The Ultimate Beginners Watch Guide

1. The Ultimate Beginners Watch Guide

2. There's no need to beat around the bush - getting acquainted with the world of watches can be overwhelming at first. What are the different clock mechanisms, functions, and styles? What about the most famous brands, what do they represent and what is their price? If you don't know anything about watches and have asked yourself questions like that before, this short guide is a good read for you. It will help you become familiar with some of the most important terms in the shortest possible time.

3. Quartz vs. Mechanical • Generally, it is possible to distinguish between mechanical (manual and automatic) and battery-operated watches, the so-called quartz watches. While quartz watches are very accurate, practical, and relatively inexpensive, mechanical watches may be the purists' choice: although their time deviation may be greater, the battery is not used. Instead, everything is mechanical, either hand-rolled (hand-rolled) or by hand movement during daily use (automatic). Most watches would indicate Automatic or Quartz, while many watches whose dial does not indicate Automatic or Quartz are manually wound. Still, not all automatic or quartz watches are marked as such, as illustrated by the image showing an Omega automatic and a Longines automatic watch, where only Longines are marked Automatic. You can also distinguish a mechanical watch from a quartz watch by looking at the movement of the second hand. If it goes smoothly, it is a mechanical watch. The second hand on a quartz watch will "jump" from one second to the next.

4. Quartz vs. Mechanical • Generally, it is possible to distinguish between mechanical (manual and automatic) and battery-operated watches, the so-called quartz watches. While quartz watches are very accurate, practical, and relatively inexpensive, mechanical watches may be the purists' choice: although their time deviation may be greater, the battery is not used. Instead, everything is mechanical, either hand-rolled (hand-rolled) or by hand movement during daily use (automatic). Most watches would indicate Automatic or Quartz, while many watches whose dial does not indicate Automatic or Quartz are manually wound. Still, not all automatic or quartz watches are marked as such, as illustrated by the image showing an Omega automatic and a Longines automatic watch, where only Longines are marked Automatic. You can also distinguish a mechanical watch from a quartz watch by looking at the movement of the second hand. If it goes smoothly, it is a mechanical watch. The second hand on a quartz watch will "jump" from one second to the next.

5. In terms of vertical range, producers are generally divided into so-called manufactures so in this case you can go and buy fossil fuels watches, which (at least partially) develop and produce their own movements, and brands that only use calibers that come from movement producers (mostly from ETA). Even if this distinction oversimplifies reality (for example, there are brands that do not produce their own movements, but instead modify them or add complicated mechanical modules that are built in-house), the notion of manufacturing provides insight into the knowledge and craftsmanship of a company. Mark. . Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe, Nomos Glashütte, and around a dozen other brands pride themselves on producing their movements exclusively in-house.

6. Functions alongside timing: when complications are desirable • Complications are additional mechanical functions alongside real-time measurement. Arguably the most famous complication is the chronograph function. A chronograph is a stopwatch, usually with two or three subdials, or sub-registers, that indicate the stopped time (with the exception of the stopped second, which is generally shown by the large central second hand). The stopwatch function is started and stopped by two push-buttons located at the 2 and 4 o'clock position. • Chronograph is commonly confused with chronometer (the second refers to particularly accurate watches certified by the Swiss official institute of chronometers (COSC)). • Another commonly used complication is the date function. Most dated watches will always count to 31 regardless of the month, so one will have to reset the date for each month with less than 31 days. Other clocks also indicate the day of the week and the current month. If they do both, they will be called a full calendar. Other watches indicate the current moon phase on the dial. Many watches, like this Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, combine a full calendar with a moon phase display.

7. This sounds complicated enough already, especially considering all this work mechanically. However, we are nowhere near the most complicated calendars: some will only have to be manually reset once a year (annual calendar) or once every four years (4-year calendar). Others will even consider leap days (perpetual calendars). But there is much more than chronographs and calendars. There are clocks with striking mechanisms such as alarm clocks, clocks that sound melodies and tell you the time through an acoustic signal (repeaters). This President's Vulcain 50s watch uses a Cricket caliber, the oldest and one of the most famous alarm movements. • Many watches combine a number of complicated functions and are generally called the Grand Complication. The tourbillon could be considered the holy grail of watch complications. Basically, a tourbillon is a cage that rotates to compensate for inaccuracies caused by gravity. The main challenge of a tourbillon is to make a construction that is extremely light but robust. Otherwise, the delicate mechanics would not provide enough power to keep the watch running for a reasonable period of time (which is generally considered at least a day). As on this Zenith El Primero, a tourbillon is generally shown through cutouts on the dial to integrate its aesthetics into the look of the watch (at the same time, not all cutouts reveal a tourbillon).

