A brief guide and perspective on what aspects to think about and research when buying a watch. A friend of mine was curious what I think about when I purchase a watch so I wrote up a few thoughts.
Movement:
- Quartz: by sending an electrical current through quartz, it vibrates at a very specific frequency which can be counted and pushed as electrical pulses to a motor, keeping accurate time. Often more affordable and battery operated. Requires a battery change typically every 1–2 years.
- Mechanical/Automatic: Higher craftsmanship; no batteries, but may need regular winding (for mechanical) or wrist movement (for automatic). Service costs can be higher over time.
Personally, I opt for automatic watches as I think the craftsmanship is a novel part of a watch and the history of a brand. The quartz battery that powers a cheap watch is effectively the same as one that powers a quartz designer watch, so the difference outside craftsmanship would just be aesthetic only.
Dial Material:
- Mineral Glass: More prone to scratches but generally not brittle (less likely to shatter) and lower cost
- Sapphire Crystal: More scratch-resistant and clearer but slightly more brittle (could shatter if hit with a hard blunt force) and often pricier.
Generally I go for sapphire material because its seens as more premium and more scratch resistant. It’s not likely that you ever hit the watch so hard that the glass is at risk of shattering.
Bracelet:
- Metal/stainless steel: Can be worn casually or semi-formally. Durable, versatile, slightly heavier. Lasts years.
- Leather Strap: Classic, dressy, and semi-formal to formal; may need replacing every few years.
- NATO or Rubber Straps: Sporty, comfortable, easily changed. Maybe more relevant if you have an active or sporty lifestyle.
Personally I like stainless steel bracelets and leather straps (alligator is a typical leather for watches). My daily wear is stainless steel because it can easily blend casually or formally.
Watch Face:
- Minimalistic: Clean, simple dials suitable for formal settings
- Chronograph/Complications: More features (subdials, date windows), sporty looks, but can be bulkier.
- Diver/Sport: Bold markers, rotating bezels, and higher water resistance.
Personally I go for fewer complications. I have a strong preference for date or date+day-of-week, and all other complications (e.g. stopwatch functionality, millisecond timers, moonphases) mean much less to me. This is a personal preference for how complex you want your watch to look. I like watch styles closer to bauhaus which is fairly minimalistic (but not too minimalistic).
Case Size:
- Average men’s watch diameter ranges from 38mm to 42mm, though trends lean larger.
- Consider your wrist size—too large can overwhelm smaller wrists; too small might look disproportionate on larger wrists.
I tend to wear 36-38mm.
Brand Reputation & Meaning:
- Consider what the brand is known for (heritage, innovation, style)
- I really liked perusing the brand guide from /r/watches from enthusiast all the way to luxury
My favorite brands are Seiko, Grand Seiko, and Orient.
Water Resistance:
- Look for at least 50m water resistance for everyday wear.
- Higher ratings (100m or more) are preferable if you plan to swim or dive regularly.
Depending on how active you expect to be, I like my watches to have a bit of water resistance in case they get wet in, say, heavy rain. Diver watches can also be taken underwater but I don’t have that use case. The Apple Watch also has excellent water resistance.
Taking all the above, I like automatic watches, sapphire face, stainless steel bracelet or leather strap, with minimal complications (only a date), that’s 36-38mm, with minor water resistance. Hence why I ended up buying Seikos and Orients since those hit all my criteria what I was looking for.
Ultimately, pick a watch that fits your style and daily use - you have to like it to pick it up and put it on your wrist every day!