The watch industry is a very different beast to that of fashion. The watch world is incredibly traditional – where fashion brands embraced online retail with gusto several years ago, many of the world’s major watch marques are still extraordinarily resistant to selling their wares online.

A wristwatch is the one accessory that not only serves a specific purpose, but also stands the test of time. You won’t look at photos of yourself twenty years from now and say, “Oh man, how embarrassing, I can’t believe I’m wearing a watch in this photo!”

A little something about your options before you make a purchase.

Tips On Matching Watches With Clothes:

1. Match The Formality Of Your Watch With The Formality Of Your Outfit
2. Leather Complements Leather
3. Metal Complements Metal
4. Heirloom Watches Bend The Rules
5. When In Doubt Match Your Watch To Your Shoes

WATCH MOVEMENT

Watch movements can be quartz or mechanical, and mechanic movements can be further broken down into manual and automatic.

Quartz

If you’re like most average Joes, the watch on your wrist right now is probably a quartz watch. There’s a reason for that. Quartz watches are incredibly accurate and very affordable.

Pros of Quartz Watches:

• Accurate time. Quartz is by far the most accurate of all the movements. Will never lose or add seconds throughout the day.
• Less maintenance. Besides changing the battery every year or so, there’s little maintenance you have to perform on a quartz movement watch.
• Durable. Because they have few moving parts, a quartz watch can “take a licking and keep on ticking.” It’s not as susceptible to the Four Horsemen of the Watch Apocalypse. If you’re in a job that requires a lot of rough and dirty work, you might want to consider a quartz movement watch for everyday wear.
• Affordable. You can get quartz watches for as cheap as a few bucks. Though nicer looking ones can cost into the hundreds of dollars, they’re almost always cheaper than mechanical and automatic varieties.

Watch Categories:

The recent developments in wearable technology has allowed watchmakers to make nifty gadgets that are far advanced than simple timepieces. You can make calls, track your GPS co-ordinates and check your calendar through gadget watches.

Leaving exclusive gadget watches out of the equation, there are five categories of watches that most men own…

Dress Watches – A watch with a plain white face and no complications and a black leather band is as formal as it gets. The most formal dress watch are the ones that only show hours, minutes, seconds and maybe the date. Complications in dress watches are simpler and not related to sport.

Diver’s watches – Also referred to as a diving watch, these were originally worn as work/tool watches. Designed for underwater diving, these watches feature a minimum water resistance up to 100 meters.

Don’t be inspired by James Bond movies and wear a divers watch with a suit. That’s the equivalent of wearing a suit with work boots.

Chrono / Sports Watches – Not a true dress watch, but can be quite dressy especially in the higher brands. Sports watches are durable, sleek and made from high-quality plastic composites.