A Watch Buying Guide.

[little Big feather]

First I want to state that I don't know everything about watches but I feel I know a bit more than many who may read this.
I find that many lack the basic knowledge needed to buy a "good watch". Know that "SWISS MOVT" does not mean its
a Swiss watch. "GERMAN DESIGN", "ITALIAN DESIGN" really means "CHINESE"! Why is SWISS MADE watches so good?
Because they have been doing it so well for so long. Japanese watches are good too. Both Switzerland and Japan take
pride in their products. A Chinese watch might be made in a chicken coop in a backyard in the middle of a rain storm
and they don't care about the moisture in the air and in your watch..Western watchmakers do.
Type of watches....Chronographs: A watch that has multiple functions and faces.(Few chono.'s are truly waterproof)
Diver: Waterproof to the point it can be submerged to depth.(note/some watches look like dive watches but are not)
Dress watches are not waterproof....Safety rule of thumb..If a watch does not have a screw down crown,IT IS NOT WATERPROOF.
Quartz is more accurate. Mechanical is more expensive to own and must be serviced every 4-5years.
Quartz (w/hands) need service/oiling every 5-6 years, just because it doesn't have all those parts, doesn't mean that
the parts it has doesn't need lubrication.
Good watch producing countries: Switzerland,Japan,Germany,France,Italy.
The big 3 Japanese companies make model's in other Asian owned factories too. That includes TIMEX.
I hope this info. helps some....

 

[cstone28]

So to keep this rolling. I have only been at this for a little over a year but I've consumed volumes and volumes of information on watches as well, and have to agree with most everything LBF has to say. I'm not afraid to call myself a watch snob or even a brand whore but my opinion of a "good" watch differs from many others. As a matter of fact I got called out not that long ago for spending on a watch what many people spend on cars.

So with that I pose the question, at what price does a "good" watch start.

And being entitled to my own opinion I throw this out there for heated debate, my used search criteria starts at $1000, and new starts at $2000.

 

[little Big feather]

I'll say $200.00-$500.00 for a good watch......Example TISSOT,Seiko,Orient.No designer names like Michael Khor or Fossil or Nixon.
$500.00-$1,000.00 for a better watch.....Example Christopher Ward,TAG
$1,000.00 + many good ones, too many to name.
$5000.00+ ROLEX, Breitling,OMEGA Again too many to name.

 

[blantyre]

Interesting thread. I would note that wearing a watch is a lifestyle choice. Very few people need to wear one these days since their phones will give then very accurate time-zone corrected time. In other words, buy something you like and enjoy. Don't fool yourself into thinking of it as a monetary investment - it's an investment in something to enjoy and use. Most "good" watches have mechanical movements although there are a few excellent quartz watches out there. Manufacturers often buy premade movements from ETA or others, some higher end makers design and build their own movements in-house, and some do both. A quick look at Otto Frei or a similar site shows that even a complicated mechanical movement sell for about $150-200, simple basic movements sell for $30-40 each. IMO good watches come from many places - the Swiss have earned an excellent reputation for quality and performance but this comes at a high price tag. Japanese watches are good quality and less expensive than EU-made ones. Also there are some very good Russian and Chinese watches around that can be bought for a fraction of the price of a big name EU brand. In my very limited experience, they often perform very well. What is a good watch - one that keeps time, is reliable, comfortable to wear, IMO one that looks reasonable, and that's affordable. There are plenty of good watches available for $500-1000 and possibly a bit less than this. Beyond this IMO one is buying details, precision craftsmanship and in many cases a lot of expensive marketing hype - in other words the same as every other consumer product.

 

[djh]

Very few people need to wear one these days since their phones will give then very accurate time-zone corrected time

A good point which is often made when watches are discussed. Don't forget also that they are a universally accepted piece of male jewellery and many people enjoy watches for that reason as well. Personally, I am fascinated by the mechanical wizardry required to build such a complex machine on such a small scale.

To each his own.

 

[little Big feather]

The phone as watch is a good point..Except for Soldiers,pilots,deepsea divers,astronauts,spelunkers,teachers,
candlestick makers and bakers and don't forget sailors and tailors.....A watch is more than jewelry and is less than
a phone. I've never seen a sign "Please turn off your watch" or had my watch interrupt an important meeting.
My watch has a much longer "battery life" and is never out of signal range. Race car drivers find watches safer
than phones too.....

