How To Buy The Best Men’s Luxury Watch

Luxury Watches Make A Fashion Statement

Do you like to dress sharp and wear a watch that just speaks for itself? If you want to be the focus of attention then how to buy the best men’s luxury watch is just for you. Wearing a luxury watch can make a very positive style statement for any occasion. Remember that luxury watches are symbols of quality, success, taste, and stability.

Watches in this category generally tend to sell in a range from $250 to $15,000 or more.

There are few reasons why a luxury watch is purchased and here are some of them below:

• Convenient
• Signals Style
• Embody Great Craftsmanship
• Great Heirlooms
• Fabulous Memories

Convenient

A wrist watch is the most convenient way to show and display time. If you are in a meeting a quick glance will keep tabs on the time, or if you have another engagement, you can get the current one wrapped up. It’s not rude to look at the watch but, it would be rude to bring out your phone and check the time. It would be a huge distraction to the speaker or the people in the meeting with you. Regardless of the occasion, a watch is a convenient way to check the time and keep you on schedule.

Signals Style

Some luxury watches have attracted more attention than a man’s wardrobe. Generally, men will have only three accessories on their hands, a nice watch, a pair of cufflinks, and a wedding ring if they are married. Watches make a statement about the wearer’s personality and style. A quality luxury watch is a man’s equivalent to an engagement ring. It also helps to keep the busy man on time, on schedule and with class.

Embodies Great Craftsmanship

Besides being a time-keeper, it is also a symbol of historical history which is encased in a showpiece with excellent craftsmanship. Luxury watches are made by craftsmen with tremendous talent, and time, and it shows in the watches they produce. This is why they are expensive as they can work on a single watch over several months. The watch design can be different among great craftsmen as a sign of their work.

Some craftsmen place their signature on the dial, or the case can be pure art. The movement of these watches are a cause of much fascination besides the dial and case. They have a way of expressing their talent and creativity in their designs. These are showcased in the watches they produce for specific brands or manufacturers.

Great Heirlooms

Besides being a great gift for that special person or occasion, it is also a quintessential heirloom. It can be passed down to succeeding generations that will have special memories.

Owning a watch from a different era is a continue remembrance of people who lived before you and they just happen to be family members. Having or even wearing the watch will make you think of them. It also conveys that the owner of this timepiece has shown use, care and love of it.

Leaving a luxury watch to someone you care about or important to you is a treasure that will not be forgotten for a long time.

Fabulous Memories

Just owning one of these watches can bring to remembrance many memories in old age. It is especially true if the watch was given to you for a special occasion like a birthday, wedding, anniversary, graduation, or promotion at work.

As you reflect back on how the watch was presented to you it will trigger those memories that have lasted a lifetime.

A luxury watch is special and over time, it will give you some lasting memories that can be shared with your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren throughout the years to come.

Luxury Watch Features

 

• Movement – Automatic or self-wind, manual wind, and battery operated. Select the type of movement your watch should have.
• World Time Function – If you travel a lot around the world you may need this feature.
• Date Display – Only if needed.
• Chronograph – Chronograph is just a fancy word for stopwatch. A chronograph may be operated by one, two, or three buttons, also known as pushers. There are three primary types of chronographs.

The most basic is the aptly-named simple chronograph, which has either one or two pushers. One-pushers simply start and stop. Two-pusher chronographs can measure interrupted time spans.

Aretour-en-vol, or flyback chronograph, has two pushers. If the stopwatch is running and the second button is pushed, all the counters restart from zero. It basically enables rapid restart, which is useful when you need to be very accurate (down to a tenth of a second).

The third type is the rattrapante or split-second chronograph. This has three pushers and two second hands, and can measure multiple events at the same time. When you push the third button, the second event stops while the first sweep hand keeps ticking along. Reset it again, and the second hand catches up with the first until you initiate another split.

If you want to have a chronograph style watch, determine which type you need.

