Watch Features/Complications That You NEED To Have
What's a feature on a watch that you need to have? It can be a simple feature, or something like an entire complication. Obviously, the ability to check the time comes first, but what's the next most important feature?
For me, I need to have a date on the watch for me to actually wear it every day. I've got a few without date windows, and I don't find myself gravitating towards them. While having the time is my #1 needed feature, I use the date window when writing checks, signing documents, and just generally knowing what day it is.
Pictured is an old Omega Seamaster Quartz that I wore for a while. It's been the only "dress" watch that I wore for an extended period of time, and that date window certainly played a big part into it.
Hi there! I'm a writer in the outdoor world, and watches have been a recent passion of mine. I'm someone with a fairly small collection, so expect to see a lot of the same watches in my posts.
Beautiful watch! I want to get one for the empty dress watch spot in my case. Big fan of brown leather on the gold dial.
Beautiful watch! I want to get one for the empty dress watch spot in my case. Big fan of brown leather on the gold dial.
Thanks! I ended up passing it on to a friend who will/has worn it more than I did. At 6mm thin, it wore like a dream.
I wore it in places that didn't make sense (the gym, out in the field), but I really loved it. It was the second watch I personally bought myself, after the venerable Casio F91W. I'm not too sentimental, so letting it go was fine by me. These are pretty reasonable if you want one ($250-$400), so I'd recommend one if you want a gold, very classy dress watch.
That Omega is a great gift for your friend.😎🌟
Having a seconds hand is important for me. Preferably a central seconds.
I like looking at my watches and a one or two hander would be too static for me.
For me 200m + Date, Chrono or time bezel or GMT
We're almost "twinning" with vintage quartz Omegas.
My Seamaster has a thicker 1342 movement, but still wears like a dream. I didn't pay much for mine at all.
We're almost "twinning" with vintage quartz Omegas.
My Seamaster has a thicker 1342 movement, but still wears like a dream. I didn't pay much for mine at all.
Looks great, and like you mentioned, they don’t command an insane price. Thanks for commenting!
That Omega is a great gift for your friend.😎🌟
Having a seconds hand is important for me. Preferably a central seconds.
I like looking at my watches and a one or two hander would be too static for me.
Y’know, I didn’t think in such basic functions. You’re right, I don’t own any secondhand-less watches, and need that function too. Thanks for commenting!
For me Time and date is a must for the same reason you mentioned. Minimum 50m water resistance. Decent legibility (some skeleton dials or dials that are too busy makes it hard to read the time). A seconds hand is also important but just for my OC purposes i guess-it's nice to be able to tell right away that my watch is running.
Nice to have additions:
Hacking
Luminesence
Screw down crown
For me a date complication is "a must". Also I love my GMT complication as I travel abroad. I love your Omega, its from the 70's? I own an Omega De Ville from 1969. Cheers!
Date, day of week, comfort on wrist, and legibility. Those are key for everyday practical wear. Sadly, my vintage Omega Seamaster 30 does not have the date or day, but I will wear it for love anyway. ❤
Water Resistance. Hated taking my watch off at the pool, and more died dropping to tiles I reckon. And in general, if I have to urgently wash my hands, or the dishes, I don’t want to possibly kill a watch. 50m at a minimum, but all should really be 100 by now.
I like hacking but that’s not really a complication. I would prefer no-date on just about everything but I do enjoy a GMT.
The only need is time. I generally don't need a date or a day.
If I need a watch to tell me the day or a date, I've been off work for faaaar too long.
I like watches with no date. I use to change my watch everyday, only few times I keep it two or three days on a row. When I change my watch the new one is quite often stopped. Having to wind it and set the time is enough work, if I don’t have to check the date the better. Also, if I’m doing that half asleep I could forget about the period of time when you can break the date mechanism, and I could change the date when I shouldn’t. I also like clean dials with no date.
But, I use to try to check the date at the watch a few times during the day, and miss it when it’s not there.
So it’s a love-hate relationship.
Furthermore, I like GMT, and they need to come with date.
It also has to be a date function for me too!
I find a seconds hand nearly essential, if only for peace of mind. Chronographs are fun, but not a daily necessity for me. I truly value accurate time keeping.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt if it’s also well-featured in the aesthetics department.
This will be wildly unpopular for some, but I love a date window. 3 o clock or 6 o clock and I’m in. 4 o clock and you lose me. 🤣
This will be wildly unpopular for some, but I love a date window. 3 o clock or 6 o clock and I’m in. 4 o clock and you lose me. 🤣
I’m right there with you. I love a 3 or 6 position, never liked 4 or 4:30.
I won't exactly say this is a NEED, but for my quartz watches I'm starting to greatly prefer atomic timekeeping/signal syncronization. Most of my quartz watches are from Citizen (all of them are Eco-Drive), büt I've noticed thät after I bought my first radio-syncing watch it was something thät I wanted again änd again.
My point of view is thät quartz comprises än important sub-group of my collection, änd if I want them äs "set & forget" pieces, then I might äs well have them ready with atomic accuracy ät any time. The automatics are special pieces which I will wear for one day or several days ät a time, büt the Eco-Drive ones should be self-sufficient. Also, how cool is it thät the tech you can wear has the best precision available for timekeeping in a globalized 21st-century? Our ancestors could not fantasize of such richness of feature, yet for us it is an unobserved commonplace. C'est la vie actuel
🤷🏻♂️
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Äs än excellent bonus feature, it seems thät almost all radio-syncing Eco-Drive movements from Citizen have both:
perpetual calendar
multiple time zones
All of this keeps me even more satisfied with my collection.
I don't think that there is anything 'must have' for me, but anything with less than 100m wr needs to seriously justify its place in my watch box in other ways.