|
|
|
| Sunday, 11 December 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Magazine |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
On the time track
When will you be wearing it? What will you use it for -- work, going out, lounging around, playing sports? How do you feel about high-tech gadget watches? How much money do you want to spend? While you can conceivably get any style of watch for little money, certain watchmakers and brands command very high prices. I'm talking sports car high prices. Watch types and options. So you've decided on the situations in which you'll wear your watch and you've figured out the style you want for your wardrobe. Before heading out, take a look at the main types of wristwatches and some of their parts. Analog, digital or analog/digital An analog watch has a face that holds hour and minute hands, and either numbers, markers or Roman numerals that display a 12-hour day. It is considered the more formal, classic watch type, and is perfect for business, dates and formal events. Digital watches either have an LCD (liquid crystal display) or LED (light emitting diode) face that displays the time in numeric form (for example, 2:50). They're considered very casual. Analog/digital watches have both an analog and a digital face. They're utilitarian and can be worn to work and during your daily routine (though they're probably not a good bet for formal events). Battery, quartz or mechanical (hand-wound) Digital watches are powered by an ultra-small watch battery (the kind you usually see by the checkout counter in electronic stores). Quartz watches are analog timepieces that run on a tiny, vibrating, electrified quartz crystal. They keep extremely accurate time (within a minute each year). Mechanical watches are powered by a complex array of gears and springs. These watches can command a hefty price as a result of their superior craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the ancient art of hand-wound watchmaking remains imperfect. Mechanical watches lose about an hour a year and must be wound regularly. Find out about watch cases, crystals, band types, sports and gadget watches, and more... Case This is the watch's frame. When it comes to analog watches, the case can be round, rectangular, square, and sometimes even polygonal. The case finish can be shiny, matte, patterned, or inlaid with jewels and other crystals (although I can't recommend such a look -- unless pimpin' is your thing). For analog watches, the case is usually made of a metal -- steel, titanium, gold, silver, and platinum being the most common. Getting a watch with a case (and band) made from the latter three precious metals is going to cost you a pretty penny, but many watchmakers mix the precious metal with less-valuable alloys for a more affordable timepiece. Here are some common watch "Gold Marks" according to The Encyclopedia of Men's Clothes: 18K or 750 means the piece is about 75% pure gold. 14K or 585 means it's about 58% gold. 10K signifies it's about 42% gold. Watch crystal This transparent cover protects the watch face. It can be made from plexiglass, mineral (traditional) glass or synthetic sapphire -- an ultra-hard, clear, man-made crystal. Plexiglass is the cheapest of watch "crystals." It's the least likely to shatter, but the most likely to scratch. Mineral glass, on the other hand, is more likely to shatter, but less likely to scratch. Synthetic sapphire costs the most, but it's the most scratch resistant. Of course, there's a catch: synthetic sapphire breaks quite easily. Band type If you have an analog timepiece (whether quartz-powered or hand-wound), your watchband will either be made of leather (usually black or brown) or the same kind of metal used on the case. Digital watches, such as sports models and gadget watches, usually have plastic bands. Non-traditional watch types. Sports Sports watches are very sleek, very durable and made from high-quality plastic composites. The most common sports watch is the classic water-resistant diving watch. Nowadays, the market is packed to the gills with such timepieces. Sports watches can incorporate odometers, altimeters, compasses, GPS technology, blood pressure and pulse monitors, and a range of other gadgets for the guy leading an active lifestyle. Two good brands to look at are Nike and Timex. Both companies produce diverse, feature-laden lines that are relatively affordable and quite durable. Gadget Gadget watches are highly functional for the student, techie or engineer. They contain even more tech goodies (such as calculators, digital cameras or e-mail applications) than their loaded sports model cousins. Keep in mind, however, that gadget watches are conversation pieces that usually only attract the interest of other tech-savvy guys. They're usually not a good bet for picking up women! These days, the prototypical "gadget" watches are the Microsoft Smart Watch and the Fossil Wrist PDA. The proper fit and match Whatever its type, your watch should fit snugly (and not move up and down when you move your arms), without leaving an imprint on your wrist. Silver watches match best with blacks, grays, silvers, and blues, and ideally, you should wear them at night. Gold watches go with browns, beiges, tans, and other earth tones. They are best worn during the day. And, of course, digital watches (no matter how cool) go better with casual clothes or workout attire than with business suits or formal wear. Essential glossary Whether mechanical or electronic, watchmaking remains an exacting and highly complex science and art. There is a range of important industry words and definitions that may elude the average shopper. Taken directly from ProfessionalWatches.com, what follows is a glossary of 27 must-know watch terms. Aperture: Small opening in the dial that displays certain information such as date, day, month, or moon phase. Applique: Numerals or symbols cut out and stuck to the dial. ATM: A measurement of pressure called an atmosphere. An atmospheric measure is the amount of air pressure at sea level that a watch can withstand. (1ATM = 1BAR = 10m = 33.3ft). Automatic movement: Self-winding watch whose movement is mechanical. A weight (the rotor) turns by the motion of your arm and winds the mainspring. The energy generated by the movement is transferred into mechanical energy that creates the movement. These watches can be shaken or manually wound if the power reserve runs out. Bezel: The ring around the top of the crystal. Generally holds the glass or crystal in place. A rotating ratchet bezel moves in some watches as part of a complication. Rotating bezels either rotate clockwise, counterclockwise or both to assist in calculations. Caseback: Bottom of the watch that lies against your skin. Chronograph: Stopwatch function that uses sub dials to keep track of seconds, minutes and hours. Chronometer: A very precise watch that is tested for 15 days and nights at five different positions and temperature ranges. Complication: Any "function" added to a watch, such as a minute repeater, countdown timer, stopwatch, altimeter, asthometer, pulsometer, calendar, moon phase indicator, split second chronograph, power reserve indicator, or alarm. C.O.S.C.: Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres (Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute). They test watches for 15 days and nights at five different positions and temperature ranges. They either pass or fail the watch movement. If the watch passes, it is called a chronometer. Compiled by Chamitha Kuruppu |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
Even the best-dressed guys can get tripped
up when it comes to buying the right watch. Watches are complex, can be
expensive and there are a lot of them out there. So just what should you
know when shopping for one? Well, you can start by looking at your
wardrobe and your budget, and asking yourself a few questions. 
