Growing up, your elders probably told you that a watch's purpose was to tell time. That seems very reasonable; I mean, that is what the thing does and, after all. But only then, when you grow up and learn a thing or two about money and your position in the societal hierarchy that you begin to glean some things about watches. For example, why would someone pay high prices for some of the most popular men's watches brand names out there?
The short-long of it is that the least important thing a watch does is to tell time. That only might sound counterintuitive to you if you never stopped to think, just why is that there are timepieces that cost tens of thousands and more. If the goal of buying a watch was to tell time, would it not be better to leave that task up to your phone? Which, by the way, does not need any kind of winding.
No, the watches are much more than just a gadget; it is an accessory that showcases your style, refined taste, and even social status to bystanders. The fact that there are some watches that are worth well over ten thousand times more than others proves how much of importance someplace in this accessory.
However, do you really need to spend untold amounts of money to rock a stunning timepiece that matches your personal style? As we are about to learn, that is not the case. In fact, you can even find watches that match the particular style of the most popular men's watches brand by ten thousand times less the money.
But before we go into that, let's first see just what is it that makes popular men's watches so popular, to begin with.
What Makes a Great Watch?
As we have clearly established, telling time is basically a secondary function of the watch these days. Rather, watches are now entirely an accessory meant to complement your looks. There's one watch for every occasion, and to match every single outfit you can think of.
Some of them have price tags that could match houses; some of them are as affordable as your monthly phone bill with low data tops. For both sides of the spectrum, there is a set of things you need to be on the lookout for when trying to identify a good watch. Here are those:
The Watch's Design
When it comes down to it, the watch is, as repeatedly told before in this article, an accessory that is on par with jewelry at this point. That being the case, you can bet that just like no one in their right mind would like to go out wearing ugly jewelry, so people prefer great-looking watches.
This is the point that really makes the sell when it comes to watches today. Your smartphone already made watches pretty much redundant at this point regarding their core function. Thus, if you are going to wear a watch, you would want for it to really stand out so that it is worth wearing it.
Now when it comes to the type of design itself, it is all, of course, subjective. There are untold numbers of different aesthetic combinations out there. Throwback watches, retro-inspired with a modern spin, intricate high-end designs featuring extra functions, etc.
Thus, you are not short on choices when it comes to selecting one (or several) watches; there's one for every taste and one for every outfit. Now, before you choose one that simply looks good at first glance, it would be best to know a bit about its movement and material.
The Watch's Movement
Back in the day, like, in the really long ago and until not later than 1969, all watches were entirely mechanical. Said classical models work around a spring, aptly called the mainspring, constantly kept under tension via manual winding.
The mainspring is able to channel that same tension to a complex arrangement of gears that make up much of the watch's interior, setting them in motion. The ultimate result of tens and tens of tiny little gear turning in the inside of your watch it's for it to periodically move the mechanical hands located on its face. This is what the device to actually keep track of time.
Now, mechanical devices are not, in fact, very good at telling time with precision. They are often off by tens of seconds even when wound and veer off further in minutes if not wound periodically. The reason for this is that the mainspring gradually loses tension over time, leaving the gears to slow down their movement. It doesn't help either that friction between the gears tends to increase over time, needing further maintenance. This is not a problem with quartz-powered models.
Since 1969, manufacturers embraced quartz watches. The quartz itself it's a crystal capable of generating an electrical current when under mechanical stress. The addition of the crystal transformed the formerly entirely mechanical watches into electronic devices by mounting the crystal in an oscillator.
By generating an electrical pulse, the quartz oscillator is able to keep the watch moving without featuring nearly as many parts as mechanicals. That last part also eliminates the need for manually winding it.
The reason why this is important comes down to the occasion. Many quartz watches are best for casual wear, while mechanical fare better in formal attire. Keep in mind their composition too.
The Watch's Material
What a watch is made of is also relevant for more than just determining if it would withstand some rough play. The most common material for watches is stainless steel due to its durability. Yet, there are some made mostly from more extravagant metals alloys like gold or titanium.
However, the most relevant material from a watch's aesthetical perspective would be that of its strap. Back in the old days, leather was the thing that held a watch strapped to your wrist. Now, leather does indeed look fine as a material, yet, leather very easily deteriorates when exposed to the elements.
A leather strap can easily go from smooth to disturbingly wrinkled in a day when exposed to humidity, for example. That is simply not the case with titanium or stainless-steel straps which remain durable for a long time even with prolonged exposure to the elements.
Another popular choice it's a rubber strap due to its waterproof qualities. The strap itself can shake off sweat, rain and remain fine underwater, as do most of the watches mounted on them. While the public formerly associated rubber strap watches with low-end timepieces, that is not the case anymore.
Due to more and more people embracing an active lifestyle, the need for watches that could withstand rough play and remain comfortable arose. As the rubber strap generates the least discomforting friction when you are on the move, it became the clear choice for them. On top of that, more elaborate designs hit the market as the demand grew to make sure that stylish-minded people would not miss out on them.
The Watch Price, does a Great Looking Watch Need to Be Expensive?
At the end of our quest to define what makes the most popular men watches so great, we face the question:
'Does every great-looking watch need to be so expensive?'
And the answer it's no, it doesn't have to be that way. At Megalith watches, we like to make ourselves known as 'the mature man's first watch.' That is because we offer a curated selection of stylish watches that, besides looking stunning, are pretty much affordable.
With our production HQ located in Guangzhou, the watchmaking capital of the world, we have immediate access to the world's top suppliers. On top of that, the lower labor costs allowed by a developing local economy affords us the chance to provide watches that are definitively affordable to you.
Our mission is to be able to provide a timepiece that reflects that unique sense of style to every man without them having to empty their pockets and then some. Now that you know more of just what is it that makes popular men watches good in the first place, feel free to swing by our store. Surely you too will find one watch that will suit both your sense of style and lifestyle perfectly.