Guide to Buying Watches Online – How to Get What You Expect!

Find the time to choose the perfect watch

It’s easy to sort out all the watches you see online into those that you like the look of, and those that you don’t. However, watches are precision instruments and have to stand up to quite a bit of abuse. How do you know that the watches you buy online will live up to your expectations? Today we check out how you can be assured of getting what you expect when buying watches online.

Anatomy of a Watch

There are specialist names for each part of a watch. Here are the definitions for some of the more confusing or obscure terms:

Bezel: An area outside the face which secures the crystal to the rest of the watch. The bezel may be able to rotate.

Case: May refer to the box the entire watch comes in, or the metal part encasing the bezel, face, hands etc.

Crown: A knob in the middle of the watch face

Dial: Also known as the face – the area incorporating the hands and the base underneath them

Subdial: Smaller date or timer dials set into the main dial

Water Resistance in Watches

Water resistance ratings are perhaps the most commonly misunderstood (and sometimes misrepresented) aspects of watches. Watches with water resistance ratings as low as 200m are often called dive watches (although they are really only suitable for diving down to the bottom of a 1.5m pool), and you’ll find 0m water resistant watches sold that are barely suitable to get sweaty in. Here’s a practical guide to watches’ depth ratings:

  • 0m water resistant: Suitable for dress purposes only, keep climate controlled
  • 50m water resistant:Suitable for sweaty weather, and will withstand accidental splashing. Not suitable for doing the dishes.
  • 100m water resistant:Suitable for doing the dishes, lap swimming and surface snorkelling
  • 200m water resistant:Suitable for free diving without scuba gear
  • 300m water resistant:A true diver’s watch, these are less common and much more expensive.

Watch Band Sizing

The standard band sizing for men’s watches online is around 18cm. The band length does not include the watch face, so if you want to test how a particular model will fit at home before buying the watch online, find out the length of the case. Add this to your estimated band length, cut a piece of paper and sticky tape it around your wrist to help estimate the length of band you’ll need.

Remember that if you find a watch design you love, but the band won’t fit you properly, it is possible to buy many different designs of standalone band.

Watch Warranties

Warranties on your watch are invariably provided by the manufacturer, not the jeweller selling them. Any warranty less than 2 years is below industry standard, while 5 years is quite a generous warranty. rd, while 5 years is quite a generous warranty.



Source by Mia Cusack

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