Whether you want a sports watch, a vintage dress watch or a wristwatch for everyday use there are a number of different options. High quality brands such as Cartier, Omega, Rolex and Patak Phillipe manufacture elegant, beautiful and practical watches although the prices can often be high. For this reason before you start looking for watches for sale you need to decide on your requirements. Here are a few things to consider when buying new or vintage watches.
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Vintage Jaeger LeCoultre Military Watch 1940s RestoredUS $699.00 |
Antique Vintage Pocket Watch lot Illinois Waltham etcUS $699.00 |
Longines Flagship Automatic Date at 12 Rare vintage Watch Keeping timeUS $699.00 |
Type of Watch
There are two main types of watch – quartz and mechanical movement. Quartz watches are generally the most common due to their accuracy and the fact that the batteries only need to be replaced every few years. Mechanical watches aren’t as accurate. Chronometer certifications distinguish those that lose less than a certain amount of time per month.
When buying vintage watches you should keep in mind that mechanical movements are generally harder to make. For this reason watches with an automatic mechanical movement will usually be slightly more expensive.
Materials
The watch band or strap is often just as important as the face when it comes to looks. For this reason there are a number of different materials used to manufacture them in order to suit a wide range of tastes. For example, it’s possible to buy aluminium, stainless steel, carbon fibre and titanium watch straps. There are also a number of higher end models which include gold or even diamond highlighted watch straps which are perfect for dress watches. The material used to manufacture a watch will greatly affect the price.
Features
When looking at pre owned or vintage watches for sale it’s important to know the features that are included. For example, chronograph watches come with stopwatches which allow you to measure short periods of time more accurately. Many watches come with a calendar which displays the current date although full date calendars (with day, month and date) are often more expensive.
Other features you should look out for include water resistance, an ability to keep track of time in more than one time zone and a tachymeter (sometimes included on chronograph watches).
As with any high ticket item it’s vital to do thorough research when looking for a watch for sale. There are a number of unscrupulous sellers who are happy to sell replicas at the price of a genuine watch. For this reason it’s essential to know how to detect fake watches.