8. Pilot or diver? Everyone has their own style • Even if we're eponymous mechanical revolutionaries, we don't think watches are all about the technical side. Quite the opposite. First of all, watches are all about subjective style and not just metric measurements. Questions like how a watch looks and feels on someone's wrist or how a watch embodies someone's style and personality are key and decide whether we like a watch or not. There are more sporty watches such as the diver's or pilot's watches and other more elegant ones that are also commonly known as dress watches. The latter tend to have a more delicate appearance and are generally noticeably smaller. Their cases are usually made of sturdy or plated gold and are generally worn on a slim leather bracelet, like the example shown below, an Omega De Ville with a Co-Axial escapement. • Within the range of more elegant looking watches, Bauhaus designs in particular have gained a lot of attention lately. The German brands Nomos Glashütte, Stowa or the Max Bill line by Junghans opt for a purist and minimalist aesthetic that focuses on the essence, instead of getting lost in details that can be considered redundant from a purist point of view. • Sports watches are mostly bigger, flashier, and sturdier. They often feature a chronograph complication, rotating bezels, and one or more scales on the edge of the dial or on the bezel. Examples of more sporty watches would be diver's watches, GMT watches, and watches that address the subject of racing.

9. Diver's watches have luminescent hands and indexes and their dials are often darker to ensure great readability underwater and one of the example is tissot watches India. They also have one-way bezels, which are used to stop time underwater. It goes without saying that the most important criterion for a diver's watch is sufficient water resistance. Most diver's watches start with a water resistance of 150 or 200 meters. As noted in our article on How to correctly interpret water resistance, this does not necessarily mean that it should be used for depths of 150 or 200 meters, as the indication always refers to water resistance under laboratory conditions. • Like the GMT watch, the chronograph is a complication, but it also represents a whole genre of watches. Not only that, but chronographs are sometimes tied to the race car creating a sub-genre of its own. Some examples are the TAG Heuer models such as the Carrera, Monaco or Silverstone, the Rolex Daytona and the Omega Speedmaster Racing. The TAG Heuer Monaco is an iconic chronograph dedicated to the subject of racing and also a perfect example of a modern watch with visibly strong heritage references. • GMT watches have a second hand that can show a second time zone. A circulation takes 24 hours instead of 12, which is why it is also known as a 24-hour hand. Many GMT watches also feature a 24-hour bi-directional bezel (sometimes with two colors illustrating day and night) that can be used for a third time zone. • Of course, there is no clear distinction between elegant and sports watches. Particularly brands like Rolex (Datejust), Omega (Seamaster Aqua Terra) and TAG Heuer (Carrera Cal.5) redefine sporty and stylish watches that are great for off-roading and can be particularly interesting when you are looking for a watch that is perfect. accompaniment for a wide variety of occasions.

10. A world full of brands • As you may have already noticed, there is much more to it than just Rolex and Omega. In fact, watches are all about brands and their most iconic models like seiko watches India. Most brands go to great lengths to carry their heritage into the future. The epicenter of quality watchmaking is, as you might have imagined yourself, Switzerland. However, there is a wide range of admirable watches from countries like Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, and others as well. If you want to learn more about the most famous brands and models, we recommend our posts on the top 10 German watchmakers and the top 10 Swiss watch brands, as well as the 20 most popular watches in the world.

11. About Us • We, at Zimson, understand fully well that usability of an online platform is of utmost important! The experience that our customers have while shopping online has a direct impact and decides if they will remain loyal to us. With online shopping gaining popularity, we have done a thorough research in understanding what makes the user experience exemplary and we have ensured that out e-commerce platform delivers all that a customer wants and much more! Our online store provides you with the clarity and elegance ensuring a good and strong relationship between the navigation system, the functionalities and content offered to the customer. • Website - https://zimsonwatches.com/