Choosing the right wristwatch involves much more than just walking into a department store, glancing into a display case, and picking a watch with a suitable color or price. Watches are an expression of a person's style, flair, and personality. Keep time with Mickey, the New York Yankees, or even a favorite breed of dog with that perfect timekeeping selection!
If keeping accurate time is the most important factor, select a watch with a quartz timepiece. Quartz watches are more popular than mechanical watches, and keep time much more accurately. The timing mechanism uses a tiny piece of quartz that vibrates over 32,000 times per second.
As a result, quartz watches typically lose approximately ten second of time each month. These mechanisms are battery operated, and do not have to be wound regularly. Replace the battery every year or two, and the watch is good to go.
Quartz watches come in three different face styles: Analog, digital, and anidigi. Digital quartz watches are exactly that - digital. LCD readout displays the time. Many of these watches offer a number of extras, including address books, calculators, time and date functions, and Global Positioning, or GPS systems. Some are even waterproofed and feature depth sensors for divers to wear! These tell time most accurately, usually to the nearest second or fraction of a second.
In contrast, analog quartz watches have faces with numerical displays for time. Some use Roman numerals, while others use regular numbers. Many use tick marks to indicate the hours. Although these keep time accurately, the wearer must guess at the intervals between marked times, so discerning the time is somewhat less precise.
Many people prefer anidigi quartz watches. These watches include both numerical readouts and a digital display of the time. These often include a number of bells and whistles, or extra features, and are sometimes quite expensive.
Despite the improved accuracy of quartz watches, some time keepers still prefer mechanical watches. While these are excellent examples of careful labor and craftsmanship, they are less accurate than quartz watches. The mainspring generates energy to a feature called an oscillator, which is also known as a balance wheel. This wheel vibrates approximately 28,000 times each hour. As a result, mechanical watches can lose several minutes each month.
Fans of mechanical watches can choose between automatic mechanical watches and manual mechanical watches. An automatic mechanical watch mechanism functions through a rotor swing. This swing reacts to a person's motion and causes the mainspring to be wound. Wearing the watch at least 12 hours each day is enough to keep the mainspring wound. If the watch isn't worn for several days, however, it will require manual winding. In contrast, a manual mechanical watch must be wound each day to keep the mainspring functioning.
Wristband Options
The choices for wristband materials are almost limitless, and as varied as the watches themselves. Some people prefer wristwatches that are made entirely of a precious metal, such as gold or silver. Some manufacturers even sell platinum wristwatches.
Since not everyone can afford gold wristwatches or other expensive choices, some companies make wristwatches from stainless steel, which is very durable and long lasting. Aluminum wristwatches are also very popular because they do not rust, or become tarnished or corroded. Another commonly used metal is titanium. Titanium is a very strong white metal, and is stronger than steel. Titanium wristwatches are usually coated with a protective substance to prevent damage from scratches.
Carbon fiber wristwatches are also very durable. These dark-colored watches usually are black or grey. Carbon fiber is used for manufacturing watch dials and casings.Sometimes, wristwatches are even made of plastic or rubber. These often include colorful, lightweight bands that are used for sports or fashion watches.
Sometimes, people find the perfect watch - but the band may be unattractive or does not fit properly. Replacement bands are available for watches; these can also be changed as a fashion statement. Be advised, though, replacement bands are usually as expensive as a lower-priced watch.
Feature Choices for Wristwatches
A large percentage of watches on the market today offer a number of additional features. Rather than functioning as a mere timepiece, many watches, including day date watches, or full calendar watches, also tell the date and day. Some even display the month! Some have indicators that advise the wearer of the moon's phase, or allow a world time feature to be accessed. This feature allows the user to determine what time it is in another part of the country or world.
Some watches include chronographs, which function as a stopwatch. A few of these include tachymeter skills, which use time and pre-determined distances to measure an object's average speed. Other watches have functions that can measure how far an object that makes a loud sound and generates light is from the person wearing the watch. These are called telemeter scale watches.
Water resistant watches are waterproof up to a certain depth. For example, if a watch advertises a resistance of 100 meters, it can be worn while swimming. Watches with a resistance of 30 meters are protected against splashes. Only water resistant watches with a resistance of 200 meters are wearable by scuba divers.
A few watches offer very unique features. One relatively inexpensive feature offered by some watches is a repeater. Watches with repeaters ring a set number of chimes when the wearer presses a button. These chimes announce the time. Some features, however, are very expensive. For example, certain mechanical watches are made with tourbillons. These are tiny, expensive mechanisms that help to avoid possible errors in calculating time.
How Long will a Watch Tick?
The answer to this question often depends on the warranty. Many watches advertise limited warranties for one or two years; few craftsmen are willing to guarantee their merchandise for long warranty periods. Typically, watches that do offer long warranties are quite expensive. Watches are so easy to make that many people prefer to just buy another watch rather than worry about the time and hassle of having a watch repaired.
Additionally, not every warranty offers the same time or quality conditions. For example, some watches are sold with the original manufacturer's warranty. This is usually the most comprehensive warranty for a product. The majority of these warranties are in effect as long as the watch is purchased new, and the watch must be purchased from an authorized dealer of that brand. Typically, watches sold by discount merchants or secondhand stories are not covered under the manufacturer's warranties.
A few small businesses do sell watches secondhand, and pre-certify a watch before selling it to make sure that everything works properly. Sometimes, these retailers will offer a short warranty period to the buyer in the event that the watch stops working right away.
Navigating watch warranties
Like other merchandise, watch warranties have three basic components. The first of these, coverage, describes under what conditions the warranty applies. Typically, manufacturers only guarantee against defective merchandise or material defects. Damage to the product as a result of mishandling or breakage is not usually covered under a warranty.
Duration describes the length of time the warranty is in effect. Some warranties may be in effect for only a year or two, while others last for the lifetime of the merchandise. Finally, some warranties depend on location. For example, the watch may be covered by warranty only in the country in which it was bought. Usually, warranties also require merchandise to be sent to a particular location for repair, in which case the buyer is expected to pay shipping costs.
Tips on watch care
The lifetime of a watch often depends on the care and maintenance it receives. Extreme temperatures, such as hot or cold, will shorten the life of the watch. Similarly, quartz watches will last much longer if they are not exposed to magnets. Keep the watch clean, and remove debris such as dirt or skill oil regularly. Clean the case and band with a damp, soft cloth. Remember, too, that mechanical watches are much safer in a professional's hand - have the gears cleaned and maintained regularly.
Finding the ideal timepiece can be challenging, but a good watch easily becomes a favorite accessory or jewelry staple quickly. Most people who purchase quality watches find that, if they are properly cared for, they will last many years. Invest the time - and money - in something that's made to last, and years from now, that quality watch will still be ticking.