Watch-Buying Guide - Part 1

By: Alex Muniz

Even the best-dressed men can get tripped up when it comes to buying the right watch. Men's watches are complex, can be expensive and there are a lot of them out there. So just what should you know when shopping for one? Well, you can start by looking at your wardrobe and your budget, and asking yourself a few questions.

General Questions:

• When will you be wearing it?
• What will you use it for -- work, going out, lounging around, playing sports?
• How do you feel about high-tech gadget watches?
• How much money do you want to spend? While you can conceivably get any style of watch for little money, certain watchmakers and brands command very high prices.

WATCH TYPES AND OPTIONS

So you've decided on the situations in which you'll wear your watch and you've figured out the style you want for your wardrobe. Before heading out, take a look at the main types of wristwatches and some of their parts.

Analog, digital or analog/digital

An analog watch has a face that holds hour and minute hands, and either numbers, markers or Roman numerals that display a 12-hour day. It is considered the more formal, classic watch type, and is perfect for business, dates and formal events.

Digital watches either have an LCD (liquid crystal display) or LED (light emitting diode) face that displays the time in numeric form (for example, 2:50). They're considered very casual.

Analog/digital watches have both an analog and a digital face. They're utilitarian and can be worn to work and during your daily routine (though they're probably not a good bet for formal events).

Battery, quartz or mechanical (hand-wound)

Digital watches are powered by an ultra-small watch battery (the kind you usually see by the checkout counter in electronic stores).

Quartz watches are analog timepieces that run on a tiny, vibrating, electrified quartz crystal. They keep extremely accurate time (within a minute each year).

Mechanical watches are powered by a complex array of gears and springs. These watches can command a hefty price as a result of their superior craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the ancient art of hand-wound watchmaking remains imperfect. Mechanical watches lose about an hour a year and must be wound regularly.

Find out about watch cases, crystals, band types, sports, and gadget watches, and more in Part 2.

Article Source: AskMen.com