Watches

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” — William Penn

Pondering about luxury watches checks both of those actions.

Types

• Quartz: battery powered
• Mechanical
  • Manual-wind
  • Automatic: winds itself through wrist movement

Components

• Case: the body of the watch, can be made of different materials
  • steel, ceramic, titanium, precious metals
• Dial:
  • indexes: the markers on the dial that indicate the time
  • hands: the rotating pointers
• Complications: any added features beyond telling the time.
• Crystal: the glass protecting the dial (sapphire, mineral)
• Bezel: The ring around the dial (can rotate for dive watches)
• Movement: the internal mechanism
• Lugs
• Crown
• strap/bracelet

Mechanical

When looking at mechanical watches, take into account the jewels. They’re sapphire or ruby pieces that are used to reduce the friction between the moving parts.

• Mechanical watches usually come in a standard of 17 jewels (fully jewelled)
• Some complications can lead to additional jewels used

Complications

• Day/date complication
• Chronograph: stopwatch functionality
• GMT / dual zone
• Moonphase
• Power reserve indicator
• Tourbillon

Styles

• Dress Watches – Minimalist, elegant, often thin
• Dive Watches – Water-resistant, robust, usually with rotating bezels
• Pilot Watches – Large, legible, often with GMT
• Field Watches – Rugged, military-inspired
• Chronographs – With stopwatch functions
• Luxury / Haute Horlogerie – Grand complications, hand-finished
• Bauhaus/Minimalist — Nomos

Notable brands

• Entry: Seiko, Casio, Citizen, Bulova
• Mid-tier: Tissot, Hamilton, Oris
• Luxury:
  • Entry: Longines, Nomos
  • Mid: Tudor (mid), Grand Seiko (upper-mid), Omega (upper-mid)
  • Upper: Rolex
• High end: Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin
  • These are prohibitively expensive TODO: research their histories, create pages for those that interest me

See also

Hodinkee: Watch 101

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Todo

🗓️ Week 1: The Fundamentals

Goal: Understand the basic types and anatomy of watches.

📖 Learn • Watch Types: Read about mechanical vs quartz vs automatic. → Hodinkee: A Beginner’s Guide • Parts of a Watch: Case, dial, crystal, movement, etc. → YouTube: Watchfinder - “What Makes a Watch Tick”

🎥 Watch • Teddy Baldassarre – “Watch Movements Explained” (~10 min) • Just One More Watch – Pick any affordable watch review to see real-world examples.

✅ Action • Identify 1 quartz watch and 1 automatic watch in your household or online. Try to find out what movement powers them.

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🗓️ Week 2: Movements & Categories

Goal: Dive deeper into what makes watches tick and their use cases.

📖 Learn • Watch Categories (Dress, Dive, Field, Pilot, Chronograph) → Teddy Baldassarre Blog – Watch Types Guide • Movements: Swiss vs Japanese, ETA, Seiko, Miyota, Sellita → YouTube: Watch Geek – Watch Movement Types Explained

🎥 Watch • Watchfinder – “Why Rolex is So Expensive” • Urban Gentry – “Top 10 Automatic Watches Under $500”

✅ Action • Pick one category you think fits you (e.g., field watch for ruggedness). • List 3 watches in that category that interest you.

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🗓️ Week 3: Brand Heritage & Buying Smart

Goal: Learn to identify respectable brands and how to buy watches wisely.

📖 Learn • Heritage Brands: Rolex, Omega, Seiko, Casio, Grand Seiko, Patek Philippe. → Hodinkee Brand Reviews • How to Buy: Gray market vs AD, warranties, resale value. → [YouTube: Teddy Baldassarre – “Where to Buy Watches in 2024”]

🎥 Watch • Watchfinder – “Why People Hate Invicta” • Chrono24 – “How to Spot a Fake Watch”

✅ Action • Visit a local watch store or authorized dealer and try on a few watches. • Get familiar with Chrono24 or Jomashop and browse current listings.

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🗓️ Week 4: Developing Taste & Long-Term Goals

Goal: Sharpen your preferences and plan your first or next watch.

📖 Learn • Watch Collecting Philosophy → Fratello Watches: Why We Collect Watches • What Makes a Watch Valuable: Materials, finishing, complications, rarity.

🎥 Watch • “A Man & His Watch” – Interviews with famous collectors (book/video summaries online). • Teddy Baldassarre – “Watches Worth the Hype vs Not Worth It”

✅ Action • Create a wishlist or spreadsheet: • Brand / Model • Movement • Price • Category • Why it interests you