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THE
WATCH DOCTOR'S GUIDE TO HEALTHY WATCH BUYING
 Hello,
it's the Doctor here hoping to guide you safely to your new watch.
Practising safe watch buying is very important in protecting the
health of your image and your wallet!
It's
an inescapable fact that there are an awful lot of watch brands
on the market today. I recently sat in my surgery with a blank
sheet of paper and began writing down watch brands from memory.
After filling a whole side of A4 I realized I still hadn't got
them all. Many were the classics I have known from many years
of passionate inquiry and collecting. Some I knew from several
years in the business practising my watch medicine arts both on
trade and on the retail sides! Some were simply modern fashion
brands that were not originally anything to do with the world
of watches. That's when it became clear to me that the average
person who doesn't have my experience in the watch industry is
probably facing unhealthy overload on what watch to own.
Over
the past few years it seems as if anyone who has a brand name
in the market can simply put it on a timepiece and call themselves
a watch brand. That's not sour grapes as choice is always a good
thing but from my viewpoint we are now in an over-supplied sector
and something has to give. Whether what gives is the company,
reputation, the range or the quality and reliability of the watches
is yet to be determined. However, the simple truth is that quality
still counts and so does breeding. If you want a quality timepiece
that reflects your status, character and good taste then you are
going to have to use your intelligence and your wallet.
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CAVEAT
EMPTOR - THE BUYER BEWARE!
There are dangers out there too. Whilst doctoring in a well known
watch showroom in Yorkshire I saw an increasing number of fake
watches. Actually the terms used include "replicas"
and "copies". The early fakes/copies were not fooling
anyone. Not fooling the trade and usually not the customer. The
gold rubbed off, hands and winders fell off, they usually leaked
like sieves and all that. Very poor health indeed! The easiest
and most obvious sign was the quartz movements powering what should
have been automatic watches! The dicky ticker is not what you
want in your watch. If you are not familiar with difference please
look at the dictionary on this site.
But the jerky single steps of the second hand instead of a majestic
and steady sweep around the dial were too obvious to miss on copies
of automatic models.
Then
something changed. The watches had gone up in quality even to
the extent of copying the materials used in the originals such
as steel or gold. Dials and logos were now very convincing and
much of this was simply that computer aided design and manufacturing
technologies had become accessible and affordable. More significantly
the use of affordable mass produced automatic movements out of
Japan (miyota), India and China signalled the end of easily detectable
quartz technology. Now the replica 18ct gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual
(automatic) Submariner really was automatic and made in 18 carat
gold. Why? Simply to deceive someone somewhere down the line.
The real Rolex would be worth £12,000+ so the real gold
replica at £4,000+ could actually make sense, particularly
if you got some unsuspecting jeweller to insure it as genuine
for you.
The
moral of this tale? If you want the real thing then buy
it from real people! People who have the track record
and authenticity required to ensure that the fool and his money
aren't soon parted in their establishment. I want you to know
that there are real people and real shops backing up this web
business.
This
brings me to another warning: watch out there's web crooks
about. I have seen many replicas on internet sites that
are being positioned as to not actually ever say that they are
not genuine. I had a businessman bring a solid gold Rolex in for
servicing that he bought on the internet as genuine. Was he upset
when he found out it was a fake? Did the dicky ticker give his
own ticker a nasty turn? You could say so, yes, but at least with
our help and the help of a major credit card company we began
the process of getting him sorted out.
So
one key rule when buying a good (which usually means expensive)
timepiece is to get confirmation of its authenticity from the
seller. Not just a verbal confirmation but a written one. A certificate
of good health for your watch is an important factor in your investment.
Often, over time, pre-loved watches become separated from their
original warranties and certificates. However, any reputable supplier
should be more than willing to provide substitute paperwork and
guarantee your timepiece accordingly. If they resist your request
for written guarantees and authenticity take your business elsewhere.
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CHOOSING
THE WATCH FOR YOU
Owning and wearing a wristwatch isn't just about having easy access
to the time. It's also one of the visible statements of your
character, status and, to be blunt, taste or lack thereof!
One of the first things I notice when meeting people is the watch
they wear. The person representing a modern and expensive design
agency isn't wearing just any old timepiece. The financier advising
you on your next massive deal doesn't drive a cheap motor and
he doesn't wear a cheap watch either!
