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What's most important to you in a watch?

Discussion area for watches, clocks and all other timekeepers.
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What attributes are most important to you?

Brand
0
No votes
Movement
4
9%
Crystal (material, AR coating, etc)
0
No votes
Dial
12
26%
Case dimensions/shape
12
26%
Finish
7
15%
Strap/bracelet
1
2%
Complications (or lack thereof)
2
4%
Price
5
11%
Other (elaborate in comments)
3
7%
 
Total votes: 46
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What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by peskydonut »

Just for fun, what are the top 3 attributes that matter most to you when considering a watch? Feel free to elaborate in comments. Thanks!

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Last edited by peskydonut on Wed Nov 18, 2020 5:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by yinzburgher »

Off the top of my head......I would say a cohesive design, a good value, and something different when compared to the last few watches I've bought.
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Re: What attributes are most important to you?

Post by TheJohnP »

Dial.
- The most important attribute to me. What is the color? What, if any, textures or effects (sunburst, fume, etc) are there? Is there a date window? Is it poorly placed (probably)? What kind of indices (arabics, roman numerals, batons)? The dial brings it all together and usually makes or breaks a watch in my view.
- Example: Mühle Glashütte Panova Blau. Nice sunburst blue dial. Interesting dome/baton indices. Contrasting color combination of blue and orange. No date a plus.

Price.
- If I see a watch that piques my interest, then I check the price. If it is above $900, I stop looking. If below, then I'll check how it is priced on average and then see if I can find a better price for it.
- Example: Mühle Glashütte Panova Blau. Saw these were priced at MSRP for $999, but generally mostly found under $900. Did some searching, made some calls, and finagled a great deal from Topper that I couldn't pass up.

Size.
- As I own plenty of watches and have tried various sizes on my wrist, have a sense for what feels and looks right. If a watch is too large (43mm+), it's a pass. 35mm - 40mm is my sweet spot, but I'll go 34mm or 41mm/42mm if I really, really like the looks.
- Example: Mühle Glashütte Panova Blau. Standard 40mm diameter. Looks well balanced on my wrist.

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Re: What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by tommy_boy »

38-40mm please. And no long lugs (I'm looking at you, Swatch Group). Date? No date? Either way. Three hands are usually enough for me. But if it's a chronograph, the subdials should not cut into the hour markers. Silver dial and silver hands? No thanks. I prefer to see the hands. Strong lume is fun but not essential. Bracelet is preferred but not always compatible with the style. My favorites are my most readable ones.

Divers should be easy to read, of course.

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It's a biggun' but very easy on the eyes

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Deck watch, field watch? Either way, as long as I can read the dial

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Pilots? Yes, please

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This is an example of a readable 42mm chrono without truncated hour markers

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The old eyeballs ain't what they used to be. Regardless, a well-designed watch is a useful tool.
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Re: What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by watchpalooza »

Dial, Movement and Finish for me.
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Re: What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by Dub Rubb »

watchpalooza wrote:Dial, Movement and Finish for me.
Similar. I went dial, case size, finish. In that order. Glad I am not alone in the finish department[emoji23]

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Re: What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by Sussa »

Dial is the first thing that catches my eye and will be the thing I look at the most once I own it, so I consider it most important. Then case size, because if it's uncomfortable to wear it won't get worn. While it may be the third thing I consider, price also has veto power even if a watch clears the threshold for dial and case. But that's also the one I'll try to overcome, either by selling other watches that aren't being worn or by bargain hunting, thanks to you enablers. There's no talking myself into a dial or case I don't like.
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Re: What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by whoagorgeous »

  • Dial
  • Finish
  • Other:
    - How comfortable it is on the wrist. You won't know until you actually wear it for a while.
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Re: What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by AndroidIsAwesome »

For me I look at watches differently than most people would. I prioritize these three over everything else:

1. The bracelet and clasp quality. If it doesn't have a good bracelet or clasp I probably won't even consider buying it. I just love a really well executed bracelet almost more than the watch itself.

2. The crown action. If the crown can't unscrew and thread back in well or feels rough when manually winding, I avoid buying the watch. Also if there isn't enough of a satisfying click between crown positions I won't buy it.

3. Case finishing. If the brushing looks like trash or there are rough edges and not well defined polishing then that's enough for me to pass on it.

Of course I still have to like the way the watch looks and the size but those decisions come after
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Re: What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by flypanam »

I chose dial, case, and finish. In terms of case, I'd say size and design are both important to me. the case should be the right size (and what size is "right" depends on the watch), and the case should be visually interesting and comfortable to wear. i think the combination of the dial, case, and finish should synergize with each other and yield an interesting, unique and aesthetically pleasing watch. enjoying the way the watch looks is the most important, more so than movement, or brand etc, because if i don't like how the watch looks and enjoy it on my wrist, i'm never going to wear it. personally i like interesting and varied colors, textures, finishes, etc as well. it's hard for me to get excited for a watch that looks just like every other watch. to me a lot of divers have this problem. movement is also important to me, but i left it out of my top 3 because i was thinking more along the lines of quartz vs mechanical and i think both movements have their places.
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Re: What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by cortman »

Size has really become the biggest thing for me. Then comes dial, then specs and brand. My sweet spot is 36-41mm and it'll have to be something special that takes me above 41mm.
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Re: What's most important to you in a watch?

Post by The Sultan of SoWhat »

!--Esthetics

2--Size (can't be under 38mm)

3--Price (I can afford to spend more than my imposed limit, but the thought of a small fortune on my wrist makes me gag)
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