A watch obviously needs to tell the time, but there are many other considerations beyond this for buyers to think about. If style is the major issue, there are boutique brands like Rolex or Tag Heuer for men, or Zenith and Gucci for women. But you might also have specific needs in mind, such as water resistance, or sports and fitness monitoring.
Watches can be a centrepiece of your outfit. If you are a professional seeking to add a touch of class and efficiency to your look, a watch can do the trick. When you are attending formal events, a beautiful wristwatch looks fantastic – with the added bonus of helping you get to the party on time.
Wristwatches tend to stand out. That’s mainly because of where they are placed. When we’re out and about, people cannot fail to notice what we are wearing on our wrist, even if we don’t check the time every 10 minutes. Because of this, finding the right watch is a crucial aspect of crafting a personal style.
The world of timepieces is a complex one, with plenty of options to choose from, so here are some useful guidelines for watch buyers to think about.
A good watch isn’t always dazzlingly beautiful. Above all else, it should be well-made, reliable and strong. So, it pays to know a little bit about what to look for in a watch before making any purchase.
The fundamental mechanism of any watch is referred to as its movement. This mechanism is the way that the watch creates a uniform, constant interval between seconds. In poorly made watches, the movement is unreliable and seconds can easily be lost or gained – ruining your timekeeping.
There are two main different forms that this movement can be produced. The first is by using an oscillating quartz crystal, which is set in motion by a standard battery. Since the discovery of the quartz clock in 1927, this has become the most common way to create a regular pulse for watches to use – and it is far more accurate than the mechanical clocks that came before.
The second way is called a mechanical movement, and it has a very different mechanism. In this case, the movement is generated by a complex network of gears within the watch, which are kept in motion by a spring linked to the movement of the wearer’s wrist. A special form of the mechanical watch is an automatic timepiece: Automatics tend to run out of juice after leaving the wrist, leading to the need to rewind them every now and then.
Although automatics are almost always less accurate than quartz watches, and they need rewinding, this hasn’t dented their value. In fact, some of the world’s most prestigious watch brands such as Patek Phillipe rely on automatic mechanisms, and watch fans adore them.
The reasons are not technical, but emotional. There is something “alive” about an automatic watch, with its smoothly flowing seconds hand and complex design. People often make the comparison between vinyl and CDs. CDs may have purer sound quality, but vinyl has soul.
Watches come in many different varieties, for different activities and situations – so you may want to have more than one in your collection.
Diving Watch – If you intend to use your wrist-watch underwater, a diving watch is a necessity. Ordinary watches tend to fail beyond a relatively shallow depth of water, and they aren’t well-protected against moisture seepage. Diving watches from brands like Omega and Rolex are something else entirely. Their watches can survive depths of 300 metres or more. Diving watches also tend to have chemically-treated dials that glow underwater, allowing divers to know exactly how long they have been submerged, while also setting up to use their bezels to count down the amount of time left for a safe dive. They may contain helium beneath the face to ease the immense pressures of the deep, and they will always be made from corrosion resistant materials.
Dress Watch – Returning to the surface again, dress watches have little in common with diving watches aside from their ability to tell the time. These watches are always elegantly designed to complement formal attire, with smart leather straps and a slender, unobtrusive appearance. Their best dress watches are attractive without being flashy. They play their part in a formal outfit without dominating it. The slender nature of a good dress watch is practical as well as aesthetic. Because they are so thin, dress watches rest comfortably beneath cuffs until they are required, and they don’t create any unsightly bulges. In many cases, dress watches resemble items of jewellery in that they are produced using precious metals like silver or platinum.
Aviator Watch – The aviator watch has a familiar appearance, with its bold (usually) metallic materials, a prominent bezel and a collection of dials and hands on the watch face itself. These dials allow the aviator to provide a large amount of information in a small space – a legacy of their origins in the early days of aviation. Nowadays, most people who choose an aviator watch will not be trained pilots. The collection of indicators on the watch are more for show than substance. Still, a good aviator watch will present its information clearly. It won’t be cluttered with elements that obscure the basic hour and second hands, and it will be substantial without becoming clunky. The very best aviator watches are hard to distinguish from chronographs or chronometers. These highly technical timepieces feature a group of stopwatch dials, and are used to measure more than one interval at once. You could use them to measure waypoints when flying or driving, but more common uses could be in precisely measuring cooking times. Either way, they are the most precise analogue watch around.
