I've always had an interest in watches but up until recently I never really
thought about how they worked or what separates a good watch from a bad watch
so after a little bit of research now I'm here to share some findings with you
when you're exploring the world of men's watches things can get pretty
complicated and pretty overwhelming so in this video I'm just gonna stick to
the basics and let you know the fundamental things you need to think
about when buying a watch hey guys I'm Kyle from The Distilled Man before we
get started I want to give a big thanks to DAEM Watches for sponsoring this
video and supporting the channel so what do you need to know about watches types
of watch movements so you can't really talk about watches without talking about
movements no not not those kind of movements you can think of a watch
movement it's basically like the engine inside the watch that keeps it running
so it powers the hands and any other features on your watch there are really
just three types of watch movements that you need to know about quartz mechanical
and automatic quartz movements so quartz movement is what you typically find in
an everyday watch quartz watches come in a wide variety of quality from less
expensive versions that you might find at mass retailer end brands quartz
watches are battery-powered and that their movement causes that signature
ticking of the second hand and they're called quartz timepieces because they
actually have a tiny piece of quartz crystal inside and the energy from the
battery vibrates that crystal at exactly 32,768 times per second these vibrations
get measured and converted into 1 pulse per second so the pros of quartz watches
are that number one they're more accurate they're less likely to lose
seconds or gain seconds throughout the day quartz watches have fewer moving
parts so there's fewer things that can go wrong inside them so besides just
swapping out your your watch battery every few years they don't really
require that much maintenance they're the least expensive as a general rule
quartz watches are almost always less expensive than mechanical or automatic
watches they're also more durable the fewer moving parts in a quartz watch
also benefit them in this area if your job involves getting dirty and dusty all
day then a quartz watch might be right for you now for some of the downside of
quartz watches first they don't have if you're looking for that sweeping
smooth movement of a mechanical watch then you're not going to find that with
quartz that sort of exaggerated second hand
tick-tick-tick action is it's just kind of a signature of the way that the the
mechanism operates in quartz watch quartz watches are more likely to be
mass-produced so there often isn't that same level of craftsmanship or care that
goes into making a quartz watch as there is into going into a watch with a
mechanical movement mechanical movements a mechanical movement doesn't require a
battery instead it needs to be manually wound periodically to keep on running
mechanical movement uses a spring driven mechanism called the mainspring which
once it's wound up transfers energy to smaller springs and gears that power the
hands and other functions of the watch here are some pros and cons of
mechanical watches first they last longer
a quality mechanical watch if it's properly maintained and properly cared
for it will last your entire life you might even be able to pass it on to
another generation with a mechanical movement you never need to worry about
batteries dying or needing to be replaced and rewinding your watch each
day can become an enjoyable ritual mechanical watches just tend to look and
feel better and be of a slightly higher quality than most quartz watches many
many of them might also have gears exposed so you can see the inner
workings and oscillations of the watch they tend to feature higher quality
materials overall like sapphire crystal instead of glass mechanical watches are
also generally more tactile and have more character to them smooth hand
movement a lot of people really like that sweeping movement of a mechanical
watch and even find it a little hypnotizing so that's important to you
you should definitely consider a mechanical watch here are some of the
downsides to mechanical watches first they require regular winding with a
quartz watch you can put it in a drawer and it's just gonna keep on ticking and
stay on time for several weeks even months maybe but with a mechanical watch
you really can't go more than about two days without winding some people enjoy
winding up their watch at the end of each day and look forward to it while
others find it a nuisance and if you fall into that latter category then
maybe mechanical watch isn't the best choice for you they aren't as accurate
even the best mechanical watches are only about 99.99% accurate and that may
sound amazing but even a difference of point zero one percent can result in you
losing a second or two each day over the course
of the years your watch will get less and less accurate every five to ten
years or so you'll need to take your watch to the jeweler to get tuned up a
bit quartz watches don't tend to fall out of sync like that they're
environmentally sensitive mechanical watches are full of tiny gears and
springs so exposure to dust shock moisture even magnets can really wreak
havoc on them and most mechanic modern mechanical watches are designed to
counteract those things but if you're constantly working with dirty parts all
day or hammering then it might be easier to wear your quartz watch at work and
then just reserve your mechanical watch for when you get dressed up and finally
they're more expensive a lot more work and craftsmanship goes into making a
mechanical watch so naturally that is reflected in the price it's hard to find
a quality mechanical watch for under $200 and most of them are going to be
well over $500 and with luxury brands like Rolex or Cartier you could be
looking at tens of thousands of dollars automatic movements an automatic watch
movement uses the kinetic energy from the motion of your wrist to drive the
mechanism of the watch instead of relying on being manually wound or
relying on a battery automatic watches are often also called self-winding
watches so if you think the idea of having to wind your mechanical watch
every day it might sound annoying then an automatic watch might be worth
looking into these movements use a metal weight called a rotor which spins when
you move your wrist and the spinning transfers energy to wind a mainspring
inside your watch so here's some of the pros of automatic watches first no
winding or batteries required an automatic watch almost works like magic
as long as you wear it regularly then it will continue to function normally an
automatic movement it comes with the same sophisticated look and smooth hand
movement you'd expect from a mechanical watch but without the added hassle of
having to wind it every day automatic watches tend to be a little bit thicker
than other mechanical watches even because they need to accommodate the
extra space for the rotor an automatic watch feels more weighty and significant
