Gents, if you’re watching this video, most likely here soon you’re going to buy a watch. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. In today’s video, I got a twenty one-part checklist that covers everything you need to think about, so that you buy the perfect watch for you.
So, first up, why do you want to own a watch? Nowadays, watches you don’t really have to have them, you’ve got a phone. But, a lot of guys choose to own watches and they usually have a reason. You need to define that reason. Is it because of a need? Maybe you’re a professional you need something because you needed to actually keep track of time, very important, so you need a very functional practical watch a durable watch. Or maybe you need a watch that actually is going to look great. You’re starting a new job and you know watches send a message. Or maybe you want to buy a piece it’s going to be an heirloom piece you’re going to pass onto your son.
Whatever it may be, guys, know why you’re going to buy this watch. Next up, determine what type of watch are you going to buy. Are you going to buy a mechanical? Are you going to buy something that’s a quartz-powered watch? Are you going to actually go with a smart watch? And you want to narrow down your options because there are millions of them and you want to basically zero in on the type of watch. Now, let’s talk about the style of the watch. So, you decided the type of the watch, but what about the style?
There is a wide variety of styles out there. So, you’re going to see sports watches, you’re going to see dive watches, you’re going to see dress watches, field watches, flight/pilot/aviator watches, racing watches, and smart watches.
Next up, what specific features do you demand of your watch? How much water resistance? Do you need a pressure release valve? Do you need an alarm? Do you need time zones throughout the world? Do you need temperature? Guys, these are all things that once you actually put down what you need, you’re going to find the number of watches that you have to choose from is going to start to dwindle. But, by doing that, you narrowed down the selection and it actually becomes easier to find and identify your dream watch.
Now, let’s talk about complications. So, anything that a watch does besides tell time is a complication on an analog watch. And we’re going to see both quartz and we’re going to see mechanical watches here. Now, there’s a wide variety of complications out there. On a chronograph, it’s going to have its own complications. You’re going to see moon phases you’re going to see perpetual calendars.
These things are beautiful, but understand they add to the complexity of the watch and oftentimes they drive up the price as well. Now, you may be wondering, Antonio, what’s that good-looking watch you’re wearing in today’s video? Guys, this is the G-Shock G-Steel GST B100. It’s a beautiful watch. This watch in particular is the XA-1A. This watch is lightweight. Just like every G-Shock, it’s shock resistant. But, look at that carbon bezel. Basically, it’s a double layer bezel system and that provides extra shock resistance. Look at the dial, we see a highly resistant sapphire crystal. This watch has world time. It’s got tough solar technology.
Basically, it’s got a five-month battery life after it’s fully charged. It’s got the LED light the super illuminator. It’s also got afterglow. It’s 200-meter water resistant and magnetic resistant. It’s got 1/100th second stopwatch. It’s got a countdown timer that can countdown from twenty four hours. And one of my favorite features, this is a smart watch. It’s Bluetooth-enabled. It connects to your smartphone and it uses the G-Shock app where you can adjust the time for more accurate time keeping.
You can set your alarm, you can set your timer, you can see you battery charge. Oh, and one of my favorite features, it’s got a phone finder. So, I can press the button and it will find my phone using Bluetooth. Gentlemen, this G-Shock G-Steel is a beautiful watch. I’m linking to it down in the description and I love all the different modes. A really cool watch, guys. Again, I’m linking to it down in the description. Go check it out. Next up, you’ve got to make the decision are you going to go new are you going to go used? If you go with a new watch, you’re the first person to own this watch.
It shouldn’t have any issues, you should have a warrant that comes with it. And, really you’re the first person that gets to impress their story upon the watch. And for a lot of people this is important that’s why they go out there and spend good money on expensive watches. But, maybe you don’t have that much money and you want to get a great deal on luxury watch, one that maybe is twenty years old, maybe has gone through a few owners. Guess what? You can find that in the used market.
With this, you’re not the first owner, so there are issues sometimes mechanically with the watch. It could be something that, you know, it’s missing a part. There are issues that sometimes come with used watches although if you know what you’re doing, you can sometimes find an amazing deal. So, now let’s talk money, money, money. What can you afford? What is your budget? You’ve got to have a budget, yes, and everyone has a budget. So, the first category is about $100 to $1,000 range and that’s a wide range.
You’re going to find just all types of watches in this range and this is where most people start off. Now, that $1,000 to $10,000 point, this is luxury watches. Oftentimes, these watches are going to be made from a precious metal. There’s going to be something about them, they’re going to come from reputable manufacturers who have just a high-end reputation. [0:04:55] Next up, let’s talk above $10,000 and these are going to be watches that usually have precious stones that are going to have – made of gold.
These are ones that are very expensive and very rare very limited edition. Very expensive watches over here. Next up, gents, let’s talk about buying watches an investment or buying it personally for you to keep forever. Now, if you’re getting into flipping watches and trying to make money off watches, that goes beyond this checklist and it is something to be careful with. Make sure you know what you’re doing. Most people that try to get into this, they end up losing money starting off and very few people I think make money flipping watches.
Now, if you’re going to buy something that’s only for yourself, then you can play with emotion a lot more. This is something that, yeah, if you were to resell it you would lose your – sure, you would lose money, but that doesn’t matter because this is a watch you’re going to enjoy a watch you’re going to love. You can spend a little bit more on it and even though it doesn’t have the resell.