The
watches they wear enhance an overall image they are choosing to
project into the world around them. The fact that over 90% of
professional high quality divers watches never get wet isn't because
they can't take the pressure! It's because the wearers have those
watches to enhance their self-image as sporty, adventurous people
who CAN take the pressure. The same applies to chronographs which
again seldom actually get used to measure elapsed time or to calculate
hourly production rates. And, guess what, pilot watches (particularly
famous ones such as Breitling) are worn by more people who have
never been at the controls of a plane than those who have. The
point is that with Breitling, again as an example, the brand IS
worn by professional civilian and military pilots all over the
world. I met the famous Royal Air Force Red Arrows UK display
team once and they were all wearing their Breitling Aerospace
chronometers!
Role
models are an important factor is making a watch buying decision
too. Many celebrities wear their watches very prominently. Most
fans of David Beckham have seen his diamond Jacobs & Co watch.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (yes I CAN spell it) is an ambassador for
Audemars Piguet and has had models designed by them for wear in
films such as "End of Days" and the "Terminator"
series. The classic watch icon is James Bond as can be seen with
Sean Connery being faithful to Ian Fleming's work by wearing a
Rolex Submariner in his films. Roger Moore in his time as 007
wore Rolex but went on to utilise the gadgetry of Seiko watches.
Today Pierce Brosnan has made Omega's Seamaster one of the most
recognised watches in the world. So if you have more than a little
of the James Bond about you the choice of Omega, Rolex or a more
technical Seiko might be worthy of further research. The Bruce
Willis "Die Hard" series brought Tag Heuer some street
cred too!
Your
friendly Watch Doctor loves watch-spotting at the movies and has
even spotted some amazing hybrids! For a small fee I might be
encouraged to check my case notes and reveal more.
Because
most successful people, business, celebrity or whatever, are quite
self-aware they construct their appearance according to the situation.
The clothes, cologne, shaven or unshaven look, the Jewellery,
the watch even the mobile phone contribute to an overall effect
that either works or it doesn't.
So
much of human communication is non-verbal that our immediate impressions
of people are actually least influenced by what they say. The
real factors in our "reading" of them are what they
DON'T say. It's our (mainly subconscious) appraisal of their body
language, appearance and, most interestingly, how contiguous they
are. This is a psychological term which relates to how much the
overall effect hangs together. If something is out of place or
jars with the overall effect we notice this and reduce our confidence
accordingly.
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GETTING
INTO CHARACTER
Having come this far with your Watch Doctor I am hopeful that
you accept how your watch says so much about you. Because
we are many different people depending on the circumstances and
our objectives it shouldn't surprise you that I prescribe owning
several watches for this reason.
My
own collection is now in the hundreds of watches but I have a
selection of about 12 that I regularly utilise as part of my "make
up" when preparing for an appearance in the many and varied
aspects of my personal and professional life.
So
the best thing is to decide some key aspects of your personality,
lifestyle and status that can be reflected in the timepieces you
wear. So what general kind of character would you want to project
yourself as? Here are a few characteristics that can be enhanced
or hampered by the choice of watch on your wrist:-
·
Sporty?
· Adventurous?
· Professional?
· Modern?
· Conservative?
· Worldly?
· Radical?
· Wealthy but discrete?
· Wealthy and proud of it?
· Fashion conscious?
· Reserved?
· Mature?
· Young at heart?
· Mysterious?
Of
course you can combine them and ask your watch supplier to assist
you in selecting a timepiece that reflects you as Professional,
Worldly but wealthy and discrete. If a man came to me presenting
such symptoms I would prescribe perhaps a Rose Gold Girard Perregeaux
World Timer on leather strap. This watch oozes quality in a restrained
manner which usually means discrete wealth. The World Timer functionality
implies one who travels the world and/or need to keep in contact
with people around the globe. The size, subdued 18 carat gold
and the classical leather strap give off a sense of restraint
and professionalism. Matched with the right suit, etc the watch
WORKS for the projected image.
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CHOOSE
YOUR MATERIAL
The material your watch is made of is an important consideration.