• Crystal Type – Mineral crystals are cheaper and offer one benefit over sapphire – they don’t tend to shatter if struck hard. Meaning they will crack, but not shatter. Shattered sapphire crystals are relatively rare and typically occur with a very harsh impact. The better the watch, the thicker the sapphire crystal will be, and thus, less likely to break. Sapphire crystals are incredibly scratch-resistant though. Sapphire crystals are more desirable when compared to mineral crystals and should be preferred type.
• Tachymeter – The tachymeter is often found on chronographs, and is used to measure speed over a certain distance in units per hour. The tachymeter is generally located on the inner or outer dial ring of a watch. It is used in conjunction with the chronometer to calculate average speeds. With a bit of math, you can use it to measure distance, as well. See the watch manual for more details on how to use the tachymeter on your specific luxury watch.
• Tourbillon – Tourbillon (pronounced TOUR-bee-yon) is French for “whirlwind.” Gravity is the enemy of accurate timekeeping, so the tourbillon constantly moves the escapement and balance assembly (the timekeeping mechanism) so it’s never affected by gravitational forces This is one of the most difficult watch mechanisms to make, requiring hundreds of parts and deft handiwork to create, which is why it’s only found in luxury watches.
• Case Construction – To some people, it might be obvious to get a watch out of solid metal, but you’d be surprised at how some cheaper watches cut costs. Steel watches should be made from grade 316L stainless steel almost all the time. Plus, the watch case and bracelet links should be solid pieces of metal, rather than folded metal or anything hollow. It is easy to tell if a bracelet is solid by inspecting the side of it and noticing if looks like one solid piece. In watches at this level, cases are best made from the fewest number of pieces and using the most metal possible.
• Water Resistance – This is an important feature especially if you are going to use it in water. You will need to select the luxury watch for the type of water related activity it will be used for. Compare options and look for the depth rating providing by the manufacture.
• Swiss or Japanese Movements – Most of the time, Swiss movements come from ETA – or Ronda, especially if they are quartz movements (though this is not always the case). Japanese quartz movements typically come from makers such as Seiko, Citizen, and Casio. While these countries are not the only makers of movements, at these price points try to get movements from these regions as much as possible. Plus, if a watch is not Japanese, try to find one with a Swiss movement. Stay away from Chinese movements. 
• Locking Deployment Clasp – Cheaper watches with metal bracelets still have what is called a single locking clasp. This is the type of bracelet that literally just snaps or clicks into place. The best metal bracelets have what are known as “double or triple locking clasps.” A triple lock often features a push-button in the mix, or there are also “double locking clasps” with a push button instead of a fold over flap. The bottom line is that you want a watch bracelet that will stay secure on your wrist no matter what you are doing or if you accidentally hit the bracelet on something.

Leather bands work well and are usually a part of these expensive luxury watches.

• Weight – Watch weight is a polarizing concept. Some people like heavy watches, while others want something very light. On more expensive watches, you start to see materials such as titanium which are lighter than steel, but in this price segment, weight is often times a sign of quality. Even though titanium is available at this price level, it most likely is not the higher (grade 5) quality titanium that is what you’ll want. At this price level, you are only going to get that nice crisp quality look with steel. Weight often signifies solid construction using a high quality steel. So feel the weight of a case and bracelet to make sure it is substantial enough to justify your investment.
• Good Dial Lamination – Not all watches are expected to have dials that illuminate in the dark for low light viewing – these are typically the more classic or formal watches. However, almost all sport and causal watches have some type of luminant that is applied on the hands as well as somewhere on the dial. The quality of luminant greatly varies.

An example being that you need to shine a bright light directly to the face of the watch for a minute or so, and then the dial dimly glows for a few minutes. Alternatively, you have luminant that charges easily when exposed to room or sun light and glows for hours.

The Japanese tend to make the best luminant, but you get Japanese luminant on watches from all over (watches will never indicate the source of the luminant, but look for LumiNova, or better yet SuperLumiNova when possible). An alternative to luminant are watches that use tritium gas tubes. These tubes are made by just one company in Switzerland and glow by themselves for about 25-30 years. Tritium gas tubes are not hard to find, as a few watch brands almost exclusively use them, and its available at reasonable prices.

This is an optional feature. Some individuals may not be concerned about seeing the time in the dark.