on your wrist and a lot of people like that heaviness but if you're looking for
something a little more minimalist that actually may be a downside for you the
cons of an automatic watch are similar to those of a mechanical watch so
they're less accurate than quartz and they'll need some tune ups to keep going
and they're more sensitive to environmental factors like other
mechanical watches automatic watches similarly have a pretty high price point
because the extra craftsmanship and engineering
involved in making them work biggest downside to an automatic watch is that
it needs to be stored in a watch winder when you're not wearing it a watch
winder is a machine that slowly spins and keeps your automatic watch wound
while you're not wearing it it doesn't cost that much money but it
is gonna take up extra room on your shelf and it's one more thing to think
about of course the alternative is just to make sure that you wear your
automatic watch every single day the 5 c's of watch terminology now the world
of watches hasn't it's its own entire vocabulary but here are just five terms
that you might hear when shopping for the perfect watch that don't have
immediately obvious meanings first there's calibre and don't be
confuse this is just another fancy word for movement chronograph a watch that
has a stopwatch function in addition to being able to tell time chronometer so
this is a watch that has been independently tested by the COSC which
is the official Swiss chronometer Testing Institute and a watch that meets
this threshold has to be verified as as accurate for a certain number of days
complication I know it sounds so negative right but it really is just any
extra feature beyond telling the time so a watch might have a calendar built into
it or a moon phase indicator or something like that crown the crown of
your watch is the little knob that sticks out on the end that allows you to
change time that little wheel bonus term bezel okay I know this one does not
start with a C so it totally messes up that whole cute little alliteration
thing but but bezel is also good for you to know a bezel is an outer ring on the
outside of the case of your watch and often it's made out of the same metal as
the case of your watch or it can be a different metal for contrast
also one other term you might hear when thinking about watches is horology which
believe it or not actually means the study of time because kind of sounds
like some well nevermind I'm not going to touch that one how to buy a men's
watch when it comes to buying a watch for yourself or finding a gift for
someone else here are a few things to keep in mind first what kind of movement
does it happen we've already talked about quartz mechanical and automatic
movements the main thing to keep in mind is the mechanical or automatic watches
generally are more expensive to buy and more expensive to maintain quartz
watches are going to be better if you're on a budget and they can still look
great what is the case size or diameter now this one really did
on your proportions so I'd recommend going out to a jewelry store and trying
on several watches to see what size watch works for you if you're a bigger
guy you might want a really large and hefty watch or if you're smaller you you
might also want something that matches your proportions for most guys a watch
diameter of around 40 millimeters tends to be ideal though in addition to
matching the watch face to your proportions you should also pay
attention to the the thickness of the watch especially if you have wear
tightly fitted sleeves what materials and colors is it watches come in all
different types of case and face combinations and different materials and
different colors some people love all black watches because they're easy to
match to anything while silver and gold are a little bit more traditional I'd
recommend looking at what other jewelry you usually wear so trying to find something
that matches your wedding ring for instance rather than clashing with it
might be a good idea what kind of bands do you want a leather band or metal
links can be great for a business or professional setting fabric or canvas is
great in terms of comfort and durability but style wise it generally is on the
more casual end of things suede bands are a little more modern and
urban and plastic or rubber bands are often used for inexpensive or sports
watches with leather and other fabrics one thing to look for is whether the
materials have been glued together or stitched together because often stitch
materials are gonna hold together a little bit longer than they're glued
counterparts what about water resistance so watches say that they're water
resistant but without quantifying it it usually just means that they have some
basic guards against humidity so they can handle a little bit of splashing
when you're say washing your hands but you wouldn't really want to shower bathe
or you know submerge the watch in a pool for instance you're gonna be around
water a lot if your water your watch is actually gonna be submerged you want to
get a watch that specifies the depth to which it could be submerged so something
that's at least like 50 meters and then the real question how much money do you
want to spend there's almost no limit to the amount of money that you can spend
on a quality men's watch now literally there are mechanical watches out there
that are upwards of a million bucks it's possible to find quality mechanical
watch for under 300 bucks but most are going to be in the $300 to $700 range and
more well you know luxury brands can be as many as thousands of dollars before
we wrap up I just wanted to give another big thanks to DAEM Watches for
sponsoring this video and making it possible for us to share this information with
you the name DAEM is an anagram for the word
MADE they create watches for ambitious men who run the journey to becoming
self-made it's a watch for people who create
opportunities for themselves and for others DAEM's watches are designed from
scratch in Brooklyn New York they have a wide variety of designs whether you're
looking for something casual or a bit more formal and they're timeless designs
go really well with almost any outfit their watches use swiss-made Ronda 505
movements for precise and accurate timekeeping and their face is protected
by an ultra scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass and the straps that they
use on their watch feature a genuine stitched italian leather for added
longevity and comfort DAEM watches have a diameter of about 40 millimeters which
I think it looks good on almost any wrist their watch isn't too thick either
I like the slim profile of their watch it measures just about 9 millimeters
from case bottom-to-top despite all their finer touches dame
watches are still really affordable for the everyday guy which I really
appreciate and if you're interested in checking out dame watches you can use
offer code DM 20 a check out to save 20% off and I'll go ahead and link to their
website in the description below alright that's it guys if you like this video do
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