Watches

Mechanical Wristwatch Buying Guide

General Description

The focus of this buying guide is a primer on purchasing a quality mechanical wristwatch that will last you for the rest of your life. While both quartz watches? and atomic watches? can offer both accuracy and durability within the same of realm of performance, the history of the mechanical wristwatch gives the piece a certain intangible gravity that cannot be replicated in more recent methods of watchmaking. The craftsmanship that goes into the creation of the mechanical watch lends a strong note of artistry and elegance to the watch. Its precision and longevity make it an ideal choice for the last watch you will ever need to buy.

History and Recent Developments

The wristwatch was first popularized by french jeweler Louis Cartier in the early 1900s. Cartier created the timepiece for a friend who was an aviator and needed an effective method of telling time while flying a plane. With the onset of World War I, demand for Cartier's wristwatch increased, as soldiers found the method more useful than the pocket watch for telling time on the battlefield. After WWI, the wristwatch became fashionable both in Europe and the United States.

Key Features

The watch that will give you the most satisfaction in terms of craftsmanship is the purely mechanical watch, the best of which feature the most precise mechanical engineering known to humanity. Key features to look for include an extended warranty, a long power reserve (how long it can go without winding), a sapphire crystal (important, very hard to scratch), official US repair centers for the watch, .

The superior craftsmanship of a purely mechanical watch comes with a price (see General Pricing below), and new mechanical watches from reputable brands (see Major Brands below) are often prohibitively expensive. Fortunately, purchasing used watches is a common practice among luxury watch buyers looking for a bargain. Since better luxury watches are built to last for several decades, the purchase of a well-maintained used watch can be an intelligent buying option.

Watch Message Boards

When approaching the purchase of a used watch, find an online watch community that you like and trust, and do some research (see External Links below). On message boards you will find a helpful community that can answer questions for you and point you toward reputable sellers. Many message boards also have seller ratings, which will give you a better sense of how to ensure you are buying from a trustworthy seller. Message boards will generally also have archives full of information about how to spot fake replicas and how to avoid being sold something inauthentic.

Beware of Fake Watches

Spotting a fake watch is, like with any other enthusiast's collectibles market, a learned process. When considering buying a watch, ask for specific details about the piece, including when and where it was originally purchased, and for how much. Also ask to see pictures of the serial number, images of the manual, and detailed images of any damage to the watch.

Servicing Your Watch

Once purchased, it is important to figure out whether the watch needs to be serviced. If purchased from a reputable seller, you will often receive information about how many owners the watch has had, as well its history of servicing. A watch manual will inform you about how often it needs to be serviced, and contacting the manufacturer (or even the manufacturer's website) will often yield the same information. Beware that servicing can often cost hundreds of dollars and should be done only when necessary.

Major Brands

The majority of quality mechanical watches come from Switzerland, Japan, German, and the United States. Quality Swiss brands include Rolex, TAG Heuer, Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, IWC, Audemars Piguet, and Minerva; quality Japanese brands include Grand Seiko; quality German brands include Stowa, Nomos, Sinn, Dornblueth, A. Lange & Sohne, and Glashutte Original; quality American brands include Hamilton and RGM.

While Rolex towers above other brands as the most recognizable luxury watch brand in the world, potential buyers of Rolex watches--particularly a used watch--involves should pay particular attention to variety of quality Rolex replica available. (Fake Rolex watches are more predominant because of the generally higher price of an authentic Rolex watch.)

General Pricing

High quality purely mechanical wristwatches generally approach at least $1000, and more expensive Rolex watches are often priced at more than $100,000. Authenticated, quality used watches can be found for considerably cheaper, including priced as low as several hundred dollars.

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