Next up, gents, we’ve got brands. And brands are important for a few reasons. First up, is the brand story. Now, any watch collector they will not only tell you about their favorite watch, but about the brand and that whole brand story. People get into this. Next up, we’ve got the brands quality control and some brands are going to do this a lot better than others. Some have amazing quality control, other brands, yeah, it’s just an afterthought. They’re after trying to make money. And, the difference between these brands is huge especially to collectors. Next up, let’s talk about official seals. So, the main one you’re going to see out there is the seal of Geneva. So, this is a certification of quality and origin.
Now, this seal is applied onto the movements of specific watches and it’s a big deal. There’s actually Swiss law that ensures that it’s really stringent and they got to follow all of these exact rules and stuff. Now, just because a high-end watch doesn’t have the seal of Geneva does not mean it’s bad, but it is something that if you’ve got it, that’s a good thing. Next up, gents. Where do you live? Do you have access to high-end watches that you can try on that you can see what they look like on your wrist?
If you live in New York, Chicago, if you’re over in Switzerland, good on you because guess what? You can walk into a lot of stores and you can actually see what those watches look like on your wrist and that’s important especially when you’re spending a lot of money. So, what do you do if you live in a small town? I know, I’ve got this problem. I’m living in town with a thousand people. So, what I do is when I’m traveling I always make it a point to stop in and check out stores in that city.
So, when I’m in Chicago I have a store I go check out. When I’m in London, a number of great stores to go check out. So, you want to actually plan a little bit of your travel, you want to find a way to get into those stores to try on the watches. Next up, let’s talk about how you’re going to buy. So, if you’re going to buy directly from an authorized dealer or the manufacturer, then that’s great. You’re going to pay a higher price, but what you’re going to get is satisfaction knowing you’ve got a warranty directly with them.
Now, there is the gray market and the gray market is going to be Amazon, it’s going to be eBay, it’s going to be anyone you buy it from who is not the manufacturer or an authorized dealer. The key thing here to understand is if you buy your watch from an authorized dealer, you can go directly to the manufacturer for your warranty. If you buy it through Amazon, you’ve got to go through Amazon for your warranty. Next up, let’s talk about the type of movements out there.
So, the movement that’s going to be the inside of the watch that basically moves the hand, it’s the guts and understand very important. So, you’re going to see Swiss movements, those are some of the best ones out there. Now, Japanese movements, they’re actually very good especially in quartz watches and even on their mechanical watches I think they’re very good. Now, let’s talk about the watches glass. You’re going to see mineral glass which is okay. You’re going to see sapphire crystal which is awesome. And then, on the back, you’re going to see some anti-reflective coating.
That’s important because what you don’t want is go look at the time and all of a sudden the sun’s bouncing right off there. You want to be able to see the time when you look at your watch. Now, let’s talk about weight and there isn’t a right answer here because on a functional performance watch like this, I want something that’s lightweight.
I’m going to take this on a 50-mile hike. I don’t want something heavy. But, on a watch that is made from a precious material such as gold such as platinum, I want it to weigh more than a metal watch. That is a sign of quality. Next up, let’s talk about illumination and if you need to be able to read the time at night, you want to make sure that your light works properly and it lights up and you can read.
And not all watches are going to have lights, but a lot of them are going to have illuminant and you want to look at, okay, is it raised and, again, turn off the lights look at it in the dark after you’ve exposed it to some light and look at how it reacts. Another thing you want to look at on a quality watch is you want to pay attention to the clasp. So, right here we’ve got a single clasp.
Now, a single clasp by itself is not a bad thing, but oftentimes on higher end watches, look for a double or even triple clasp. Now, another small sign of quality you want to look for are going to be screws on the links right here on the bracelet. When you see that, that’s a good thing. Now, let’s talk about the case of the watch. The case of the watch is going to be the home of the movement. And you want to make sure that that case looks clean, you want to look at actually the finishing on that case.
I can tell you a case that has been finished very well, that is a great sign of good quality. Now, let’s talk about materials. Watches come in a wide variety of materials. You’re going to see them made from steel with a bit of leather and different qualities of leather. You’re going to see them with higher quality steel. All of a sudden you’re going to start to see them with white gold. You’re going to see them with a mix of steel with gold and even specific gold that are specific to the actual brand.
All right, gents, so I covered a lot in this video and guess what? I’ve got it all for you in a simple one-page PDF. I’m linking to that down in the description. Go down and grab it. It’s yours absolutely free. Now, gentlemen if you like this video make sure to click in that like button. If you’re new to Real Men Real Style, make sure to join our community. Click on that subscribe button, click on that bell notifications, so you know when our videos are coming out.
And, guys, if you’ve got any questions if you think I missed something on this video, let me know down in the comments. I love hearing from you guys. And, don’t forget, go check out the sponsor, guys, G-Shock. I’m linking to them down in the description. Go check out the price, go check out this watch. It is a great-looking watch. Look at that carbon bezel, isn’t that beautiful? Really a unique looking watch. I’m linking to this watch down in the description. Go check it out. Amazing watch, amazing company. I love G-Shock.
Did I tell you guys? I actually own a number of G-Shocks in the marines and just a great watch. I love seeing them actually move up and get smarter and just make these beautiful pieces. And did anyone notice my pocket square disappeared? I was abandoned by my pocket square right in the middle of that video. I started with it, but it just disappeared over time.
Lol.
