3 Things To Consider Before Buying Your First Luxury Watch

Collector’s Guides • 16 Nov 2015

3 Things To Consider Before Buying Your First Luxury Watch


What do chronographs, tachymeters and moonphases have in common? These are all ‘complications’ found on many luxury watches. To a first time buyer, the mention of these foreign-sounding terms may prove intimidating. They also unduly complicate what should be an enjoyable process. In this article, we take a more pragmatic approach towards thinking and selecting your first luxury watch. Here are 3 things you can consider before buying your first luxury watch.

Size
A watch should fit your wrist nicely. Watches that look too large or too small on one’s wrist tend to look disproportionate.  The key here is proportionality and personal preferences.

The Tudor Heritage Black Bay with 41mm steel case.
The Tudor Heritage Black Bay with 41mm steel case.

One crucial concept that may help as a guide is to understand the Golden Ratio. To find out whether a watch size maybe suitable for your wrist, simply take the width of your wrist and multiply it by 0.618. If your wrist width is 70mm, then an ideal watch case size is between 42 and 44mm. It is important then to know the accurate dimensions of the watch.

The end goal here is to eventually find a watch that must be of proportion and also one that the wearer must feel comfortable and confident in. Thus, it is imperative to fit your first luxury watch at a reputable and reliable watch retailer with a large collection of watches from diverse brands before that all important purchase.

Simplicity
First time buyers can probably avoid esoteric or overly avant-garde designs. There is a time and place for everything but consider something with a more classic design for a first purchase. Classic equates to versatility. When forking out a considerable amount of money for a first luxury watch, you may want to maximize your utility by getting something versatile.

A 1965 Rolex Submariner on wrist.
A 1965 Rolex Submariner on wrist.

Wear it with your work attire, your weekend casual, or a formal event. Classic designs like the Rolex Submariner will never go out of style. You can find out more about the Rolex Submariner design and its history here.

The new Rolex Submariner
The new Rolex Submariner

Brands
For first time buyers, a well-established brand like Rolex or Patek Philippe is usually a safe choice. One should also take into account the age and heritage of the brand. The longer a brand has been around, the more likely it is to have a better track record of reliability and precision. Therefore it is important to look for someone with the right expertise who can give you the sound advice you may need to decide on the brand that best fulfills your needs and requirements.

The classic design of a Patek Philippe Ref. 3970 on wrist.
The classic design of a Patek Philippe Ref. 3970 on wrist.

The older brands with heritage are usually more popular, which maybe more desirable for buyers who are looking to grow their watch collection. Buyers should also look out for brands such as Hublot, which are known for their contemporary design and their innovations in material science. These brands too have impeccable designs and unique technologies that are highly sought after. After sales care and support will also be readily available to buyers from a reputable official watch retailer.

A model sporting a Hublot watch.
A model sporting a Hublot watch.

Of course, there are also other factors that would help determine your first purchase. If you would like to find out more, do head down to our boutiques. Our friendly sales staff would be happy to assist you.

All images are courtesy of their respective owners and linked to their source.

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