A Guide to Watches

A watch doesn’t have to be diamond-encrusted or have a fully handmade movement like a Patek Philippe to be fabulous and heirloom-worthy.

• a watch is men’s jewelry – it says who you are and who you aspire to be
• know what you’re looking at….
• water resistant– you can shower with it but avoid swimming; it’s resistant not waterproof
• quartz– powered by a battery and more accurate than other movements
• complication– anything beyond timekeeping like calendar
• movement– all the itsy, bitsy stuff that makes up the inner workings of the watch
• mechanical– keeps time from a wound spring and loses over one day of time across a given year
• a leather watch is the most classic and a white face goes with everything
• because a watch is an extension of your personality and style, generally speaking use the watch face to add a bit of “you” into the equation
• the three watches pictured above are timeless: Bulova ($150), Seiko ($165), Timex ($50)
• the Cartier Tank watch is the ultimate in classic – it’s elegant, says power, and is timeless
• sports watches are great if you’re a runner – otherwise, go sporty without all the complications
• oversized face says “look at me” and the elegance of your watch should say that alone
• all that glitters isn’t gold
• gold-plated– this is what you find just about everywhere and once the plating is gone, metal is all you’ve got
• 18K gold– the Patek Philippe is $40K+!
• rose gold– copper is added to the gold to make pink, and it’s a bit feminine
• white gold– nice and it’s hard to distinguish silver, platinum and white gold
• Edward Faber, owner of New York vintage retailer Aaron Faber Gallery, says vintage means watches made between 1935-1985 and says you should
• stick with a reputable dealer
• do your homework
• top two brands: Patek Philippe and Rolex
• papers (it adds to the value of your timepiece)
• nicer watches require maintenance
• complete overhaul– it’s nice but not totally necessary every three to five years; costs about $400; the Swiss take two to four months, Americans take one to two months; replacing parts means it will look better but you don’t see anyone repainting the Mona Lisa do you?! Replacing parts means you’ll be de-valueing it a bit….