The world of watch collecting can be a hazy one. It is said that you can tell a lot about a man by what is on his wrist, and with the choice of men's watches only expanding, it’s tough to tell what makes the most sense for you. This fashion tips will provide you with a fundamental understanding of watch terminology, the four different categories of watches (and when to wear them), the differences between collecting vintage and new watches, and, of course, where to find them. In essence, what we're going to teach you is how to start a watch collection.
watch basics
The first step in starting your watch collection is being able to keep up in a watch conversation. Here are the parts of every watch you must be aware of.Watch terminology
Crown: A small metal protrusion from the watch’s case, typically found at the three o’clock mark, which is used to wind the watch as well as set the time.
Dial: Commonly referred to as the face, the dial sits inside the watchcase and acts as the main focal point of the watch. The watch’s name, hour markers and depth rating are typically printed or applied directly to the dial.
Bezel: Most bezels reside on the outside of the case and circle the dial of the watch. The purpose of this metal gauge is to allow the wearer to read elapsed time quickly, and many watches feature no bezel or one located inside the crystal.
Movement: The mechanical device that powers the watch, the movement consists of a winding mechanism, a balance wheel, mainspring, and escapement. These combine to create power and then accurately release it to push the hands of the watch around the face.
Case: The case is the the watch housing and is often made of stainless steel; although, gold, platinum and titanium are also used.
Watch complications
Chronograph: A chronograph allows the watch to display elapsed time, in addition to the time of day, in an organized manner. This includes a second hand that may be started and stopped at will as well as sub-dials to make for easy viewing. A prime example of a chronograph is the Tag Heuer Carrera, originally used to time professional races on the F1 circuit.
Power reserve: A power reserve is a visual indication of how much power remains in the watch’s movement. These are very useful in manually wound watches, as no rotor exists to automatically wind the movement. Many watches now have power reserve displays, but Panerai's Luminor 150 is perhaps one of the best examples.
GMT: Named after the global time zone scale, a GMT complication is now known as a tool that displays a second time zone or a 24-hour scale on a mechanical wristwatch. The GMT watch was invented by Rolex in the 1950s when Pan American Airlines needed a watch for its international pilots. The Rolex GMT still sets the bar to this day, but there are many othet GMT options out there.
watch categories
The next step in starting a watch collection involves assessing your needs. There are few
watches that can be worn for any occasion, so you must be aware of the four major watch categories (and when to wear each); otherwise, you may end up wearing a rubber strap with a tuxedo -- and God knows that’s not right.Dress watch: A dress watch is typically very thin, uncomplicated and on a leather strap. This is the type of watch you wear to formal events like weddings, and even on job interviews. This watch is not to be worn with jeans and a T-shirt. A good example of a dress watch is the new Piajet Altiplano.
Sport watch: While the line is getting blurrier each year, a sport watch is typically rather chunky, features either a metal or rubber strap, and often features one or more complications; chronographs are very popular in this category. While some sport watches may be worn with a suit during the day, it’s best to not play with fire and keep the sport watches for your casual outfits. A typical sport watch looks like this IWC Aquatimer, which is a diving watch with a chronograph.
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