There is actually quite a choice facing the unsuspecting watch
hunter. Currently you can have a watch made from one of, or even
combinations of, the following materials:
- Steel
- Stainless, 316L
- Copper
- Silver
- Gold
- 9/14/18 carat in yellow, rose or white
- Platinum
- Titanium
- Ceramic
- Plastic
- Rubber
Now
the material chosen has the obvious effect on how the watch looks
and even the impression it may give of its value. However, the
material is also important in terms of the durability and appearance
over time. Most sports watches that are purchased for the genuine
purpose of wear during strenuous or dangerous pursuits will be
manufactured in steel or titanium if they are high quality - such
as Rolex, IWC, Audemars Piguet, Tag Heuer and Omega. The watch
crystal is usually synthetic sapphire which gives excellent clarity
and high scratch resistance. Often the crystal will also be treated
to reduce reflections. Economy sports watches will more likely
utilise mainly synthetics for case parts such as plastics with
some steel elements. The fabulously rugged and inexpensive Casio
G-Shocks are a good example of this category.
Ceramics
have made a strong entry into the watch world and the most memorable
and celebrated ceramic watches are produced by Rado who marketed
the world's first scratchproof watch a surprisingly long time
ago!
There
are many steel and gold mixed metal sports watches available too
and are usually referred to as 'bi-metal'. Just as an interesting
aside, our UK hallmarking of precious metals regulations usually
require such watches to be advertised as 'steel and yellow metal'.
However, rest assured, if you took all the yellow metal from a
bi-metal Rolex Submariner and sent it to the assay office it would
be hallmarked as 18 carat (750) gold!
Just
a word of caution form your friendly Doc, gold is softer and therefore
less hard wearing than steel. So if you select a bi-metal watch
for genuine sports wear please expect the gold areas to show scratches
and wear after time. Perhaps an annual 'valet' would be a good
idea when you can have those all important seals checked, the
movement serviced and the outside refurbished to give it given
a new look?
For
the heftier larger sized sports watches such as the legendary
Panerai, and the bigger Breitlings, you might consider opting
to purchase the titanium model. Titanium is an incredible and
impressive metal. Not only is it a lot lighter than steel it is
also stronger, hypo allergenic - it is used in human bodies in
replacement hips for example - and resists chemical action in
most environments! The upshot is that as I write this I have on
my wrist a massive Luminor Panerai in titanium which, if it was
steel, would be too heavy for me to wear whilst typing on my laptop.
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IT'S
LIFE JIM, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT
Okay, I confess to being a Star Trek fan! Actually I am one of
the very few people who have piloted the original Starship Enterprise
with my two daughters taking the helm ( I have the stills to prove
it), but there was room for only one doctor on that bridge…
Anyway,
I want to address the matter of the special complications and
functions available in watches. As a tool for your particular
lifestyle or as a statement of character, there are various functions
that can be built into that remarkably small area on the back
of your wrist. So let's explore a few. For this exercise I am
going to stick with mechanical watches as the functions of electronic/quartz
watches are so numerous we don't have space or time enough here,
even with warp drive!
The
simplest and most obvious function of a watch is to display the
time. On many dress watches this is simply by two hands giving
hours and minutes. The third hand for seconds appears more often
than not but it can be at the centre on the same axis as the hour
and minute hands or it can be offset in its own smaller subsidiary
dial.
The
next addition is the date as a number appearing in a small aperture
or 'date window' which can be in various locations around
the dial. The most traditional position used to be where the number
three would be. Often the date can be made more easily seen by
a lens over it as can be seen on Rolex watches with their 'cyclops'
lens. Rolex then went a stage further and added the day of the
week, spelt out in full, as seen in their 'day date' models.
In many watch brands the day often appears in a shortened form
next to the date at the three o'clock position.
You
can also have a function called 'triple date' which shows
not only the day and date but also the month. If this is mechanically
set to know and correctly display the different number of days
in each month it is called a 'perpetual calendar'. Many
of these cannot allow for a leap year though as this requires
additional mechanical complications. A true perpetual calendar
that can also allow for leap years by displaying the year or elapsed
years since the last leap year is a grand complication and usually
a rare and expensive timepiece such as produced by Patek Phillipe,
IWC, Ulysses Nardin and Zenith.
Another
complication, which I happen to think is also very attractive,
is the 'Moonphase'. This requires a mechanical addition
to the watch movement that makes a full rotation once every 29.5
days. The dial of the watch has a small window through which a
night sky with a moon makes it day by day journey Full Moon to
Full Moon. There have been some watches that have additional astronomical
and even astrological complications added. Watches that track
the planets on their orbits by additional hands and dials are
VERY expensive and RARE but great investment pieces too! If these
interest you then check out such timepieces as the Astrolabium
Gallilei by Ulysses Nardin and the Da Vinci by IWC or perhaps
a grand complication by Patek Phillipe.
