By Leia Sharma
It can be daunting to step into the world of luxury watches. When spending a few thousand dollars or more, it’s important to make a well-informed choice in order to pick the perfect watch for your needs. In this guide, you’ll find out why luxury watches are a better choice than cheap ones, what parts make up a luxury watch, and which brands and styles to look out for.
Why choose luxury
When it comes to pricing, even the lowest-end watch starts at $5,000. So what makes a watch so expensive? Firstly, several watches take a very long time to make: one or two days for the bottom range, and up to weeks or months for the most expensive models. Secondly, fine timepieces are known for their superior accuracy. And thirdly, luxury timepieces are often made with precious metals, such as gold, diamonds, and mother-of-pearl, which also hikes up the price.
So when buying a luxury timepiece, you are often investing in a hand-crafted watch with a detailed mechanism and made of stunning precious materials. A watch like this makes for a good investment as well, since the secondhand market for resale can be quite lucrative, especially for rare, detailed watches.
The watch parts
A luxury watch is made up of a band, bezel, case, crystal, crown, and movement. Bands come in leather, stainless steel, or metal. The watch is settled within the case which is surrounded by the bezel, and the crown is used to wind the watch or adjust the time. The crystal, or front of the watch, is often made of a high-quality, scratch-proof material, such as sapphire. The movement is either automatic, manual, or quartz. Automatic watches do not require manual winding; they are powered by kinetic energy. Manual watches need to be wound by twisting the crown, usually once a day. Quartz watches are powered with a battery; however, despite being more accurate, they are cheaper than their mechanical counterparts.
Brands and styles
Brands to look out for include Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Breitling, TAG Heuer, Hublot and Chopard. Popular styles include the diving watch, such as the Rolex Submariner or Omega Seamaster. Pick this style if you are looking for a water resistant timepiece, or if you want to wear the same watch that James Bond wore. Aviator watches were originally developed for pilots: they can convey large amounts of information, and are often composed of black dials with luminous numerals, in case they need to be used in the dark.
Driving watches, such as the Omega Speedmaster, include a stopwatch and tachymeter on the side as extra buttons. The tachymeter can calculate time and distance, which is useful to racers calculating their speed. If you don’t need a sports watch and would rather something that can take you from business to formal wear, pick a dress watch. They are simple and jewelry-like, often made of precious metals and gems, since their sole function is for telling the time.
Whichever watch you choose, a luxury watch makes a fantastic investment. It makes a statement on your wrist, sees you through a range of occasions, and can be handed down through the generations as well.