But mechanical watches, by their very nature, are often inaccurate (when there is no movement, such as your arm swinging, mechanical watches stop and require winding). In fact, a quartz watch (a simpler and less expensive movement, which uses a battery that sends electric currents to a small quartz crystal to ensure timing accuracy) is much more accurate than a mechanical watch, but is sold at a lower cost.

Quartz watches are cheaper because they are not perceived as “sophisticated” by connoisseurs. But who cares? At least they are reliable and accurate. If you are set on mechanical movement, know that most popular mechanical watches that are manufactured nowadays use automatic movement, which means they wind themselves thanks to the movement of the wearer.

Without getting too technical, I recommend you check out the offerings of Swiss watchmakers for a “good” watch. They are made with the highest standards in the world. With the consolidation that is occurring in the industry, most well-known brands are owned by a small group of companies. This means you can get the same level of craftsmanship of a higher priced watch by buying its lower priced cousin in the company product line.

For example, if you can’t afford a Movado, you can buy its less expensive counterpart by Esquire (it is made by the same company, but since Movado is the more prestigious brand, it carries a premium price). In fact, I would say that a $250 Esquire men’s wristwatch offers the quality of a watch priced at $1,000 or more. Similarly, you can purchase a Tissot (a trademark of the Swatch Group) at a much lower price than an Omega (also a Swatch Group brand) without compromising much quality.

Men’s wristwatch

Acrylic crystal is an inexpensive plastic that does not prevent scratches, but allows scratches to be buffed out.

Mineral crystal is glass, which is composed of several elements that aid in resisting scratches (it is seven times harder than acrylic crystal). It is generally found on more expensive watches.

Sapphire crystal is the cover of choice for premium watches. It is the most expensive type of crystal and is three times harder than mineral crystal. It is made of an extremely durable synthetic material that makes it shatterproof and scratch resistant (not scratchproof). Some have a non-reflective film to prevent glare.

Men’s Wristwatch

A Swiss movement is defined as a movement that was assembled in Switzerland (by a Swiss-based manufacturer), and whose Swiss movement parts constitute 50% or more of a movement’s total value. Movements that meet this requirement will carry a stamp (on the watch’s face or back of the case) with the words “Swiss,” “Swiss Made,” “Swiss Quartz,” “Suisse,” “Produit Suisse” or “Fabrique en Suisse.” The former three are the most popular in North America.

If your wristwatch says “Swiss Movement,” it means that the inside parts of the watch are Swiss, but that the case is not, therefore it cannot carry the other stamps. If the case is Swiss, but the movement is not, it will say “Swiss Case.”

Some other tidbits: If your watch has a “T” on its face, it means it has tritium , the greenish-white substance on the hands and numbers that glows in the dark. If the face has the letter “O,” it means that the hourly markings on the dial are made of gold.

Men’s wristwatch

Most premium men’s wristwatches (and all luxury watches) have a serial number. A very important component, it identifies your watch and is one way of ensuring that your purchase is legitimate. All authorized dealers of premium watches have access to a database from their respective watch manufacturers, listing all the serial numbers of all their watches. If you spend a good amount of money on a timepiece, you should make sure that your watch is the real deal by contacting the manufacturer or visiting an authorized shop that can look up the serial number of any potential purchase.

Men’s wristwatch

A chronometer’s mechanical movement is close to perfection, so the time it displays is almost always accurate (unlike other self-winding or automatic watches), and therefore carries a premium price over non-chronometer watches. The 15 days of rigorous tests conducted by the COSC include testing its performance under different temperatures, different positions, and even under water.

A chronograph designation is often confused with a chronometer one, though they are completely different. A chronograph is basically a watch with stopwatch capabilities. It displays different counters or mechanisms for measuring elapsed time. Counters can register seconds, minutes and hours. This gives its owner the ability to time anything he wants.

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Before you decide which watch to get, it is helpful to understand some of the common types of watches available here at Men’s Wristwatches.

All watches can be separated very broadly into two categories: mechanical watches and quartz watches.

Mechanical Watches

Mechanical watches include both automatic-wind and manual-wind. They consist of parts with no electronic components.  Energy is stored in the mainspring and is slowly released through the gear trains.  The energy is eventually transmitted to the escapement mechanism responsible for time regulation.

Automatic Watches

This type of watch is wound by the wrist movement of the wearer.  An automatic watch is self winding and does not require a battery.  It’s important to note that automatic watches will stop if not worn for an extended period of time (some as little as a couple days).

Manual Watches

These watches are similar in the sense that they don’t need a battery.  However the wearer must wind it manually.  A Mechanical watch is generally the most expensive of the three because it consists of many more parts and requires more time and expertise to assemble.

Quartz Watches

This type of watch is powered by a  battery and does not require manual winding.  They get their name from the quartz crystal in the watch.  The energy from a small battery in the watch causes the quartz crystal to vibrate.  A small computer chip then translates the vibrations into pulses, that drive a stepping motor, and causes the gears to move and make the hands turn.

Chronograph Watches

Chronographs have a built in stop watch function.  The watches generally have 2-3 sub dials displaying the minute, hour, and seconds.  Although most people don’t use the chronograph features, in some cases these watches look more stylish and sophisticated.  And that’s what we want here at Men’s Wristwatch!