school me on watches

[285Roadrunner]

is there any difference in how they operate or is it solely reliant on where the parts were produced?

also, like cars im assuming watches have parts that are built by other firms. so does rolex make all of its parts or contracts out and assembles?

Not really in my opinion....others may disagrees. Swiss set the standard for nice timepieces but the Japanese aint bad either. Most watches today are one or the other. The biggest difference between watches really is automatic movement vs quartz movement vs mechanical movement....

 

[chucklenut]

Most of my research before I bought leaned toward Swiss Made and/or Swiss Movement for quality. I have 2 Invicta watches that look just like the Rolex on your wrist but are self winding automatics and priced between $65-$90. Most people seeing it on your wrist would assume it's a Rolex so it's got the looks but at a cost that won't make you cry if you scratch it or even worse, LOSE IT. I also bough a lot of different ones because of the finish like gun metal for instance that you don't see a lot. Others I bought because of the bands. I have alligator, ostrich, leather, rubber, etc..... .

invicta huh? im going to look into them

 

[285Roadrunner]

Also, one manufacture might make two of the same watches (one Japanese, one Swiss) the difference being about 200 - 300 in price...

 

[chucklenut]

Also, one manufacture might make two of the same watches (one Japanese, one Swiss) the difference being about 200 - 300 in price...

so what is the difference in movement?

i see japanese quartz, eco-drive, etc?

 

[jimmythegem]

If I'm dropping hundreds on something its gonna be another weapon.
Maybe Glock could come out with a time piece on top of the slide or bottom of a mag.

 

[285Roadrunner]

so what is the difference in movement?

i see japanese quartz, eco-drive, etc?

Abridged version: How they actually function....THe movement of a watch is like the engine of a car....Some watches operate off the motion of your wrist and are therfore self winding,,,....others are quartz, which has a battery that provides current through a crystal that ocilates and drives a motor.....Basically, there is a lot to it. You can read about them all day...Quartz is probably the most accurate, though...

 

[baxterday]

I have a few invicta watches, some quartz and automatic. The automatic's generally use a Seiko mechanical movement of about 23 plus jewels. I love the watch, people always ask when I got a new rolex. I just let them think what they want. I have a really expensive Omega sea master chrono, I love the watch and it keeps good time. I've only had to have it serviced once after wearing it for 10 years. Rolex are nice, but the manufacturer closely guards retail sales of them and keeps the prices high. This of course means good resale value and sometimes an appreciation of value. Truth be told, there are a lot of much better watches out there for much less money.

 

[GAGunguy]

C-Nut.

Watches basically come in two completely different types.

One type is powered by a spring. The other runs on electricity (battery, solar)

Before WWI all watches were wind up watches, and most men carried a pocket watch. In 1928 Rolex invented a counterweight that wound the mainspring of the watch, which was and to this day still is mechanical. These types of watches are usually referred to as having "swiss movements."

In 1957 Hamilton invented the first Electric watch, the Hamilton Ventura. Elvis wore one, so did a lot of celebs in the day. Hamilton was one of the longest running US companies and made watches for the railroad and US Govt for our service men. The Hamilton name was purchased by the Swatch Group, and they still make nice watches.

In 1963 Seiko invented the quartz watch. When you apply an electric current to quartz it vibrates in a very accurate way, and this "quartz movement" is what all battery (solar) powered watches are based on today.

You can buy a lower end "swiss movement" watch - Hamiltons are very nice, and I own a few of them. They have a nice swiss movement that Swatch produces in Europe for a long list of more expensive mechanical watches, so you are getting high end internals in an entry level watch. Most of the designer watches with swiss movements are most likely from Swatch, just rebranded. You can spend more money, you can buy a Rolex, or an Omega (also recommend Omegas), but they will all need to be either worn on a regular basis or left in a winder. If you leave your mechanical watch for too long the mainspring will lose energy and the watch will stop. So you will need to wind it up, which is a pain in the ass.

