Watches Buying Guide
Sick of telling people that the time is half-past a freckle? Get a watch! 
You can get a classic wristwatch, put one in your pocket, or even hang one around your neck. You can cloak yourself in diamonds, plate your wrist in gold, wear your hipness on your sleeve, or be the ultimate in functionality. Women's watches are generally demure and sleek while men's are usually bigger. Unless you're an particularly dainty man or robust woman, these labels will apply.
Now, what is your watch for? Hopefully it'll tell time reliably. Will it be many things? A stopwatch? A calculator? A fashion statement? A piece of history? An aid for the blind?
What to Consider
- Price -- Your watch purchase can run from $10 to more than $10,000.
- The price will reflect a combination of the other factors.
- Since buying online always has an element of risk in it, only buy expensive watches from a dealer with a good reputation.
- Quality -- The reliability of its time-keeping and its durability determine how well it can perform its primary function. Does it correctly tell you want time it is? Read on to learn about the different between battery-powered quartz watches and mechanical watches.
- Fashion -- Does it go with your personal style? Consult our Clothing and Accessories pages for additional help in looking your best.
- Function -- If you want to swim with it, make sure it goes under water. If you want to run with it, make sure it can time your laps.
Watch Styles
Watch Types
Battery Powered Quartz
A battery-powered quartz watch is very common these days. It offers the convenience of a battery-operated system, meaning no winding, plus accuracy and stability. Unlike a mechanical watch that can lose up to several minutes a month, a battery-powered quartz watch will only lose a few seconds. Do remember, though, that you will need to change the battery every few years. Swiss quartz watches are considered some of the highest-quality watches around.
- Analog -- An analog watch is traditional in style with an hour hand and a minute hand and numbers or numerals around the face.
- Digital -- A digital watch can offer more as far as features go, especially for use in sports, navigation, and aviation. They show numbers on an LCD screen, and can usually store fun things such as phone numbers and calendars. Some specialty digital watches have built-in GPS devices, altimeters, and depth sensors. Casio is a well-known digital watch maker. Roxy Deep is a good watch for measuring the tides.
- Anadigi -- An anadigi watch is a hybrid that combines both a digital display and the traditional hands and numbers of an analog watch. Some companies that make fun anadigi watches are Fossil and Ammons.
- Chronograph -- While chronograph watches don't really have their own category, they fall under all of the above, and stand out because they offer a very precise measure of time down to the millisecond.
Mechanical Watches
Mechanical watches are the most traditional style, which require winding. Because the mainspring needs to be wound to move the gears, and because it is slower than a quartz watch, it can cause you to "lose" time over a month or so. Plus, if you are a little forgetful sometimes, or if you don't wear the watch everyday, you will not only have to wind it, but you will also have to reset it often.
- Automatic Mechanical Watch -- An automatic mechanical watch, also known as self-winding watch, is perfect for anyone who wears their watch every day. Your movements will help keep the watch going, so you won't have to think about winding it, except if you take it off for a few days. Some feature a transparent face plate that allows you to see the gears underneath.
- Manual Mechanical Watch -- The manual mechanical watches need winding every day. These are perfect for when you want to wear a watch once in awhile.
Binary Watches
Binary watches are a relatively new style that is becoming increasingly popular. They use LED lights to display the time in binary form. Some of the "older" watches have 10 LED lights, but many of the newer watches have 72+ LED lights! In the simpler models, such as the watch with 10 LED lights, the lights are used to represent the numbers of the binary sequence (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32). There is usually a row or column for hours and a row or column for minutes (although some of the more complex binary watches may even have a row or column for seconds). To find out what hour it is, one would add up the values of the lights illuminated. The minutes would be calculated in the same fashion; add up all the numerical values of the illuminated lights according to the binary sequence. These watches are beginning to be popular all around the world, but they are especially popular in Japan.
It's All In the Wristband
The next important step is determining what type of material you want for the watch band. While this consideration has a lot to do with style and personal taste, it also contributes to the durability of the watch. Remember that most bands are interchangeable, so if you buy a watch with a band you don't like, you can always swap it out for another one. Check out these major styles.
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Metal: Gold, Aluminum, Titanium...
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Leather: Black, Brown, Red, Blue...
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Synthetic: Plastic, Rubber, String...
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- Precious metal -- Gold, sterling silver, and platinum are typical precious metals used for watch bands. Consider what type of other jewelry you wear so that you can match metals. Also decide if you want any diamond accents to add a touch of luxury.
- Aluminum -- Aluminum is not only lightweight watches, but they are strong and don't tarnish like a precious metal band.
- Stainless steel -- Stainless steel is a common material because it is strong and durable.
- Carbon fiber -- Carbon fiber is strong and also has a unique dark grey or black color.
- Titanium -- Titanium is extremely strong (30% more than steel), yet lightweight. Titanium is immune to corrosion, but scratches easily. To avoid surface scratches, make sure to get a protective coating.
- Leather -- Leather is a common type of material used for casual watches, and some dress styles. It is comfortable to wear, lightweight, and it comes in a variety of shades and textures. Leather is a fairly inexpensive band option.
- Plastic/rubber -- Good for sports because they are lightweight, and fun for fashion because they can be very versatile. Swatch makes a nice selection of watches with plastic and rubber bands. Nike and Adidas also makes good sports watches with this material.
The Casing
Scratch Resistance
Water Resistance
Search by Price and Make
There are many watches available in all price ranges by a large number of manufacturers. Below you will find some of the major brands as well as some predefined price searches. Remember, some typically big name watches that you would expect to be very pricey sometimes come in less expensive models. Likewise, typically less expensive brands also come in dressier, more expensive versions as well
Less Than $300
$300-$1,000 |
$1,000 - $5,000
$5,000+
Search By Price Range |
External Links
- About -- Many helpful watch articles and top picks.
- Chronocentric -- A beginner's guide to top watch brands.
- GQ -- Style Guy has a note on what kind of band to wear for men.
- GQ -- And his opinion on the quartz vs.mechanical issue.
- Outside -- Buyer's guides for sports watches.
