Quality Men’s Watches: An Investment in Style
Many people believe that a jewelry store carries only products for women. You may be surprised to find that modern jewelry stores cater to gentlemen as well. When men want to accessorize their outfit, they will likely reach for a watch.
Quality watches that are designed to last several lifetimes can be found in modern jewelry stores. A watch represents much more than a mere timepiece. It serves as a fashion statement, a nod to historical engineering and an investment in a piece of men’s jewelry that can be passed down from one generation to another. Identifying a quality watch can be a challenge for those with little experience evaluating timepieces.
Here are three simple things that you can look for as you examine watches to find a high-quality timepiece in your price range in the future.
1. Look at the Movement
High-quality watches typically are not digital in nature. Instead, these accessories rely on the skill of a craftsman to create the movement responsible for keeping time. If you are trying to differentiate between a high-quality watch and a cheaper model, you should begin by looking at the movement.
There are two types of movements popular among watchmakers: the mechanical movement and the quartz movement. You can spot these movements by looking closely at the ticking motion of the second hand on the watch’s face.
If the second hand makes defined and individual ticks, then the watch has a quartz movement. If the second hand sweeps smoothly around the face of the timepiece, the watch has a mechanical movement. Watches with mechanical movements are considered more valuable, since these require a great deal of skill and precision to create. If you want to purchase a quality men’s watch as an investment piece to add to your wardrobe, look for a watch with a mechanical movement.
2. Consider the Accuracy
While the overall appearance of a watch is important, it is absolutely essential that the watch you invest in is capable of keeping accurate time.
Mechanical movements are powered by the precise actions of various gears and springs within the watch. Since these gears and springs move manually, they can lose a couple of seconds over the course of a day. To prevent a timepiece from becoming wildly inaccurate over the course of a few months, watchmakers often put their quality pieces through rigorous testing to determine their accuracy.
If you want to invest in a men’s watch that will remain valuable and accurate over time, look for a timepiece that has been tested by an official chronometer testing institute and has received an official certification of being relatively accurate from the recognized institute.
3. Look at Value Retention
When you are investing in a luxury watch, you want to ensure that your investment will retain its value over time.
Certain types of watches have established themselves in their men’s accessory market, and these watches remain as desirable by consumers when they become vintage pieces as they were when they were newly purchased. Be sure to look for a watch that carries an established brand name when purchasing a quality timepiece as an investment.
It can also be beneficial to consider purchasing a sport model from a reputable brand when trying to preserve the value of your watch for the future. These sport models were designed for a specific job or function, not a formal occasion. This design makes sport model watches a bit more casual, allowing them to appeal to a wider audience so they retain their desirability through the years.
If you are thinking of investing in a quality men’s watch, let the professionals at The Richter & Phillips Co. help you find the model with the right movement, accuracy and value retention.
