What is and is not important when choosing which NEW watch to buy?
Often, you will find yourself choosing between two or more intriguing NEW watch purchase options. So how do you determine what factors you should most and least consider?
BRAND REPUTATION is IMPORTANT– Learn about the reputation of the watch manufacturer. Don’t ask watch-store sales people, they often are staggeringly ignorant on watches and often speak a lot of authoritative sounding nonsense, half-facts and downright wrong information.
Instead, ask people who already own the types and brands of watches you are considering. Post questions on Internet forums dedicated to watches. And certainly, read all you can here on the Chronocentric site.
RESALE VALUE is IMPORTANT, but ONLY IF YOU UNDERSTAND IT CORRECTLY– Many buyers have lost lots of their money on poor watch purchase decisions made based on poorly understood measures of “high resale” value.
People usually incorrectly focus on how much of their investment they will get back if they resell a watch. But you should instead be focusing on how much you gain or lose in the transaction.
Read the next section down titled Watches with a good resale value are a good investment, right? for a more comprehensive look at this issue.
TYPE OF DEALER you shop at is IMPORTANT– Look at what types of stores are the authorized dealers for the brands you are considering.
If you are spending a lot of money on a watch, do not just shop at general department stores or stores that sell mainly low to mid price jewelry. Look at what choices are only available at the much better jewelry stores to get a fuller understanding of the whole spectrum of watches available.
The “best” brand at a department store is not necessarily your best choice or best value for your money. Also, make sure you understand whether the dealer you are considering buying a watch from is an authorized dealer for that specific brand.
If they are not, then you need to understand the issues involved in buying from unauthorized dealers as described below in the section titled What are ‘gray market’ watches?.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR WANTS AND NEEDS is IMPORTANT– You will make the best choice in your purchase if you understand what you want and what is really important to you in owning a fine watch.
Many people get caught up in excessive details that end up impairing, rather than increasing, their enjoyment.
Consider what you want: a watch to impress other people, one to impress you, something stylish, something that makes a statement, one that only you know it is special, with unusual functions, of specific metals.
You may want a watch for dress/casual/recreational/active/sports wear, so accurate that you never need to think of resetting it between time changes, or any of dozens of other attributes.
Once you have a good handle on these aspects, it will be much easier to select a watch.
KNOWING WHAT YOU BUY is MORE IMPORTANT than BUYING WHAT YOU KNOW–
Often, the best brands of luxury products in terms of quality and value are ones the ‘average Joe’ may seldom if ever hear of. Rolex and Tag Heuer are the two premium watch brands that are best known to the general public.
But simply being popular is not a guarantee that those brands are your best choice or the only high quality, high value products the market has to offer.
It is far more beneficial for you to research all your options instead of blindly selecting among the few brands that are ‘household names.’ You may still end up choosing one of their watches–but do so out of knowledge of your choices, not ignorance of them.