There
are many things to consider before purchasing a new or antique
watch. Will you wear it while doing yard work or just for dressy
occasions? What are you looking for–accuracy, beauty, charm,
antique value? Do you need a watch with larger numerals? Do you
work in an office or outdoors? Do you want a less expensive watch
or one you can hand down to your grandchildren?
If you prefer accuracy, an
inexpensive battery-operated quartz watch will keep better time
than an expensive mechanical watch.
A stainless steel case will hold up much
longer than an electroplated one with a stainless steel backplate.
And although a titanium watch is durable, you may find it much
harder and costly to get it repaired since all titanium parts are
only available through your watch’s manufacturer.
The
watch band shouldn’t be special to the
case or part of the case. A band that’s special to the case can
only be replaced by ordering one through the manufacturer which
can cost more. If your watch is more than seven years old, a
replacement band may not be available. A band that’s part of the
case must be repaired if it’s broken. Often this isn’t
possible. The case should have lugs, so that if the
original band is broken or worn out, it may be replaced with any
band of the correct lug size.
The watch crystal–the glass over the
dial–is less expensive to replace if it’s round and flat.
Though mineral glass is the most common crystal used, more
expensive watches use sapphire crystals which are tougher and
scratch resistant but cost twice as much. Crystals that come to
the very edge of the watch case break easier and when the battery
needs to be changed, present a challenge to the repair person.
The crown–the part used to adjust the
hands–in novelty and vintage watches usually doesn’t have a gasket or any
type of seal. Therefore most inexpensive or novelty watches aren’t
dust or waterproof. This is also true of most antique pocket
watches and antique ladies’ mechanical watches. This doesn’t
mean you shouldn’t buy them, but that you need to be aware of
this and not wear them in a wet or dirty
