A Stylish Man's Quick Guide To Buying The Best Watch

April 25, 2022

A Stylish Man's Quick Guide To Buying The Best Watch

Home Men's Fashion Blog A Stylish Man's Quick Guide To Buying The Best Watch

A watch doesn't only tell time. As a man, it also resonates with your style and personality.

While you can buy a watch from anywhere, it's best to know some basic information about these fashion accessories. This guide aims to help you navigate the world of watches so you can make the best purchase according to your needs and lifestyle.

Keep on reading to learn more.

Quick Guide To Buying The Best Watch

Choose Between Analog And Digital

Before anything else, you should select whether to go for an analog or digital.

The former is a watch with hours, minutes, and seconds hands rotating and possibly making a ticking sound. It has various marker combinations, and its face or dial is available in different shapes. Some consider it as the more traditional type of timepiece. However, because of its versatility and timeless appeal, luxury watches for men usually come in this design.

Meanwhile, digital watches display time, minutes, or seconds in figures through a screen. They appear more modern and sleeker. Digital watches are best paired with casual outfits, but some also wear them with a suit to give off a youthful vibe.

Check The Different Types Of Watch

Although there are many men's watches you can choose from, there are five classic types that every man should have in their closet. Each of these types serves a different purpose and is meant for different occasions. Check them out below:

The Minimalist: With this type, expect simplicity. This means they don't have extravagant designs, but the inside is what matters. Minimalist watches reference Bauhaus design principles which have quartz movements to power them. Other brands mix modern and minimalist into one with automatic and manual movements. Minimalist watches are great for everyday wear.

The Driving Watch: This watch is made for adventure and outdoor activities yet still shows glamour. Usually, you can find extra buttons on the side.

This watch is also similar to a device for measuring speed or 'tachymeter.' It usually comes with a stopwatch feature or chronograph complication, which comes from motor racing. Driving watches often give off a sporty vibe.

The Diving Watch: As the name implies, this watch is for divers as it mainly functions in the ocean's depths. But of course, anyone can use it as it usually is. This has a punchy unidirectional bezel, luminous dials and hands, and rugged construction. These features make it perfect for underwater and casual events, depending on the design.

The Pilot's Watch: This is also known as an aviation watch from Cartier's development to a pilot in 1911. It features a larger case size and multiple dials that display large amounts of information, making it ideal for flying. Nowadays, fashionable men consider it an alternative to the diver's watch. You can don this on your wrist every day like a minimalist watch because of its aesthetic appeal and multiple functionalities.

The Dress Watch: This type of watch has simple adornments, a straightforward face design, and Roman numerals, making it seem understated. It's a super-thin watch keeping it unnoticed under the wearer's cuff, and it's usually attached to a leather strap.

Moreover, this watch is most likely to be made from a precious metal since its primary function is to tell time. Dress watches are meant to be worn on formal occasions.

Aside from the type and design of the watch, make sure that you get the right size for your wrist, so it fits perfectly. According to some experts, if your wrist measures 6 to 7 inches, choose a case with a small to medium diameter, in this case, 38mm, 40mm, and 42mm. If you're on the larger side, with a wrist circumference of 7.5-8 inches, a 44mm or 46mm case diameter may be ideal. However, this is not a general rule of thumb. Try different types and go for the ones you feel most comfortable with.

Know Your Budget

As there are different types of watches, their prices also vary. Whether you're going for a fancy or medium-fancy watch, here are the types of watches according to their worth:

Mega-luxury: As its name implies, a mega-luxury watch has precious metals such as diamonds, platinum, rose gold, or gold in them. Your kids can inherit these timepieces as their prices can reach millions or more over time.

Luxury: In this category, you can expect iconic watch brands whose base price points start at around USD$3,000. Its features include high-end materials, excellent craftsmanship, and complications such as chronographs, tourbillon, power reserve, and grande sonnerie.

Less Affordable: In general, the price for this watch can range from USD$500 to USD$3,000, and its hands run with a mechanical movement. Timepieces from fashion brands such as Tom Ford and Gucci fall under this category.

Affordable: This tier is the sub-USD$500 tier, making it the cheapest watch on the list. Generally, this watch has quartz movement and is an automatic leather strap watch. Some brands include Seiko, which delivers excellent quality at a much more affordable price than Rolex.

Conclusion

For men, a watch is more than just a time-telling piece. It's also a great way to make a statement and show off your personality.

If you plan to invest in them, you can start budgeting the type of watch you'll buy with the tips above. If you don't want to spend a lot at first, the best thing is to purchase affordable or preowned luxury watches. Then, buy the others as you go along with your finances. What's important is to wear it as you mean it, as it can boost your style.

Quick Guide To Buying The Best Watch