Before spending a lot of money on a high-end luxury watch, take the time to ask yourself these ten important questions:

To splurge or not?

Luxury watches they range from just under $ 1,000 to $ 100,000 and up. Among the most expensive are the prized tourbillions, which only an elite group of master watchmakers have the skills to produce. (The two-hundred-year-old mechanism consists of a rotating carriage that supports the flywheel and exhaust and makes one complete turn every sixty seconds to average timing errors caused by gravity.) A watch is inevitably a symbol of state, and it is up to you to figure out what kind of state you want to symbolize. If you are really serious, then luxury watchmakers are ready, willing and able to satisfy your wishes.

Rose gold, white or yellow?

The tint of a piece of gold depends on the ratio of copper and silver mixed with the pure yellow gold. Yellow will always be elegant, but you could consider one of the countless rose gold options that got all the attention at this year’s trade show in, elsewhere, Switzerland. The rose has the most copper of the three golds, which gives it a soft pinkish hue. Not all men accept that, but if you have the money for a rose gold watch, you probably have the bronze to back it up.

Steel or titanium?

Luxury watchmakers are turning out clocks Made of high-quality stainless steel, which is strong and shiny and highly resistant to rust and corrosion. But the next big trend in luxury watches It appears to be titanium, which is 30 percent stronger and 50 percent lighter than steel, more resistant to corrosion, antimagnetic, and even hypoallergenic. A titanium watch feels incredibly light and comfortable on the wrist, but the trade-off is a dim gray watch – some say dull – which, despite all its strength, scratches easily.

Mechanical or quartz?

The clock movement, which is the motor of the clock, measures time in two ways: electronically or mechanically. In an electronic quartz watch, a piece of paper-thin quartz receives an electrical charge that causes it to vibrate 32,768 times per second. This makes it accurate to one minute per year. A mechanical watch has a real spring whose gradual unwinding moves the clocks hands. Mechanical watches They are hand-wound or automatic (also called “self-winding”), which means that the movement winds itself using a rotor that rotates in response to the natural movement of the user’s arm. Mechanical watches lose one hour a year.

Simple or complicated?

In terms of watchmaking, a complication is any function beyond the simple indication of time on a mechanical watch, such as a calendar or moon phase indicator (which will return this year). However, the term generally refers to sophisticated mechanisms such as perpetual calendars and split-second chronographs, which contain hundreds of tiny pieces assembled by hand by the world’s leading watchmakers. Because they are so laborious, complicated clocks they are expensive and prized for the feats they perform.

Big or bigger?

In recent years, mens wrist watches they have grown up as if they were taking steroids; they broke the forty millimeter diameter barrier a few years ago and are still pumping. The reason? Above all style. The current trend was largely inspired by the recent reissue of an antique Italian diver’s watch, which was originally designed in a big way to be visible in the murky Mediterranean. These days, if your watch looks like a hockey puck on your wrist, you’re horologically stylish, if a bit flashy.

Round or Square?

The round shape is still the most common face shape, but there is a renaissance of alternatives. The barrel (shaped like a barrel) leads the pack for non-round watches at the moment, but your options include rectangles, squares, and ovals, among others. Many people will evaluate a man by his watch, so keep in mind that an unusual shape could set you apart from the masses.

Do i need a chronograph?

Most men reward chronographs – watches with a stopwatch function, thanks to the masculine and sporty look of all those buttons and subdials. They are also functional and can time an event in one fifth of a second for mechanical chronographs and one hundredth of a second for digital quartz chronographs. But unless you’ve just signed up for Ironman, they’re mostly for decorations.

Do i need a stopwatch?

A stopwatch is a high-precision watch whose accuracy is verified by an independent agency called the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Office. Watch companies send boxless movements to the office, which puts them through a battery of tests, after which they are certified as official chronometers. A status symbol and a nice distinction for the hardcore connoisseur.

Five bars or twenty?

Clocks They have different levels of water resistance, indicated on the dial or on the case back. Pay close attention to that fine print, because depth units are anything but universal. Most companies give water resistance in meters. Every now and then you will come across ATMs (for atmospheres) or bars, both ten meters long. After you have done the calculations, choose a depth based on your needs. Water resistant to 50 meters means you can use it in the shower. Sports watches they generally have a water resistance of 100 meters (swimming, snorkeling) or 200 meters (recreational diving). You don’t need more than that unless you intend to use the Deep Sea Diver Watch. And a watch simply marked “waterproof” can withstand your lightest summer rains.