5 THINGS THAT DETERMINE THE BEST QUALITY WATCHES
Watch Studio Lovers, do you often find yourselves confused when trying to choose a high-quality watch that suits you? Indeed, everyone has their own taste. However, there are a few things you can consider when buying a watch to ensure that the watch you purchase matches your style and remains high-quality. Here are 5 things you need to consider to get the best quality watch that is right for you.
- Watch Material
For luxury watches, platinum, gold, and even titanium are often used as the base material for the watch case, in addition to steel and bronze. Some watch manufacturers even create their own special materials. Various luxury watch brands blend different materials to give their watches high durability and scratch resistance. Therefore, this needs to be considered further when choosing a watch that suits you.
Furthermore, for watches that use stainless steel, there are several types of stainless steel you need to be aware of. Quality watches typically use 316L or 904L stainless steel. If you find 304L stainless steel, which is usually found in cheaper watches, this type is more prone to corrosion and appears darker compared to 316L or 904L due to its carbon content. As a result, watches with 304L stainless steel tend not to be as durable or as strong as other types of stainless steel.
- Watch Movement
The watch movement is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of finding a quality watch, serving as the heart of your timepiece. Quartz watches are commonly found in watches at lower price points. However, this doesn't mean their quality is poor or that they lack appeal. Quartz watches have a distinctive "tick" in the second hand compared to the smooth sweep of other movement types. This gives quartz watches their own dedicated following.
For luxury watches, the movements are usually handcrafted or hand-finished and polished. Lower quality watch movements typically lack the same beveling, Côtes de Geneve, or Guilloché polishing.
- Watch Accuracy
High-quality watches are designed to have an accuracy of +6 / -4 seconds per day. Each brand typically sends its watches to undergo chronometer certification (COSC), where their watch movements will pass various tests according to COSC standards for 10 days. Therefore, ensure that the watch you intend to buy has passed COSC testing to get a watch with high quality and accuracy.
- Watch Weight
In the past, watch weight was often used as a way to identify quality watches. The heavier the watch, the higher its quality and luxury. However, that is no longer the sole determinant. If the materials used in making the watch are platinum or gold, the watch will naturally feel heavier than stainless steel and titanium. If the watch you choose has a high level of movement complexity, more components are used, which will also affect the watch's weight.
Today, many watch manufacturers, especially luxury watch brands, are innovating to lighten the weight of watches, such as using silicon in the watch movement or using micro-rotors to reduce the weight of the winding mechanism. The bottom line is that weight is no longer the primary criterion for choosing a quality watch, as luxury watches are now competing to create lightweight timepieces for their users. So, ensure that the weight aligns with other important qualities such as material, movement type, accuracy, and others to find a quality watch that suits you.
- Strap Material
There are many types of straps for various watches. This time, we will highlight the leather strap type. When choosing a leather strap, full grain is the highest quality with very high durability. Top grain is also a quality leather strap option, although it is more prone to showing imperfections after repeated use. Genuine leather is a lower quality leather strap that is easily altered and not as strong as other leather straps. There is also imitation leather made of plastic, then embossed to give a more exotic effect.
Quality watches typically use full grain or top grain leather straps. For luxury watches, even exotic leather types are often used, such as crocodile, ostrich, and various other exotic leather materials. In addition to the raw material for the leather strap that needs attention, the quality of the strap's stitching also needs to be considered. We want a strap with smooth stitching, consistent stitch spacing, consistent thread color, and a neat finishing. Lower quality watches usually have stitching that is not smooth or neat, and the stitch ends appear rough and frayed.
Now you know how to identify quality watches that are right for you. However, if you are still confused, you can buy watches at reputable watch stores for guaranteed high watch quality, such as Watch Studio Indonesia. There, our sales associates will help you find the most suitable watch for your needs. Alternatively, you can check out our watch recommendations for various watches with excellent quality.