Feature: 5 Things you should know before you buy a luxury watch
If you’re thinking of becoming the owner of a luxury watch or adding yet another one to your collection, then look no further. We’ve rounded up five things you need to consider before you take the plunge and buy a luxurious timepiece. Let’s get into it…
Mechanical v Quartz
Before electric and battery-powered watches came along, there were only self-winding or manually wound mechanical watches. This means that the movement is powered by the person wearing it, either by their every-day motions, which moved a swivelling rotor within the watch, or by turning the winding crown. In the 1970s, quartz battery watches turned the industry on its head. Typically used in cheaper, non-luxury watches, this doesn’t take away from their efficiency as they’re more accurate than mechanical watches.
What You Want It For
Before you buy a watch you should at least establish what you want it for. Do you want to simply tell the time? Or do you want to take your watch into the ocean, across the globe, up a mountain or onto a racetrack? Because if you do, you’ll need to consider features such as water resistance, GMT functions, chronographs and more. Alternatively, if you don’t want it for anything other than the time, maybe you won’t want a host of other functions getting in the way.
The Fit
Of course, when you buy a watch you need to make sure it’ll fit well on your wrist. We’re talking case sizes—whether you like them big and bulky or small and dainty, you should ensure that the watch you’re purchasing will sit right for you. Plus, with many of us buying online nowadays it’s even trickier. However, with tools such as watch size guides in place on some online stores—like ours—you can virtually try on your watch and see how it’ll look, so make sure to use them to your advantage!
The Brands
Ok, so many of us will be aware of the big brands out there, but how much do you actually know about them? Some luxury watch brands have been around for hundreds of years and carry a wealth of history such as Blancpain and Vacheron Constantin, whereas others like Hublot and Richard Mille offer fresher approaches to watchmaking. Each brand certainly comes with a statement too and what you wear will give an insight into who you are—or think you are—so choose wisely.
Watch Care
Like many things you buy, when you get a watch there will be times when you need to give it a bit of TLC via a service or maybe a new strap. This is especially true if you opt for a mechanical piece, as if it is not worn everyday it will need winding and resetting. If that is something that will bother you, you may want to opt for a quartz movement, although a battery change every few years will be necessary.
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