Even for regular watch wearers choosing the right wristwatch can be difficult sometimes. The simple act of shopping for a new timepiece can be a bewildering experience. In addition to the wide range of brands available on the market, there are several types of watches with costs going from a dollar to the price of a house.
And this post is about helping neophytes to buy the perfect wristwatch that will reflect their personality and compliment their style. We’ll cover the basics in an accessible, easy-to-understand way. Keep reading to find all the essential information you’ve always wanted to know about watches in general or about the watch you usually tote around on your wrist.
Which Watch to Buy?
Around 1.2 billion watches are made each year. Shocking, right? Considering that number, it is understandable why it is so hard to pick one sometimes. The choice is, in fact, anything but simple. So, how do you know which one to buy? Do you settle for the gaudy dinner plate? Or will the chrome digital watch fit you better? Maybe you’d prefer a high tech gadget-filled watch?
With the number of watches being churned out day in day out by factories all over the world, the categories of watches that exist tend to blur one into another. The fact that all those makes and variants are heavily influenced by the latest fashion and even borrow ideas from other marks and models also contribute to the confusion.
Now add to that the creation of gender-neutral watches that are aimed at a bewildering number of markets and sub-markets. Distinguishing between different types of watches became even more difficult after this. But gender-neutral watches helped bridge the gap between conventional men and women’s watches and introduced a greater variety of styles to the market.
We haven’t even begun talking about the digital and analog movement that has been replaced by hybrid digital mechanical movements in some watches. So how do you go about choosing a watch? Should you spend time reading everything you can find about every type of timepieces on the market? Well, only if you believe such a decision warrant years and years of research. If you want the rundown on how to choose a watch, keep reading.
What to look for in a watch
There are of course a few basic rules to help you pick the perfect timepiece. You will not get a goofy or garish orange sports watch to wear with a power business suit. And who would wear a diamond-studded dress watch to the gym?
The simplest way of choosing a watch is to ask yourself what you want and what best suits your lifestyle and personality. Are you an athlete who can rock a massive sports watch? If you are, good for you! If not, look for something else. Maybe something elegant that signals you’ve gone up in the world? Essentially, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you want a watch to simply tell time, as a fashion accessory or as a status symbol?
- Do you need it for work, sports or for a fancy party?
Once you’ve taken your lifestyle and the functions you want the watch for into consideration, you can start looking at the specifics. Let’s look at those in general terms:
1. Cost
This is a pretty obvious one. There are so many watch brands out there and the price of these watches ranges from cheap to exorbitant. While a nice wristwatch will compliment your style and positively reflect your personality, buying it should not hurt your wallet. So, the best advice we can give you is to pick a timepiece that fits your budget is worth its price.
2. Legibility
The second factor you want to take to consider is legibility. If the watch is too small you will have a hard time reading the time. A larger face diameter, of around 34mm – 500mm, should remedy this problem. But there are other things that can make reading time hard, such as hour hands that look the same or inexistent numbers on the watch face.
3. Comfort
If a watch scratches your wrist or keeps catching on things, you will probably hate wearing it – regardless of how stylish it looks or how much it cost you.
Instead, you want to find a watch whose wristband doesn’t gouge into your wrist. You should also take the size of the watch into consideration. If your wrist is small, a large watch will not only be uncomfortable to wear but will also simply look ridiculous. On the other hand, if your wrist is large it would be inadvisable to pick a small watch. It will look just as silly as a large watch on a small wrist.