• Solid Feel Construction – It’s important that you want the watch to feel well put together and solid. Check to see how well the strap or bracelet fits to the case. There should little to no wiggle room. Put the watch on your wrist and see how well the clasp or buckle operates, they should be smooth with a nice action. They should further not feel flimsy or poorly sized.

Swiss companies tend to make better metal bracelets than other countries. A Swiss designed bracelet might be manufactured elsewhere, but they do take pride in the refinement of these areas.

Common Luxury Watch Issues

When buying a luxury watch, there are some issues you should be made aware of and they are mentioned below.

1. The Rise of Counterfeit Luxury Watches on the Internet – It’s very important that when you purchase an expensive luxury watch that it’s from an authorized dealer (AD). When you go to an unauthorized source on the internet, it just might be a counterfeit and forking out those hard earned dollars for a fake will be a huge letdown. When purchasing a watch at this price level, you must ensure it is genuine and not a fake. Always use a reputable dealer or company.

   

2. You should not experience poor customer service when dealing with a problem with your watch – It is vital that you get quality service whenever an operating issue comes up with your watch. Watches in this price range demand that companies respond well to customers with watch issues. If you should experience any difficulties in getting satisfied results, report them to the BBB. You can also inform your friends about the company and do business with another.
3. Have the watch serviced – Some owners may neglect to have this service done to their watch unless there is a problem. Whether the watch experiences a problem or not, have the watch serviced every 6 to 8 years at the place where you bought it or the company that made it. There are oils in the watch that lubricate the movement, gaskets to keep moisture out of the watch, and metal parts touching metal parts. All of which needs to be changed and checked out to keep your watch in good working order.
4. Changing the date – When changing the date on a watch that has this feature, do not set this between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., as this could damage the mechanism. It is during these hours that the pinions position themselves to automatically change the date. Be sure to change the date outside of this time frame.
5. Leather straps – Change them every twelve months or depending upon the conditions of its use. If they have contact with water or exposure to high humidity, it will affect the material and cause discoloration.
6. Quartz watches – The battery generally lasts from two to four years. If your watch stops, take it to the local jewelers for a replacement and a routine check.
7. Storing watch – When you are not wearing your luxury watch, always store it in its original case or box.

Selecting Your Luxury Watch

When you are ready to select the luxury watch, here are some simple guidelines to follow.

1. Determine the price range you are willing to spend.
2. Movement Type – The luxury watches operate on batteries quartz movement, automatic or self-wind, and manual wind models. Determine beforehand which type of movement you want with the watch.
3. Online review of brands. Some of the best brands are: Audemars Piguet, Bulova, Breitling, Blancpain, Bremont, Cartier, Chopard, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-Lecoultre, Omega, Panerai, Patek Philippe, Piaget SA, Rolex, Seiko, Tag Heuer, Ulysse Nardin, and Vacheron Constantin. Place all watches you have looked at and are thinking about purchasing into categories. Place the selections for the style in the following order: Price, crystal type, case material, band, movement, and color
4. Compare all the selections. Look for the overall impression each one gives you. Select only those that make a good first impression. Or, if buying for everyday wear, one that is compatible and fits your overall dress style.
5. Go to any jewelry store or a store that sells watches and look for your style and brand of watch with the features you want. Try it on. How does it feel? How does it look on you? Look in a mirror to see the best results. Ask the rep if the watch comes with a warranty. If yes, ask what is covered with it. If it’s a battery operated one, do they replace the batteries. If not, where?
6. The price for the style or manufacture of the watch may vary from store to store. However, the features of the watch will not. You may also want to check out your watch online at Amazon or any other online watch selling site. You can read all of the customer reviews and get a sense of how they feel about the watch.
7. After doing all of this, you are ready to make your purchase either online or at the store. Be sure it’s a reputable dealer so you are not sold a fake.

Conclusion

As you can see, finding a luxury watch will take some time. Knowing the reason for its purchase and the budget you have available are probably the two most important areas prior to making any watch purchase.

As you review the luxury watches in your price range, just focus in on the features you want the watch to have. Some of these features are; movement, feel, and looks. When you have decided on your watch you can wear it with pride.