Watch Features
Does YOUR watch have complications?
No worries, complications in this sense are a GOOD thing.
From stopwatch-like chronograph to a display of moon phases to a calendar window. Below are some of the most popular complications found in today’s watches.
Calendar
One of the most ubiquitous complications, calendar watches include a small window showing the date, typically placed on the dial at 3 o’clock. You’ll also find some date watches that include the day of the week in a separate window. Most calendars count out to 31, requiring you to manually reset the date on those months that don’t have 31 days.
Some date watches have smarter calendar complications. An annual calendar can run for a full year without resetting until you get to March (as February’s 28 or 29 days throws it off). But you won’t have to worry about resetting the date for a long time with a perpetual calendar watch, programmed to automatically adjust for the varying lengths of months as well as leap years to the year 2100.
Chronograph
Another popular complication in today’s watches is the chronograph, which enables you to use your watch as a stopwatch to time specific events as well as multiple laps. To start timing, you’ll press one of the pushers on the side of the watch case. Depending on the watch, you may press that pusher or a second one to stop the timing. Chronographs have two or three smaller subdials (also called totalizers or registers) placed on the dial face that display the seconds, minutes, and hours. Quartz chronographs can measure events down to 1/10 of a second, while their automatic counterparts can get as accurate as 1/5 of a second. In addition to timing your exercise, chronographs can be paired with a tachymeter scale (placed around the outside of the dial or on the rim of the bezel) to determine the average speed covered over a specified distance.
Shop Chronograph Watches
Moon Phase Indicator
More of an ornamental complication, lunar phase watches depict the illuminated portion of the moon as seen on Earth via an illustrated disc that rotates beneath the dial. Once set, the indicator will rotate completely once every 29 days, 12 hours, and 44 minutes.
Shop Moon Phase Watches
Dual Time Zone and World Time
If you do a lot of traveling, a dual time zone watch (also called a GMT watch) can be handy as it will show you the current time where you are as well as the time in a second time zone. This is done either via an extra hand, twin subdials, or a 24-hour scale placed on the dial. If you need to keep track of business time on several continents, a world time watch typically displays 24 city names placed on the dial or bezel to represent each individual time zone. You can read the hour in a particular time zone by looking at the scale set next to the city that the hour hand is pointing to.
Shop Dual Time Watches
Multifunction
This is a generic term for a non-chronograph watch that displays information such as month, day, and date in two or three subdials.
Shop Multifunction Watches
Choosing a Watch Style
Choosing Your Style
More than just something you wrap around your wrist to help keep you punctual, a watch can help punctuate your personal style, as well. The first thing to ask yourself is, when and how will I be wearing this watch? In the end, a watch is a reflection of you and your lifestyle, just like the clothes you wear or the car you drive.
The watch that you select should be appropriate for the activities for which you intend to use it. If your primary purpose is athletic, you might consider watches that are shock-proof. If you will be using the watch for work and play, do you need water-resistance, and if so, to what degree? If you will be using the watch for swimming and diving, you might want to consider a watch that has a screw-down crown or a plastic strap.
You’ll also want to consider how much you want to spend on a timepiece. The $50 to $200 range brings durability as well as accuracy and stylistic flourishes. You’ll find some models sporting chronographs and other multifunction complications, as well as some with gold-plated stainless steel cases and bracelets. In the $200 to $500 range, style gets ramped up, often with more sophisticated movements, diamond accents, or solid gold cases and bracelets.
When shopping for a timepiece, whatever the price or style, the brand name can play an important part in determining the right watch for you. Brand choice can be very subjective and will vary from person to person. Ultimately, it comes down to how you perceive a brand and what it represents, as well as what speaks to your sensibilities – high style or horological history, modern or traditional, collectible or affordable.
Casual Watches |
|
| Choose a casual watch that fits your personality and lifestyle. Think about the colors you wear the most and try to match them to the watch.
The watch face should be comfortable and easy to read. Look for watch features such as a seconds hand or date window that are useful to you. Choose a comfortable band material. Keep in mind that leather is typically lighter weight with a closer fit, but is not water-resistant. A metal bracelet is usually heavier, water-resistant, and more durable. A rubber band typically has a casual look and is water-resistant. See casual watches from: |
|
Sport Watches |
|
|
Look for a sport watch that is easy to read, such as a digital watch. The case of the watch is typically larger to house the timer, alarm, and other features found in sport watches.
Choose a water-resistance level appropriate for your needs. For instance, scuba divers should look for a minimum rating of 200 meters. On analog watches, look for a rotating bezel to aid in timing specific events. For serious runners and bikers, a digital watch provides a wider range of timing features. Watch band material should be based on personal preference and type of sport. The most popular material for sport watches is plastic or rubber. See sport watches from: |
|
Luxury Watches |
|
| With high-end luxury watches from Cartier, Omega, Movado, and TAG Heuer, you’re paying for the finest materials, expert craftsmanship, and exclusivity (fewer numbers are manufactured for individual models). A fine watch is a wonderful heirloom to pass down from one generation to the next.
Consider one with automatic movement and a skeletonized dial or exhibition caseback which display the craftsmanship of the watchmaker. While fine watches are made all over the world today, Swiss watches still enjoy the highest reputation due to the wealth of knowledge and infrastructure built up in the Swiss watch industry over centuries. Keep in mind that a watch can only be given the coveted Swiss Made label if its movement is made, assembled, and inspected in Switzerland. A watch may have Swiss movement if the automatic movement was made in Switzerland and the watch was subsequently assembled elsewhere. See luxury watches from: |
|
Shock Resistance Standards
The International Organization for Standardization issued a standard for shock resistant watches, which many countries have adopted. ISO 1413 Horology—Shock-resistant watches specifies the minimum requirements and describes the corresponding method of test. It is intended to allow homologation tests rather than the individual control of all watches of a production of a production batch. It is based on the simulation of the shock received by a watch on falling accidentally from a height of 1 m on to a horizontal hardwood surface.
In practice shock resistance is generally tested by applying two shocks (one on the 9 o’clock side, and one to the crystal and perpendicular to the face). The shock is usually delivered by a hard plastic hammer mounted as a pendulum, so as to deliver a measured amount of energy, specifically, a 3 kg hammer with an impact velocity of 4.43 m/s. The watch must keep its accuracy to +/- 60 seconds/day as measured before the test.
Read more about shock resistance on Wikipedia.