Watch Time Fly, Watch Buyer's Guide

So you’ve decided to upgrade your Timex Ironman that you had since grade ten, but aren’t sure how to select a watch that is more grown up. This article is going to teach you everything you need to know in order to get that perfect timepiece.

The first step in purchasing a decent watch is to acquaint yourself with some of the terminology that is used in the business.

Complication

This term refers to anything that your watch is capable of doing above and  beyond the simple task of time keeping. Examples are a chronograph feature, stopwatch, calendar, laser beam (yes those do exist).

Movement

The little tiny gears and cogs that make your watch tick. Swiss movements are the best, followed by Japanese in second place.

 

Schematic of Movement

Quartz

Quartz is a type of crystal, and some watches keep time by measuring the oscillations of the quartz crystal inside the watch.

 

 Quarz crystal

Self-Winding

Also known as kinetic or automatic, this refers to a type of mechanical watch that is powered by the normal movements of the wearer’s wrist.

 

Self Winding Movement

Water-Resistant

Pretty self explanatory, but please do not confuse this to mean that your watch is “water proof” so it is advisable to remove your watch when taking a shower or swimming, unless your watch is rated 5Bar or water resistant to one hundred meters.

Collectible watches are those that were made between 1935 and 1985, anything older than that is a vintage. A few years back a vintage watch sold for $11 million dollars. If you are one of the fortunate few who are able to get their hands on a true vintage watch make sure to ask for original documentation to back up the dealer’s claims about the authenticity of the timepiece. This paperwork will have a serial number that has to match with what is imprinted on the body of the watch. It doesn’t matter if you are purchasing a $100 watch by Fossil, or a $65000 masterpiece by Patek Philippe your watch is a valuable instrument and that is why it is important to make this investment at a reputable seller that can provide certificates of authenticity. Spending money on a counterfeit can prove to be a costly affair if the knock off is unable to accurately track time. And a true watch connoisseur will easily be able to expose your fake.

The strap on the watch can be made of various materials such as rubber, leather, or metal. The order of value for the metal from highest to lowest is as follows:

Platinum

White gold

Pink gold

Yellow gold

Steel (however this is more valuable than platinum if the watch was made during the steel shortages of World War Two).

Metal straps are considered bold, and leather more elegant. A gentleman invited to a tuxedo mandatory party will always wear a watch with a black leather strap. A watch with a metal strap pairs well with jeans, however, if it is a sleek and strong design it can go well with a suit for the office. Watches with rubber straps are ideally suited for athletic activities as they have the ability to sustain the trauma that can be unintentionally thrown at them.

In terms of value a watch that is fully mechanical is of more value than one that has a quartz movement, and that is why these watches also command a higher price. So if purchasing a time piece that is to become a family heirloom select one that is mechanical. You may also choose to opt for a watch that has a chronograph function (stop watch and distance measuring features), and these watches are typically large and will get much attention from people because of its muscular stance on the wearer’s wrist. However if you purchase a fine time piece it is imperative to maintain your complex piece of machinery by having it oiled and cleaned every three to five years because the internal oils will have started to break down by this time. Find a reputable watch repair centre to perform this type of work, and usually you can find qualified professionals that are trained to work on your particular model if you carefully read the service manual that came with your watch. Depending on the quality of your watch the average repair can cost anywhere from $400 to half a million dollars. If you own a Swiss watch it can take up to a period of four months to overhaul your watch and re-lubricate the internal components because the entire watch is carefully taken apart, and then lovingly put back together.

So what exactly is the difference between a $100 and a $30000 watch? Well as a rule of thumb any watch that is above $2500 is entirely hand-made and is not mass produced. Each year the company will produce say 500 units of that particular model for the entire world. It is like owning a little piece of coveted art on your wrist. A cheap “Made in China” watch will keep track of the time no doubt, however, a genuine Swiss watch is skilfully crafted by the hands of a man in a tiny workshop in Geneva, and his family would have been making watches for generations. This man’s bloodline has been lovingly making watches for Kings, Queens and heads of State for centuries. You are buying into a piece of history, a piece of tradition, and that is why you are paying the premium. Just to give you an idea of the value of Swiss watches, "Chopard" a company based in Switzerland recently released the world's most valuable watch, costing a cool $25 million dollars.

U-Boat Watches, Genuine Military Equipment

The year is 1942, the world is consumed by war as the Nazis ravage much of Europe, devastating and destroying anyone that stood in their way. It is from this war torn era that a dream was born. A workshop out of fascist Italy called Fontana started to pen the designs of a unique new timepiece, a luxury watch so spectacular that it could only be honoured to Italy’s elite Naval officers, the men who were to bring glory to Italy. The men who commanded submarines (known as U-Boat) in the rough seas deserved an accurate and reliable timepiece so special, that it would inspire the rest of the crew to work hard and get promoted—a way to build morale and support for one another in these times of struggle. Fontana sketched up the designs for U-Boat, a line of luxury watches that would hold the same esteem, if not more honour than being awarded a medal for bravery in the Italian navy. And this is how the dream of U-Boat watches was born.

The Nazi party on its conquest to rule the world

Unfortunately for Fontana the war soon came to a close and the project was scrapped, but the carefully drawn up designs, colour samples, and original prototype materials were locked away for six decades. For sixty years the design plans for these marvellous timepieces were stashed secretly in a vault, hidden from the world. In the year 2000 Italo Fontana, a cousin of the workshop’s original founder uncovered the documents and samples that were cloaked by a veil of secrecy for so long, and decided that the world was now ready to enjoy these treasures.

 

An excerpt  from the original documentation

Today the company that was founded by Italo Fontana has grown to market these exclusive military watches which are constructed in Italy of Swiss ETA movements, and housed in full-bodied , oversized stainless steel cases ranging in size from 45 to 55 millimetres in diameter. The watches are lovingly put together by hand in Italy using 18^th century craftsmanship techniques and the finest of components 

 

 U-Boat Night Vision

  

English broadcaster and journalist, one of the stars of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, models his U-Boat

 

Classic U-Boat Design, big, bold, simple

To find out more about the storied brand, and find dealers to make purchases visit the official U-Boat website.

We want to know your opinion about U-Boat, do you like their designs? Are you hung up on their military past, or does that just intrigue and add interest to the brand? Get interactive and tell us your opinion in the comments section below.