How to Choose your First Luxury Watch [Buying your First Luxury Watch]
Buying the first luxury watch can be a big deal. For many, it’s a big achievement, for others, it may be a way to celebrate an achievement or important event. Regardless, luxury watches are associated with high price tags. As such, it’s quite a big deal to buy your first luxury watch and spend a large sum on a watch. It is said that every man needs a good watch and we would agree with that.
But when it comes to price tags, luxury watches vary a lot. They may cost a few thousand dollars but they may also cost tens of thousands of dollars. Since there’s no clear definition of a luxury watch, for some, it may be that it has a price tag of a few hundred dollars, which is much more if the watch they have now only cost 50 bucks. For others, a luxury watch may have to cost several thousand for them to consider it luxury. Some may begin by buying an entry-level luxury watch and then work their way up whilst others may start with a seriously expensive watch.
Different people define luxury differently but that’s not what we’re going to discuss in this article.
Since buying a luxury watch can be a big decision considering you’re going to spend a lot of money, there are naturally a few things you want to consider to make sure that you find the perfect watch for you.
So how do you choose your first luxury watch? What should you consider when buying one?
How to choose your first luxury watch – What to think about
Let’s look closer at some of the most important things to consider and questions to ask yourself when choosing your first luxury watch.
Define your personal style
A great place to start with finding your first luxury watch is to define your own personal style. Watches exist in an endless selection of different styles and designs. There is a lot to choose from when it comes to style and design so narrowing down your options by defining your style and defining the watch you are looking for accordingly can be really helpful.
Think about how the watch you choose will complement your overall style and personality. Are you a sporty and casual guy or are you mostly in formal attire on formal occasions? Naturally, this will affect which type of watch that’s most suitable for you.
Defining whether a sporty, formal, or casual watch will be the most suitable for you is a really helpful way to narrow down all your alternatives and make it easier for you when looking for your luxury watch. Moreover, this can also help you narrow down your options in terms of the luxury watch brands that you are looking at. Some watch brands focus on elegant and formal watches whilst other brands are more known for making bulky, sporty, and robust timepieces.
Some questions you can ask are:
- Do you want something sleek and minimalistic?
- Do you want something sporty?
- Do you want a watch that is eye-catching and bold
- Do you want something discreet and timeless?
When will you wear the watch?
The occasion on which you plan to wear your watch is an important thing to consider. This partially has to do with making sure that the watch is suitable and appropriate from an aesthetic aspect for the occasion. But it also has to do with whether or not the watch is actually built for the occasion on which you will wear it. For example, if you’re planning to go on a bike ride, it’s probably not a good idea to wear a delicate dress watch that is sensitive to shocks and bangs. In this case, you’d be better of with a sporty and robust timepiece that can withstand the challenges it will be put through.
What type of watch do you want?
This question ties in with the occasion and when you plan to wear your watch. There are many different styles of watches that are intended for different purposes. These watches are designed and built for specific purposes and will therefore be more appropriate in terms of style but also in performance for their respective usage areas.
Most people are particularly drawn to a specific type of watch and if you have already decided on the type of watch you want, it will make finding the perfect watch for you a lot easier.
Some of the most common types of watches are:
Dress watches
Dress watches are sleek, elegant, and often minimalistic timepieces that are intended for formal occasions. They are designed as pieces of jewelry that are meant to look elegant and complement your formal outfit. Dress watches often have poor water-resistance properties and are only meant to be worn on formal occasions where they are not subject to any real challenges such as water, extreme temperatures, or shocks and bangs.
Sports watches
Sports watches are sporty timepieces built for, you guessed it, sporty occasions. This can include a wide array of sports depending on the watch but all sports watches are built to last. They tend to have robust case constructions, at least a decent water resistance, and the ability to withstand shocks, bangs, and extreme temperatures.
Their designs are often eye-catching, and bold. And the watches tend to be robust and bulky.
Sports watches can be divided into many different sub-categories in turn. Sports watches is just a broad term to refer to any type of watch that is intended for a certain sport or professional field. Some of them include, for example, pilot watches, race watches, aviation watches, and so on. To some extent, this relates to the type of functions you want and need in a watch. This is something that we’ll discuss further on.
Everyday watches
Everyday watches tend to be a combination between sports watches and dress watches. They are formal enough to be worn with a suit and on formal occasions but they also tend to be sporty enough to work for any challenge that your everyday life may throw against you. They are not as fragile and sensitive as dress watches, but they are also not as sporty and robust as sports watches.
Their designs tend to be very versatile which therefore makes them possible to wear with virtually any outfit, both formal and casual.
Everyday watches, therefore, tend to be a great choice for those who only have one watch in their collection and want something that they can wear at all times, regardless of the occasion and their outfit.
Dive watches
Dive watches are a type of sports watch that is specifically intended for diving. Dive watches, therefore, have good water-resistant properties (often at least 200m/660 feet) and can be used for swimming and diving. Dive watches generally have very iconic and distinct designs, most often equipped with unidirectional rotating bezels with 60-minute graduation scales.
Define your budget
This is naturally one of the most important factors when looking for a luxury watch. Luxury watches vary a lot in price and so unless you define your budget, it will be difficult to know where to start. Different brands make watches in different price ranges so it can be good to get a better understanding of which brands that fit into your budget and which do not. Take a look at a few brands that particularly interest you and then see if your budget fits these brands. If not, you may need to look for other brands that your budget can afford.
By setting up a price range that you are willing to spend on your first luxury watch, it will become much easier to know where and how to look.
What functions do you need in a watch?
Elaborating on what we discussed above, one of the most important things to consider about a watch is naturally the functions and features that it has.
Timekeeping is the most obvious, but in addition to this, you want to ask yourself if you want any other function and feature in your watch. For example, do you want a date function? Do you want a chronograph? Do you want an annual calendar or an alarm watch?