Sports Watch – Time is a key element of most sports. Whether you are marking the seconds at the end of a football match, or checking how long your round of golf has taken, having a good watch is essential. However, not all conventional watches can stand up to the physical effects of a sporting activity. Sports watches tend to focus on comfort. They will often have soft straps that make them less abrasive when running. The last thing that long distance runners need is chafing around the wrist, and a good watch will never allow that to happen. They also tend to have large numbers and hands, so that the wearer can see at a glance what the time is, and how fast they have been moving. Most sports watches are digital – A good stopwatch is essential, while sports watches also tend to be more resilient, surviving the odd fall or immersion in water. More recently, traditional sports watches have been joined by fitness trackers. These devices are really an advanced form of watch, and many leading manufacturers like Sony, Garmin and Fitbit have designed their products to be ready for casual wear and exercise. You can use them to monitor your times, calorie expenditure and heart rate – making them a good tool for serious fitness fans.
Smartwatch– Smart watches are another new development (and in some ways, fitness trackers are a variant of smart watch). These clever little watches blend style and technology, enabling the wearer to access Android and iOS apps, check their social media presence and search the web. Smart watches are developing all the time, but look out for the offerings from established names like Pebble, Apple, LG and Asus – all of which offer watches with a huge range of functions and attractive prices. Be sure to find a watch with the right screen size and not too much bezel, and pay attention to battery life as well. Some smart watches will be better than others for social media or fitness tracking, so be sure to find one with the features you need.
One thing that all watch buyers need to think about is size. Do you want a huge watch face that is filled with timers, and a large bezel with even more features? Or do you favour something less obvious, that can slip underneath your clothing? You might need something delicate, small and beautiful, with fewer functional elements – or something clunky and purely utilitarian for diving or running.
The main part of the watch is called the case. What size you pick will depend on your wrist size and the purpose of the watch. Generally, men go for case sizes, with a diameter between 30mm and 40mm, while for women the range is around 25mm to 35mm. However, if you have a large wrist, an even larger case will look fine, although it may not suit those with slender wrists.
Straps are another consideration that has to be brought into the equation. Comfort is really important when wearing a watch, so in most instances, a heavy strap will be undesirable. Lighter materials will sit more comfortably on the skin of the wrist – so consider straps made from leather or canvas for everyday wear. Aluminium is another common strap material that is both light and strong – making it perfect for aviators and driving watches.
Make sure that you purchase the right strap size. Generally, straps come in three varieties: small (wrist circumference 15cm to 18cm), standard (17cm to 21cm) and large or extra large (21cm to 24cm). It’s a good idea to measure your wrist before you buy, so that you know your watch will fit properly.
Shape is also something to think about. There are two major watch shapes – round and square – and the one you choose will often depend upon personal taste. Women’s watches often look more elegant in rectangular shapes, which are far less common on men’s dress or work watches. Fitness watches tend to have squared edges to provide more surface area for buttons, and a more streamlined look, while aviators and diving watches will usually be round.
There are plenty of high street and online retailers to choose from, and they tend to specialise in certain types of watches. For example, a shop like John Lewis is good for standard sports and aviator watches, or watches for professionals, while H Samuel stock many ladies’ dress watches.
There is no bad time to look for discounted watches, as watches are the kind of item that people need at all times of year. However, major retailers tend to offer savings between Black Friday, Christmas and the New Year sales – although you should look out for discounts especially on luxury brands throughout the year.
The best place to find all of the UK’s latest watch deals is the HotUKDeals watches pages. There you’ll find up-to-the-minute discounts from merchants like Amazon, Debenhams, Watches2U, SwagUK, H.S. Johnson and Argos.
