lecture about chronology and time pieces - but very useful information one needs to know when considering purchasing a wristwatch. The 3 types are mechanical, automatic and quartz.

Mechanical

This is the high end intricately designed type of watch whose hands move effortlessly and soundlessly. The mechanical watch is wound by hand to ensure the mainspring inside keeps moving the hands. The watch’s movement takes place as the mainspring slowly unwinds. Owners of mechanical wrist watches have a taste for the finer things in life as these watches are very expenses due to the craftsmanship and intricate detail. (Reminds me of Marvel’s Dr Strange watch collection - I had to double check with my good friend who’s an avid Marvel fan!) The biggest advantage of mechanical watches is they do not need a battery to operate, and they are a status symbol of sorts as they reflect the owners appreciation of history, good craftsmanship and attention to detail.

The biggest disadvantage is having to wind the watch at the end of each day and keeping it clean and dust free to ensure environmental elements do not tamper with the intricate inners.

Legend Tourbillon

As I’ve mentioned, these watches are fairly pricey, with popular brands such as Rolex costing about $7,000, Cartier in the $11,000 regions, Omega averaging about $2,000, and Tag Heur averaging $1,300. Definitely not for the faint hearted.

(Source: www.chronoexpert.com)

Automatic

Automatic watches function pretty much the same as mechanical watches, just that they are not hand wound, but the mainspring winds up continuously powered to the movement of your hand/wrist throughout the day. The biggest disadvantage with these watches is when you are not wearing the watch you’ll have to place it on a little gadget called a “watch winder.” This can be tedious especially for people with busy schedules.

Ulysse Nardin - ladies automatic watch

As is the mechanical watch, the advantage with the automatic wrist watch is that it has smooth and effortless movement and does not require a battery. Automatic watches also come with intricate design detail which is a bonus for those who love looking into the inner workings of watches.

Automatic watches are also on the expensive side with brands such as Rolex going for $5,800 and Breitling about $2,200. (Source: www.chronoexpert.com)

Steve Madden ladies wrist watch

Quartz

Now this is where most of us play and are all too familiar with the tik tok of the second hand as it moves.

Brands such as Citizen, Hublot, Cartier can all be found at less than $500 with other entry level players such as G-Shock and Hallmark coming in much cheaper. For as low as $5 one can get a good functioning quartz watch that will last a lifetime. The biggest advantage of quartz watches is that they are extremely accurate and durable, and come with no need for winding as the movement is controlled by a small electric battery. The disadvantages for the quartz watches are that the movement is not as smooth, and the craftsmanship is basic.

Men's Casio watch

As I was compiling information about this blog, I spoke to a number of male and female counterparts about how they decide on which watch works best for them. Do they look at size, color, fit, style, material, type or what?

Well, it appears most of us buy watches based on “it looks good” or “it will work with my wardrobe”. That’s pretty much a smart way of choosing which watch to invest in because you do need this statement piece to fit in with your existing wardrobe.

A savvier method however is to measure your wrist against the watch length. For example; if the circumference of your wrist is 6 to 7 inches, you want to go with a watch that has a case diameter of 38-42 mm wide. If your wrist is larger than 7 inches, then you can go with cases that are 44-46 mm wide.

The proportion of your write to the face of the watch is very important to ensure your watch fits snuggly and sits well on your hand.

Ladies' bracelet quartz watch

Other considerations to keep in mind when purchasing a watch are the shape of the watch better known as the case and case back. While round shaped watches are the most common, nowadays we get watches in many different shapes from oval, rectangular, square and so forth. The diameter of the watch is very important, so do make sure you try on the watch before you purchase it. Too big a case can make the watch stand out in an unsightly manner, too big a band can also be an eyesore, and this defeats the purpose of procuring this accessory.

The case back is made up of the following materials mostly - Stainless steel, ceramic, titanium, gold, and platinum. Stainless steel is the most common and well-rounded in regard to purpose, quality and value. Titanium and ceramic are found in the higher end pieces. They make the watch very light, and the advantage is that a ceramic back is highly scratch resistant.

The last thing I’ll touch on is the belt - do you go strap or bracelet? The beauty with most watches if not all, is that the straps can be changed. It is very common nowadays to find someone with many different straps that they interchange on the same watch face. This way, you can play around with color and material to suit the outfit you will be wearing for the day.

Ultimately, invest in a time piece that speaks to you and exudes your character. If you are going to spend a couple hundred dollars on a time piece, make sure you are comfortable in it. Be sure to store your watch in its original box when you are not wearing it to keep it safe and clean.