All that you Need to Know about Buying Watches

In the recent past, watches have gained immense popularity as a fashion accessory, even among the generation who were born in the age of smart gadgets. There was a time when watches had a significance as a time telling device for soldiers on the battlefield. It later becomes a symbol of luxury when it first hit the consumer market. There was a patch in between when the watch wearing trend started to fade out, but suddenly as smartwatches made their way into the market, the conventional watches found its place in the trend game too.

With the fashion industry endorsing and reviving watches as a fashion accessory on the ramps and runways, more people are following the trend and going back to conventional watches. However, most people today are not aware of the art of buying a watch. Earlier, when watches were seen as a true symbol of class, the watch collectors and wearers knew exactly what type of watch they need to pick. They were aware of the skill and craft that goes into traditional watchmaking. Unfortunately. People of the digital age are not exposed to that kind level of sheer genius and they believe that they can pick any watch that looks visually good to them.

Buying a watch is an entire process and requires you to understand different elements and their respective functionality in order to figure out exactly what type of watch you should buy. This guide will help you understand the basics of different types of watches available in the market and how they are different from each other.

The Movement

The first thing that you need to understand about watches is their movement. There is three basic movement classification of watches: Mechanical, Automatic and Quartz. Mechanical and Automatic watches are similar to each other while Quartz follows a different technology. The basic difference the two movements is that while the mechanical and automatic movements have a smooth hand movement, the quartz movement has the standard ticking sound. Another basic difference between these movements is that while mechanical and automatically movements have infinite battery life and you do not need to get it replaced, the quartz watches have shorter battery life and you need to get it replaced from time to time.

That is partially why most high-end luxury watches adhere to mechanical or automatic watches while the cheaper ones have the quartz movement. Interestingly, automatic and mechanical watches do not have 100% time telling accuracy despite the engineering genius.

Coming to the difference between mechanical and automatic watches, the basic distinction is that mechanical watches need to be winded from time to time, while the automatic watches need winding only when they are not in use, which is why most automatic watches come in self-winding boxes. Winding is important for these watches so that the battery stays functional. Generally, automatic and mechanical watches a quite expensive so if you are a newbie to watches and are looking for something for regular wear then start with a quartz watch.

Types of Watches

Watches are not merely classified according to their movement but also according to their functionality. Different types of watches available in the market include aviators, divers watch, divers watch, sports watch, etc. These watches come with additional features to serve specific purposes for which these watches are designed. For example diver's watches are designed to stand water pressure and are functional up to a certain depth of water. These watches are great for divers and seamen.

Likewise, driver's watches have special features that show speed and laps. Sports watches have features such as showing speed and calories burned. When you go for watch shopping, do ask the specs of watches and figure out the kind of watch that you need. Many young people today prefer fashionable watches. In that case, you can go for fashion watches launched by fashion houses such as Michael Kors, Gucci, Calvin Klein, etc. These are not dedicated to watchmaking companies like many Swiss brands, but they still produce some great designer watches, usually Quartz.

Dial Diameter

Once you have filtered out your choice of the watch based on its technical aspects, check the design elements too. Some people prefer bigger dials while others prefer smaller ones. It is strongly advised that you wear their watch on your wrist and see if the dial suits your wrist. Although dial sized often changes with trends, but practically watch dials are never one size fits all. Every wrist is a different size and it is important that the dial looks good when set on your wrist regardless of what is the trending size.

Straps

Watches today are available in numerous different materials such as textile, canvas, rubber, leather, and bracelets. When it comes to bracelet watches, some high-end watches also come in precious metals. Your choice of the strap should depend on how you intend to use the watch. Generally, bracelet watches work best with formal dinners and parties, where you need an extra oomph factor. Leather watches are often associated with class and sophistication and work well for corporate executives and entrepreneurs.

Sports watches and fitness band usually use rubber straps since the sweat can cause wear and tear of the strap. Textile straps are generally used with fashion watches or casual wear watches. While most other straps use eye hole for adjusting straps according to wrist size, you might need to wear and check the size if you are going for a bracelet watch. A bracelet watch should not be too tight or too loose and you will need the watch person to readjust the bracelet to the size of your wrist.

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Budget

Once you have decided on the functionality, and purpose of buying a watch and have filtered out your options, decide how much you are willing to spend on your watch. Of course, most people cannot afford to order a Rolex and do have the budget constraint to take care of. However, it is a huge myth that good watches are not available at lower costs. Brands such as Nomos have been producing amazing series of automatic and quartz watches at a much reasonable price for every taste and preference.