There are a lot of different functions available in different watches so here, you really have a chance to narrow down your options and focus specifically on watches that have these functions.
If a date function is crucial for you, then any other watch that doesn’t have this will be excluded from your list of potential watches. If your requirement is a watch with both a chronograph function and a date function, then you should look only for watches that have these two functions.
Which size do you prefer?
This is a rather important thing to consider when choosing a watch. The size of the watch will play an important role in your comfort so you want to make sure that you choose a watch that wears comfortably on the wrist.
Most people solely look at the diameter of a watch (which is what most manufacturers use), but other things such as the thickness and the lug-to-lug measurements also play huge roles in affecting how the watch wears on the wrist. If you buy your first luxury watch and then soon after realize that it is not comfortable, you’ll likely stop wearing it.
It is therefore important that you try different watches on your wrist before you buy to get a better sense of what works and what doesn’t.
Moreover, the size of your watch will also depend on the type of look you are after. For example, you can expect a bold and sporty timepiece to be larger than a slim and elegant dress watch. They have two different purposes and therefore, their overall designs will be adapted for the different purposes.
Generally, the smallest size for men tends to be 34mm (which is on the lower end of the spectrum) and the largest watches can reach up to more than 50mm in diameter (although that requires a very large wrist). Most men’s watches tend to be between 36 and 44mm in diameter, depending on the type of watch, and the wearer’s wrist size.
Bear in mind that the size of a watch is also an important factor in how it looks on the wrist. For example, a dress watch should be discreet and elegant, not have a huge size that cannot even slide under a cuff. On the contrary, a sports watch should be slim and tiny. Instead, it should have some wrist presence.
Which type of movement do you want?
The movement of the watch, meaning, the engine that powers it, is an important thing to consider when buying a luxury watch.
When most people think about luxury watches, they think of fine mechanical movements made by skilled watchmakers who honor the fine art of watchmaking. Most luxury watch brands make watches with mechanical movements, predominantly automatic, but some brands also make quartz watches.
The key decision you need to make is if you want a quartz or mechanical watch. Since luxury watches are mainly associated with mechanical watches (and because most luxury brands focus on them), that’s what most people will choose. Mechanical watches are associated more with luxury due to the skill and expertise that is required to make them. It takes time and effort, and the mechanical watches are carefully assembled and in many cases decorated by hand. As such, mechanical watches are highly appreciated by watch enthusiasts and are regarded as beautiful pieces of art.
Quartz, on the other hand, does not have the same level of craftsmanship. That is not to say quartz is terrible. Quartz watches are more accurate and can also be more functional due to the possibility of incorporating lots of useful digital functions in a way that is not possible with mechanical watches. If you want a watch with a bunch of digital functions, then quartz (digital) is the only way to go. But if you appreciate fine watchmaking and want a watch that can last for generations, then a mechanical watch is the way to go.
Just know that in the luxury watch world, mechanical watches tend to be far more expensive than quartz due to the complexity of making them.
If you want to go the traditional route when buying a luxury watch, you should opt for a mechanical movement. Note that mechanical movements are what are most associated with luxury watches and a lot of people’s definition of a “luxury watch”.
Which material do you want?
Today, luxury watches are available in an endless selection of different materials. Stainless steel is the most common but in addition to this, you also have yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, bronze, ceramic, and many more.
All materials have their sets of pros and cons so there is really no right or wrong here.
Stainless steel tends to be the most affordable but a gold watch will appear much more luxurious. If you’re looking to buy a watch that feels as luxurious as it looks, then gold is definitely a material to consider.
Do some research about the available materials and decide which you like the most. Gold is a popular choice for luxury watches, but they are also priced accordingly. Expect to pay quite a hefty sum for a watch that is made in solid gold. But if your budget can afford it, a gold watch will definitely be something out of the ordinary that feels truly special on the wrist.
Bracelet and strap
The next thing you want to consider when buying a luxury watch is the bracelet. There is a large selection of different bracelets and straps to choose from on the market. At the same time, if you like to change between different strap types, you can always do so by buying a set of different straps that you can swap between.
As for a metal bracelet, it will be more difficult to swap between these so you want to consider if you really want a metal bracelet. Some watches are only sold with metal bracelets whilst others are sold either with metal bracelets or straps. Therefore, think about if you prefer a full metal bracelet or prefer softer straps like leather or NATO. The type of strap/bracelet you choose will affect both how the watch feels on the wrist but also how it looks. This is why it has gotten so popular to change between different straps to change the look of the watch.
Keep in mind that different straps and bracelets tend to work for different occasions so you want to make sure that your watch has a strap that is suitable for how you intend to use the watch. Naturally, if you’re going swimming, you should use a strap that is resistant to water. However, on formal occasions, leather straps tend to work best.
Water Resistance
Another thing you want to take into consideration is the water resistance of your luxury watch. Naturally, this ties into the type of watch and the purpose, but defining the type of water resistance you need in a watch will also help you better decide the type of watch that you need.
If you don’t have any intention of going swimming or diving with your watch, then you can disregard this point. But if you plan to go swimming, you will need a watch that has water resistance that is at least sufficient for swimming. Usually, this means a water resistance of between 50 to 100m. For more serious diving adventures, you should look for a watch with a water resistance of at least 200m.
With that said, consider if water resistance is important for you in a timepiece and choose a watch that reflects this.
Buying your first luxury watch – Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of things to think about and consider when buying a luxury watch. Buying your first luxury watch is often a big financial decision as luxury watches tend to be quite costly. With that said, your want to make sure that you make a decision that you’re happy with for a long time to come.
Just consider all of the points that we have discussed above and you’ll have a much easier time finding and choosing the perfect watch for your needs.