The good news about mechanical movement watches is that collectors only buy these types of watches. They completely disregard battery powered watches like Movado. If you resell your Movado, the jeweler will put it on the scale and give you what the gold is worth, not what the watch is worth. Stay away from high end quartz movement watches, they do not hold their value.

I like Hamiltons because of their US History. They make a replica of the Ventura in both quartz and swiss movements. The swiss version is in the $500 range and a really neat watch. Some versions have open backs so you can see their gears working.

If you want to step it up a notch, check out Omega's. They claim to have a better gearing, and a more accurate mainspring gear vs a Rolex. If you put it to your ear you can hear it, so it makes spotting a fake Omega easy if you know the sound. Spotting a fake Rolex is harder and you need to have a dealer open it up and confirm its real.

Most high end watches are Swiss and rare watches fetch 6 and 7 figures.

If I won the lottery, I would buy a Rolex Yatchmaster in Platnium ($40k)

And a ulysse-Nardin, most of their stuff is six figures.

http://www.ulysse-nardin.com/en/swi...leton_Tourbillon_Manufacture/1706-129_BQ.html

 

[jimmythegem]

A lot of strange watches out der. With this one I'd be asking, "hey man what time you got?"

 

[baxterday]

C-Nut.

Watches basically come in two completely different types.

One type is powered by a spring. The other runs on electricity (battery, solar)

Before WWI all watches were wind up watches, and most men carried a pocket watch. In 1928 Rolex invented a counterweight that wound the mainspring of the watch, which was and to this day still is mechanical. These types of watches are usually referred to as having "swiss movements."

In 1957 Hamilton invented the first Electric watch, the Hamilton Ventura. Elvis wore one, so did a lot of celebs in the day. Hamilton was one of the longest running US companies and made watches for the railroad and US Govt for our service men. The Hamilton name was purchased by the Swatch Group, and they still make nice watches.

In 1963 Seiko invented the quartz watch. When you apply an electric current to quartz it vibrates in a very accurate way, and this "quartz movement" is what all battery (solar) powered watches are based on today.

You can buy a lower end "swiss movement" watch - Hamiltons are very nice, and I own a few of them. They have a nice swiss movement that Swatch produces in Europe for a long list of more expensive mechanical watches, so you are getting high end internals in an entry level watch. Most of the designer watches with swiss movements are most likely from Swatch, just rebranded. You can spend more money, you can buy a Rolex, or an Omega (also recommend Omegas), but they will all need to be either worn on a regular basis or left in a winder. If you leave your mechanical watch for too long the mainspring will lose energy and the watch will stop. So you will need to wind it up, which is a pain in the ass.

The good news about mechanical movement watches is that collectors only buy these types of watches. They completely disregard battery powered watches like Movado. If you resell your Movado, the jeweler will put it on the scale and give you what the gold is worth, not what the watch is worth. Stay away from high end quartz movement watches, they do not hold their value.

I like Hamiltons because of their US History. They make a replica of the Ventura in both quartz and swiss movements. The swiss version is in the $500 range and a really neat watch. Some versions have open backs so you can see their gears working.

If you want to step it up a notch, check out Omega's. They claim to have a better gearing, and a more accurate mainspring gear vs a Rolex. If you put it to your ear you can hear it, so it makes spotting a fake Omega easy if you know the sound. Spotting a fake Rolex is harder and you need to have a dealer open it up and confirm its real.

Most high end watches are Swiss and rare watches fetch 6 and 7 figures.

If I won the lottery, I would buy a Rolex Yatchmaster in Platnium ($40k)

And a ulysse-Nardin, most of their stuff is six figures.

http://www.ulysse-nardin.com/en/swi...leton_Tourbillon_Manufacture/1706-129_BQ.html

Excellent response, I also like the final two watches you mention as lottery purchases, I'd probably do the same. I might ad a gold Omega Seamaster as well.