What makes a watch "Great"

Since the prime function of a watch is to tell the time, the first test of a good watch is its accuracy and the length of time it can maintain that.  In this regard, quartz watches are paramount, with an accuracy that is never less than a few seconds a month and an ability to maintain that almost indefinitely.  The solar powered models take their energy from the sun and do not even need their batteries replaced.

Mechanical watches, even the very best hand-built models, rarely achieve an accuracy to rival the performance of quartz.  But a good mechanical automatic with tourbillion, which compensates for the effect of gravity, will give a precision adequate for the average owner, and some with perpetual calendar are programmed as far ahead as the year 2100.  Most, too, have a power reserve of more than 40 hours, which means that over 24 hours, the rate of going of the watch will be absolutely constant.

The next factor is appearance.  Much attention is paid to the design and finish of dials, which in a good watch are often gold or silver, delicately engraved, and with applique numbers or batons in 18 karat gold and hands made of matching material.  the dial should blend harmoniously with the case.

Cases may be of precious metal- gold in various colors, pink, rose, yellow or white, and usually 18 karat which is harder than the best quality 24 karat.  Platinum is popular; silver is occasionally used.  Employing precious metal considerably affects the price of the watch; the case and bracelet, if that too is in precious metal, usually cost far more than even the most intricate handmade movements.

Stainless steel is becoming more popular now that case makers are learning to apply different finishes, such as brushed, or satin finish, often alternating this with a high polish.

Bi-color cases--- those using steel and gold in combination---are proving attractive, especially in ladies models.  It should be noted that in Britain it is illegal to describe a bicolor watch as "gold" and steel; it has to be called "yellow metal" unless it is gold, when it will be hallmarked and the jeweler may describe it verbally as gold.  

Finally the most reliable hall mark of a good watch is the name.  The best watches are known the world over.  They are guaranteed, sometimes up to five years, and often provide an international list of service agents.    And they will be sold in a reputable jeweler's shop or the jewelry department of a reputable store.  Go to a reliable   jeweler or store, pick a well-known brand, and insist on a guarantee and a receipt that clearly states the quality of the precious metal, the brand name, and any special features.  Review the warranty at the time of purchase and ask questions.   Learn all you can prior to your purchase and make an informed choice.

Don't forget, good watches are never sold in bars, in garage sales, in flea markets,  or from "friends of friends" in the trade.

What makes a Great Watch so expensive?

In a cheap and cheerful plastic quartz watch that just tells the time, there are anything from 50 to 100 parts produced automatically and assembled robotically.  It is rugged and dependable, and will give you good service.   But every additional feature adds to the cost.  A date? A day date?  The movement requires more parts and the assembly takes a little longer.  A water-protected case, a glare-proof sapphire crystal- they all add up.

Then there are the mechanical watches, the ones usually collected by connoisseurs.  Remember, Swatch is one of the few quartz watches that are collectors pieces and then only in special editions.   There are more parts to start with in a mechanical watch and they are rather more delicate.  Things like a balance wheel have to be poised, the balance spring adjusted, the torque of the mainspring checked.  Add a rotor to make it automatic, a train of gears for the calendar work, and you are starting to get quite a collection of tiny bits and pieces which have to be assembled mainly by hand, even with the aid of jigs and other mechanical devices.   Now look at what are know as Complications.  A Patek Phillippe model can consist of over 1,000 parts.  It takes a skilled watchmaker anything from nine months to two years to assemble, it undergoes innumerable tests of each subassembly along the way, long before the movement is complete and ready to be put in its case.

If, for instance, the case if an 18 karat gold Rolex Oyster (or platinum or stainless steel)  it requires over 100 operations to turn a solid block of gold into a perfectly finished case.  It then takes a further 35 operations to make and fit the famous Oyster waterproof crown. 

After the movement is put into the case, further tests have to be completed to make sure it is protected from dust and water and shocks.  That can take over a week.   In the case of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master series, it takes 1,000 hours- or roughly three weeks.  And it is a chronometer, it has to be sent to the official Swiss testing authority (COSC) for a further 15 days of tests before it can obtain its certificate, just a piece of paper to the new owner, but a guarantee of performance that had to be earned.

Add up all those hours of skilled work, the cost of the raw ingredients- the ingot of gold, the block of steel to make the case- and you can see why good watches are expensive.  And we haven't even looked at the Diamond studded ones! 

Watches as Status Symbols:

A watch is one of the few pieces of jewelry worn by both men and women.  It can tell the observer a lot about the owner.  Many people regard the watch as a purely functional piece of equipment.  They need to know the time- to catch trains or aircraft, to attend meetings, even just to watch a favorite television show.  Since nothing in our daily lives ever goes to within a half a minute of its advertised time, extreme accuracy is irrelevant however.  What is needed, though, of course, is reliability-- if possible year in, year out.