How to choose a watch
A good watch reflects the style and personality of the wearer. Being both practical and beautiful at the same time, a high-quality watch is perhaps the ultimate accessory. Modern watches not only show the time, but also have many other useful functions. Whether you are buying a watch for yourself or someone else, this handy guide will help you make the perfect choice.
Types of watch
Women's watches
For women, watches are a particularly stylish fashion accessory that can enhance any outfit. Women's watches are characterised by narrower straps and smaller dials.
How to choose a watch for a woman
Men's watches
A man's watch should reflect his character and represent his personality. Men's watches are generally larger and feature a wide strap.
How to choose a watch for a man
Children's watches
Children are introduced to the notion of time at an early age, but they don't learn to tell the time until they are of school age. Buying a fun watch can encourage them to learn even faster. Children's watches come in a range of fun designs and are usually highly resistant to damage.
How to choose a watch for a child
Important parameters
Waterproofing
Watches that are "water resistant" are only resistant to atmospheric moisture and should under no circumstances come into contact with water. Water-resistant watches should always be taken off before entering the bath or pool.
Watches that are waterproof to a particular depth in metres, or to a pressure in atmospheres (atm) or bars (bar), are more durable and can come into contact with water to some extent.
However, these units can be misleading. For example, if a watch says that it is waterproof to 30 m, this is true only under laboratory conditions, i.e. diving into clear, calm water at a constant temperature, which is highly unlikely in everyday life.
| Waterproof | Degree of water resistance |
|---|---|
| 30 m / 3 ATM / 3 bar | Resistant to water spray and rain |
| 50 m / 5 ATM / 5 bar | Can be worn while showering. |
| 100 m / 10 ATM / 10 bar | Suitable for swimming and diving. |
Watch movements
The movement is the internal mechanism that makes the watch work. Currently, the most common type of watch movement is quartz, which uses an electric motor to move the hands and is reliable and accurate. Automatic watches, which feature mechanical self-winding movements, are also very popular - particularly with watch enthusiasts. The quality of a movement is affected by the accuracy of its production, its installation and adjustment. In addition to mechanical and quartz movements, you will also find digital or combined analogue/digital watches. These types of watches differ from quartz and automatic models in terms of style, design, and additional features.
Watch accuracy
Quartz watches generally offer accuracy within half a second per day, with better mechanical watches within 4 seconds per day and cheaper mechanical watches within 10 to 20 seconds per day.
Glossary - watches
Analogue watch
Analogue watches shows the time with an hour, minute, and sometimes a second hand.
Automatic watch
Automatic watches feature a mechanical, self-winding movement.
Digital watch
Digital watches display the time using numbers on a display.
Chronograph
The term chronograph applies to watches equipped with a stopwatch function.
Combination watches
These watches display the time using both hands and a digital display, i.e. a combination of analogue and digital
Case
The main body of the watch that houses the movement.
Quartz
A type of electronic watch movement that uses an electronic oscillator regulated by a quartz crystal.
Watch manufacturing
A key parameter of a watch is its case material, which should be resistant to abrasion and scratches. Standard watch cases are made of 316L stainless steel. The highest-quality watches have titanium, gold or platinum cases. Materials such as plastic, alloy and brass, while often used for fashion reasons, are much less resistant.
The glass, or crystal, is a critical part of any watch, so it should be of the highest quality. Cheaper watches are equipped with an acrylic crystal. Silicon is a common choice as it offers high quality at a reasonable price. The best watches have sapphire crystal, which is extremely resistant to scratches and shock. Anti-glare glass allows you to clearly view the display even in direct sunlight.
The strap is another important part of a watch. On watches with metal straps, the strap should be made of the same material as the watch case, ideally from solid stainless steel. The best straps are made of genuine leather, which can be treated to have waterproof and anti-allergic qualities.