How To Spot A Quality Watch

Not all watches are created equal. A watch is an extension of personal style and everyone’s tastes are different. There is no bad watch, but there are features that make a quality watch and there are things to consider when purchasing your next timepiece.

What Determines A Quality Watch: Characteristics to Look For

The most important factor when deciding on a quality watch is staying away from the black market, or fakes. Not only are these products illegal, by purchasing one you contribute to the continuation of poor working conditions, child labor and the stealing of intellectual property from the brand.

Now that we got that out of the way, what makes a quality watch? Here are our top considerations when identifying watch quality:

1. Case Material – Proprietary materials and luxury metals can often add to a watch’s value.
2. Movement – How is the movement finished? What type of movement is it?
3. Accuracy –  Certification testing, and how much time is acceptable to gain or lose?
4. Weight – Does weight still mean a watch is better?
5. Strap Material – Different luxury strap materials can add to a watch’s value.

1. Material of the Watch

Luxury case materials such as platinum, gold or even titanium are found in watches alongside steel and bronze. Some watch manufacturers create their own proprietary materials such as the Hublot King Gold or Rolex Everose. Other luxury brands combine materials to create a new alloy adding strength and scratch resistance. Learn more about the proprietary materials Rolex creates.

For brands using stainless steel, there are different levels of the metal that can be used. Higher quality watch brands use 316L or 904L. There is also 304 steel, which is commonly found in inexpensive watches. The 304 is more prone to corrosion and also appears darker than 316L and 904L because of the carbon content. Rolex is well known to use 904L steel, boasting a high resistance to corrosion. It is also a more difficult steel alloy to manipulate.

When looking at precious metals, higher quality brands will use solid metals instead of plating steel.

2. Movement of the Watch

Moving inside the watch, the movement is another important factor to consider when looking at a quality luxury watch. Quartz watches are quite common in less expensive watches, but being quartz doesn’t make a watch any less desirable or quality. The quartz movement will provide the “ticking” of the seconds hand rather than a smooth sweeping seconds. Luxury brands like Breitling, Grand Seiko and even F.P. Journe all have quartz in their collection.

When looking at a mechanical movement, luxury brands will submit the movement for COSC certification. Learn more about the difference between mechanical watches in our latest guide.

Higher quality watch movements are also going to typically be hand-made or hand finished and polished. There are some movements that are mass produced still featuring high quality finishing. Lower quality movements will not typically feature the same beveling, Côtes de Geneve, or Guilloché polishing. This master finishing can be seen through exhibition casebacks on models from A. Lange and Sohne and Patek Philippe. Grand Seiko produces their own style of high polish, Zaratsu, designed to remove distortion for a mirror polish.

4. Accuracy of the Watch

OmegaWatches.com/masterchronometer

High quality watches are designed to have an accuracy of +6 / -4 seconds per day. Brands will submit their watches for chronometer certification (COSC) where the movement is tested to these standards over 10 days. Omega takes this a step further and has their Master chronometer Certification (METAS) testing their watches in 8 tests over 10 days ensuring precision in addition to the normal COSC testing.

5. Weight of the Watch

The weight of a watch used to equate to it being a quality watch or a luxury watch. This isn’t the case any more. While it’s true, you want the watch to feel right in your hands, heavier doesn’t always mean better. The material used will affect how heavy a watch feels. Platinum and gold are going to be much heavier on the wrist than steel or titanium.

The different complications and movement may also change how a watch feels on the wrist. The more complicated a watch, the more material and components are found in the movement and ultimately add more weight. Luxury watch brands have been combating this by using innovative materials such as silicon in the movement, or using micro-rotors to reduce the weight of the winding mechanism.

Brands such as Bulgari, F.P. Journe and Richard Mille make extremely light weight watches. Bulgari does this by using titanium paired with an ultra thin watch, the Octo Finissimo, as pictured above. F.P. Journe uses titanium and aluminum to create light weight watches in the Linesport collection. Richard Mille has created one of the lightest watches, the RM-27-01, weighing just 18.83 grams. This comes from using a titanium case, titanium-lithium alloy movement and skeletonizing the movement as much as possible, all while withstanding rigorous conditions when being worn by professional athletes.

6. Materials Used In The Strap

There are many different types of materials used in straps, leather, alligator, ostrich, rubber, not including the different metals used in bracelets typically matching case materials. When looking at a leather strap “full grain” is the highest quality, using the most durable part of the hide. “Top grain” is another quality leather, although it may be more prone to showing imperfections. “Genuine leather” is lower quality and typically loses shape easily and is not as strong as the others. There is also faux-leather which is made from a plastic base. Leathers can also be embossed to give the appearance of an exotic material.

Luxury brands will also use exotic materials in their straps, such as alligator, ostrich, shark or even stingray. There are of course, different levels of quality within each of these materials as well.

In looking at the strap, the stitching is important to pay close attention to. You want something that is even and smooth, and all the same color. Lower quality stitching can have slight variations within the color of the stitch or the ending can appear rough or stringy rather than a smooth finishing.

Now that you know some of the basics in looking for a quality watch, what are some of the best and affordable watches? Well that comes down to what you’re looking for and what your definition of affordable means. Read about some of our favorite watches under $5,000 or what makes a good dive watch. Still unsure? Browse our extensive collection of mechanical watches from the top luxury watch brands.