What to look out for when buying a watch?

Hello fellow crunchers,

I’m pretty new to the watch game and I was wondering how you guys can spot if a watch is a good pick.

Imagine you loose all of your knowledge brands and can only focus on the watches themselves. So you can’t say: „I would go with an … because they make good watches“. What would be points which you would look out for when choosing one.

And this is about your choice, what would you do.

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Simple answer is you can't. Some brands produce trash while others make great shit constantly. And their official specs could be exactly the same. And the reviews online are often misleading or inaccurate to some degree.

So step one is to find brands you trust or look through brands you already trust.

For example ones that are known to make high quality stuff that lasts a long time. Or whatever it is you're looking for. Some people look for very high accuracy in the dial so it looks perfect.

For example Seiko recently are known to have some issues with misaligned parts on the dial. Not the worst ever but it's not always perfect. And some of their models can break easily.

But after that step two is to find the features you want. Or just something you find beautiful.

And try it. Just be aware you might hate the first few. There can be fit issues or comfort issues. For example I look for lightweight watches that have a flat back. I really hate raised bumps on the back (again a lot of seikos have this which I only learned when I bought a Seiko.)

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I'll give you a good starting point.

Casio and Citizen are mostly very affordable and are insanely reliable.

Try one and see what you like and what you hate.

A few tips:

Quartz is tougher, lighter, cheaper, more accurate and more convenient. I'd start with that.

Check the lug to lug (total height) and see if it's not larger than your wrist. It's okay if it overhangs a bit though because the strap is there.

Always choose ones with standard strap connections. Often the metal isn't a good fit.

Fluorine rubber straps are great. But avoid leather as it's a very cruel industry and often it's cats and dogs from China.

And try wearing the watch loose as well. That can be more comfortable on some watches if they don't have parts that poke you.

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Two of my faves.

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Knowing what I know now, I would get the highest quality watch I could afford, and it would be a daily wear. That could mean dress or tool, so it doesn’t eliminate any particular style, but I would be searching out a black or white dial in a stainless steel case from a BRAND THST IS KNOWN FOR QUALITY.

I would get one with 20 mm lugs on bracelet for easy strap change, but make sure not to skimp on comfort. Some watches feel great on the wrist. Others don’t quite fit.

Make sure the case size is proportional to your wrist and watch out for long lugs…the longer the lugs, the smaller you need to go on case size.

Finishing, crown movement, bezel or pusher action are all under rated quality aspects.

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You’d have to try it on for yourself and make the subjective evaluation.

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CitizenKale

I'll give you a good starting point.

Casio and Citizen are mostly very affordable and are insanely reliable.

Try one and see what you like and what you hate.

A few tips:

Quartz is tougher, lighter, cheaper, more accurate and more convenient. I'd start with that.

Check the lug to lug (total height) and see if it's not larger than your wrist. It's okay if it overhangs a bit though because the strap is there.

Always choose ones with standard strap connections. Often the metal isn't a good fit.

Fluorine rubber straps are great. But avoid leather as it's a very cruel industry and often it's cats and dogs from China.

And try wearing the watch loose as well. That can be more comfortable on some watches if they don't have parts that poke you.

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I’m sorry, but what model is the last one 😂

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marvinjeffreynl

I’m sorry, but what model is the last one 😂

I don't remember but I posted about it a few days ago with the model numbers of this one and a few similar ones. So check my profile and you'll see it.

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CitizenKale

I don't remember but I posted about it a few days ago with the model numbers of this one and a few similar ones. So check my profile and you'll see it.

Found it. MTP-M305D-1AVDF.