When it comes to wedding shopping, brides are more enthusiastic; but what about the groom? His shopping is important too; after all, it is also his special day. And along with the shopping of his dress, shoes, ring and other accessories, his wristwatch is important. Even the best-dressed man can get daunted while buying the perfect watch. Men’s watches are multifaceted and there are lots of best watch brands out there to choose from. So, you have a lot to consider and a wide choice too.
At the start of the shopping for your wristwatch, look at your wardrobe and your budget, and ask yourself a few questions:
- Will you wear the watch only on your big day or even after that?
- What do you feel about high-tech watches?
- How much are you willing to spend on the watch?
Types of Watches
Let’s see some major types of men’s watches.
Analog – An analog watch features a face holding hour and minute hands, and numbers, Roman numerals or markers displaying a 12-hour day. This is a more classic, formal type of watch and is perfect for dates, formal events and business.
Digital – The face of a digital watch is either LED (light Emitting Diode) or LCD (Light Crystal Display) displaying time in form of numbers, e.g. 12:50. These watches are considered very casual.
Analog/Digital – Analog/digital watches feature both types of faces, i.e. analog and digital. They are like all-purpose and can be worn on work or for daily use, but are not a good bet for formal occasions.
Watch Power Types
Battery – Digital watches run on an ultra-small battery.
Quartz – Quartz watches are analog and are powered by a small, electrified, vibrating quartz crystal. They show extremely precise time.
Mechanical – Mechanically operated watches run on a complicated collection of springs and gears. Because of their superior craftsmanship, they are highly priced; but unfortunately the ancient skill of making hand-wound watches remains flawed. These watches lose around an hour a year and need to be wound regularly.
Case Types
The frame of the watch is called case. For analog watches, the case can be of many shapes like round, square, rectangular or even polygonal. Its finish can be matte, shiny, patterned or studded with jewels etc. The material is usually metal, like titanium, steel, silver, gold or platinum. Those made of the last three usually cost a pretty penny; however, you can have some best watches at affordable price, because many watchmakers combine these precious metals with less precious alloys to give the watch an elegant look. Some common “Gold Marks” for watches as per The Encyclopedia of Men’s Clothes are as follows:
750 or 18K – 75% gold
585 or 14K – 58% gold
10K – 42% gold
Watch Crystal
Watch crystal is the transparent cover of the watch that protects its face. The materials used to make it are mineral glass (traditional), plexiglass or synthetic sapphire (an extra-hard, clear, artificial crystal).
Mineral Glass – Mineral glass is least prone to scratches, but the most breakable.
Plexiglass – This is the cheapest among “crystals”. Unlike mineral glass, it is the least breakable, but the most prone to scratches.
Synthetic Sapphire – This is the most expensive among “crystals” but is the most scratch-proof. However, there is a catch here. Synthetic sapphire breaks pretty easily.
Band Types
Analog watches, whether hand-wound or quartz-powered, have either a leather-band or a band made of the same metal as that of the case, whereas digital watches have generally plastic bands.
Modern Types of Watches
Sports – A sports watch is extremely sleek, durable and is made of high-quality plastic composites. The commonest sports watch is the waterproof diving watch. A sports watch can incorporate altimeters, odometers, GPS technology, compasses, pulse and blood pressure monitors and a variety of other gadgets for a guy with a highly active lifestyle.
Gadget – Gadget watches are very useful for students, techies and engineers. They are even more loaded with tech goodies (like digital cameras, calculator and email applications) than their sports model siblings. However, you have to keep in mind that a gadget watch may not be a good bet for attracting your dear lady, because it is a conversation piece which usually attracts only other techies.
A good way to choose the perfect watch is to go through watch reviews and buy accordingly.
Fitting and Matching
Whichever type of watch you choose, it should fit on your wrist snugly and should not move up or down your arm.
If your dress is black, silver, blue or gray, a silver watch will be its best match, while if the dress is brown, tan, beige, etc, gold watch is the best.