 

[JaggerDragger]

I dont own a cell phone... Watch on my wrist... check!

 

[dieselfuel79]

I have a number of Fossil, Guess, Kenneth Cole and Diesel watches as gifts from my wife (and a TIMEX for work). Perhaps one day I will own something worth a bit more. But for now, they all tell me what I need to know...the time. To the OP- great post. I don't know a damn thing about watches. And now I do. Thank you.

 

[Cedar]

I've only worn a Timex IronMan since high school, and I'm on the third one. None of them quit working, they just got looking bad, and on one the band broke. I wore one all through the military and have worn one all through my career, no issues.

I had been thinking about getting a nicer watch and was doing some reading when I learned that what I considered a nicer watch was junk to watch guys. I'm just a simple man I guess.

 

[StillShaving]

Good Summary. I am less knowledgeable but I break watches down into three categories (please correct me as necessary):

1. Analog quartz - from cheap but accurate Timex (for example) to multifunction Seiko/Citizen (for example) that are very accurate time keepers. These watches tend to be slimmer, lighter, and much cheaper than their mechanical equivalents. They can provide lots of advanced time keeping functionality and value but lack some soul as compared to a mechanical watch (YMMV)
2. Digital quartz - the ubiquitous Casio models or Timex Ironman (for examples). Accurate timekeepers and often with complementry functions but mostly non-emotional to the wearer.
3. Mechanical movement - these are your traditional watches which have no battery but a mainspring to drive a complex set of gears which keep/display time. Prices range from hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the accuracy and fit/finish of the watch. Here is where one can spend lots of time/money buying anything from a low end Chinese Seagull movement to a high end Swiss movement. With many points in between. What an old school traditionalist (aka B&B member) is most likely to be drawn towards, but not without admiring some of the advanced quartz watches.

 

[Krona Kruiser]

The phone as watch is a good point..Except for Soldiers,pilots,deepsea divers,astronauts,spelunkers,teachers,
candlestick makers and bakers and don't forget sailors and tailors.....A watch is more than jewelry and is less than
a phone. I've never seen a sign "Please turn off your watch" or had my watch interrupt an important meeting.
My watch has a much longer "battery life" and is never out of signal range. Race car drivers find watches safer
than phones too.....

+1. Great point. I'm a teacher and find it uncouth to be caught with my phone during work. Besides, our tech guy has a pretty nice watch collection and each day we admire each others' watches.

 

[StillShaving]

Good points LBF and KK. One wonders if our phones and mobile devices will ever become efficient enough to adopt the "kinetic" or "solar" powered mechanisms pioneered by wrist watches. To bring this full circle and get those devices unplugged as well.

But just considering the watch, there is something almost magic/mystical about an automatic watch running as long as its owner is alive and kicking.

 

[rosskostron]

i wear a watch almost 100% for looks so i am not very concerned with how it works. even though i think they are amazing, i would not spend the extra money to buy a watch with better movements

 

[LarryDarrell]

+1. Great point. I'm a teacher and find it uncouth to be caught with my phone during work.

Agreed, when I take off my watch and set it on the desk at the start of class, it sends a completely different message to students than if I were to do the same with my cellphone.

 

[classicshave]

Wife bought me a Chris ward c60 diver and it is an awesome watch. Swiss made with an eta movement. Lots of options out there and it is an addicting hobby; already have my eye on a steinhart diver as my next acquisition....the collection grows....

 

[little Big feather]

Wife bought me a Chris ward c60 diver and it is an awesome watch. Swiss made with an eta movement. Lots of options out there and it is an addicting hobby; already have my eye on a steinhart diver as my next acquisition....the collection grows....

Good watch....I've got one (Christopher Ward) I got the steel band and the leather too....Both high quality and I love the trident second hand.

 

[watchiekong]

A "good" watch is subjective. If you want a watch to tell the time then it's doing its job. If you have an appreciation of watches then its a different rating of whats "good".
This is no different to razors: we only really need one razor to shave and get the job done, but I think most of us hear have an appreciation of shaving (or razors for that matter) and so things take a different slant.

 

[pianoforte]

I have around 100+ quartz analogue watches that apart from battery changes and in some cases a replacement rubber gasket have never had any lubrication. And they ALL still keep excellent time.

 

[cstone28]

I have a friend who hasn't had an oil change in his car in 30,000 km and the car runs fine. Just becasue an item keeps working doesn't mean its a good to ignore its maintainence.