How to Choose a Watch?
Usage of different wristwatches
First of all, you need to make sure you are looking for a men's, women's or children's watch. Some watches are designed and sized to suit both women and men and are marked as unisex.
Types of Wrist Watches
- Analogue watches - a classic type of watch with hands, suitable for everyday wear, often with decorative flourishes. Suitable for work.
- Digital Watches - suitable for casual wear and sport outtings. They often have more features and are not usually suited to dress wear.
- Combined watches - the face has hands, but there is also a small digital display. They are not suitable for dress wear either.
- Pocket Watches - this specific type of watch has a classic look. They're great for gentlemen wearing a suit.
- Smart watches and fitness trackers - these can connect with a smart phone, they have the most features and are also great for sports.
When and Where Will I Wear My Watch?
- Watches for everyday wear - these should be especially comfortable and durable, so they can withstand everything you do during the day without damage. A waterproof watch will be appreciated as well as other practical features, as well as being decorative.
- Watches for work and for the party - especially for the ladies, there are distinctive and dazzling watches that can complement and underline an overall outfit. Watches worn for their appearance need not be equipped with extra features; the most important factor is design.
- Sports watches - they should be as comfortable as possible while your body is active doing sport. It usually offers special features, and you can sometimes access popular sports apps.
What Parameters Should I Consider When Choosing a Watch?
Material of the Face
The glass that protects the dial is the part of the watch most susceptible to damage. The most commonly used watch face is mineral glass, which offers a premium price/quality ratio. Still more durable are sapphire or hardlex faces. Less resistant to damage are acrylic or plastic faces but their main advantage is a low price.
Material of the Case
The watch case is the part where the clockwork is housed. It should be highly resistant to abrasion and physical damage. The standard is a stainless steel case, which most often meets these requirements. Even better materials are titanium, platinum, gilded steel or compacted gold. Plastic, brass or silicone cases are more suitable for occasional wear because they can not withstand too much pressure.
The best quality watches are Swiss Made.
Watch Strap Material
- Leather - this is the most comfortable material for everyday wear.
- Steel - is a highly durable material but the disadvantage is more weight. Choose from stainless steel, gold plated steel and PVD-coated steel.
- Plastic - plastic straps are light and do not cause allergic reactions. Ideal for sports.
- Rubber - is a lightweight, waterproof material. Rubber straps are also suitable for sports and everyday wear.
- Silicone - has the same properties as a rubber bracelet, only the material is made in a different way.
- Titanium - is the most durable material used in jewelery. It is lightweight and anti-allergenic.
- Textile - it is very comfortable and light, but it can get dirty and is susceptable to wear and tear.
Clock Movement
Most commonly type of movement is the quartz watch engine, which offers quite high accuracy and a long battery life. Digital watches use digital devices and mechanical devices with manual or automatic retraction are coming back in fashion. Some types of watches may not use a conventional battery, but can be charged using solar panels built under the clock.
Time Display
Classic, fashionable, and decorative watches, for the most part, use traditional analogue (or hand) time displays. For sports watches, digital imagery prevails. Compromise between the two can be watches with combined time displays. Lovers of math and technological designs will be pleased with binary watches which have LED displays.
Watch Features
Nowadays, watches have many practical features. Most of them can be found on sports watches, but they can also be fitted into fashionable designs. In a seperate realm are smart watches which connect wirelessly to your mobile phone. You will normally encounter the following features:
- Date and day of the week - using the number, shows the current date as well as the name of the day.
- Fully automatic calendar - programmed for several decades to come, commonly for digital and combined watches.
- Tachymeter - measures speed in combination with a stopwatch (chronograph).
- World Time - shows the time in different time zones of the world.
- Barometer - there is a sensor for measuring barometric pressure.
- Luminescent elements - watches can be read even in the dark.
- Radio-controlled - watches receive a radio signal to adjust themselves and be accurate.
- Illumination - the display automatically turns on, and the function is especially common on digital watches
Waterproof Watches
Watches that bear the "waterproof" label are only moisture-proof (increased room moisture, very fine rain) and dust-resistant. Do not come into direct contact with water. If you find information about depth in meters or atmospheric pressure (ATM) or bar (BAR) on the label, it means that the water contact will last to a certain extent.
| Designation |
Degree of watertightness |
Splashing water, heavy rain |
Showering, hand washing |
Swimming, diving without breathing apparatus |
Deep diving |
| Water resistant |
0m |
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| 3 ATM/3 BAR |
30m |
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| 5 ATM/5 BAR |
50m |
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| 10 ATM/10 BAR |
100m |
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| 20 ATM/20 BAR |
200m |
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| 30 ATM/30 BAR |
300m |
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| 50 ATM/50 BAR |
500m |
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| 100 ATM/100 BAR |
1000m |
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