The
most usual complication is the 'chronograph' which simply
means that the watch has a stopwatch function. There are variations
on this theme with some that measure elapsed time for up to 30
minutes or perhaps 45 minutes (often the vintage models do this
with curious intervals which actually were used to measure the
length of international telephone calls in the days when calling
aunty Sally in Sydney was a big deal!) but the famous sports chronographs
such as the Rolex Daytona measure secs, mins and hours up to 12
hours.
By
the way please don't make the fairly common mistake and confuse
'chronograph' with 'chronometer' as they are two
very different things. A chronometer is a watch movement that
has undergone strict testing for 15 days and nights at the COSC
(Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres) the official
Swiss chronometer testing organisation. For the 15 days and nights
the watch movement undergoes time keeping tests in 5 different
positions and is also subjected to rapid and carefully measured
temperature changes. The variations in accuracy are noted and
compiled to give an overall variance rated as plus or minus in
seconds. No watch manufacturer can classify its watches as 'chronometers'
unless they have been tested and granted that official certification
by COSC.
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SHOW ME THE MONEY
Once you have decided on the image you want the watch to project,
the material you prefer, and any specialist functions you'd like
it to have, you are well on the way to owning a timepiece that
will do your personality, lifestyle and status credit. So now
you need to go out there and seek out the timepiece that fits
the bill. Talking of the 'bill', we need to think about the COST
of acquiring your watch dear patient.
Actually
I learnt a great lesson many years ago when a salesman I admired
demonstrated an interesting but highly appropriate point of view.
He'd done a great job on selling the package and overcoming the
various objections from the client. Then the client came out with
that magic question: "How much is this going to cost me?"
That question has haunted many a salesperson! That's a buying
signal but also a possible end to the whole process when discounting
and so on isn't enough. What did my colleague say?
"I
can see that you appreciate this package and know what it can
do for your business. I am asking for an investment from you of
£2,000 for the first print run."
His
thought process on answering the question was sheer magic if you
ask me. What had he done? He'd ignored any idea of cost - that's
money going away from you - and instead put forward the idea of
investment - that's money that's going to come back to you! What
he was doing was demonstrating his understanding of value. Generating
value doesn't restrict an investment to simply actual money coming
back from an earlier outlay. No, it implies a whole raft of ways
you benefit from your purchase that have value to you physically,
mentally, spiritually, financially and emotionally. What price
do you put on admiration from friends? What is a successful interview
worth?
So
when planning a watch purchase you should put yourself into an
investment value generation mind-set not a cost one. By buying
a good quality timepiece that works for you in the ways we have
already explored is going to generate value for you. If you take
good advice when purchasing you can also maximise the actual buying
power of your money and possibly see the resale value of your
watch holding good.
When
you look at watches and decide on certain ones you would consider
owning, stay within your budget comfort zone but also be aware
that you can extend your buying power. Price negotiation never
offends and any good watch retailer or dealer will always welcome
SENSIBLE exploration of how you might go upmarket for your budget.
There are various methods of extending your buying power such
as discounts, interest free credit, part exchanges, use of credit
cards and so on.
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YOU
GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
As my old pappy used to say back in the mean old days "if
someone sells you a horse cheap, go up to it, grab it by the jaws,
open its mouth and take a damn good look at its teeth!"
The
thing is that if a deal looks or sounds too good to be true, the
chances are that it simply IS too good to be true. So be wise
and take your wallet somewhere else sharpish! You need to accept
that quality costs and top quality costs top money. Now the negotiating
process can certainly help in trimming your investment but so
can avoiding depreciation.
I
have now owned and enjoyed eight top of the range Volvo cars over
the past 12 years. They all looked great, had fabulous specifications
and all enhanced my image as a successful but careful Watch Doctor.
Only one of them was bought new and it lost several thousand pounds
the moment I drove it off the garage forecourt. Since then I have
always bought pre-loved Volvos that have been on the road for
1 or 2 years with full service history and been driven by careful
owners.
Why
settle for these pre-loved cars? Simply because these great motors
have had the depreciation in value from new paid for by the previous
owners. Any teething troubles have been sorted and the condition
the car is in shows how well it will continue to last. That makes
them an investment and not a cost as far as I am concerned. The
good news is that you can do exactly the same thing when it comes
to investing in watches!
Pre-loved
watches from the top brand names are a great way to move up to
a higher aspiration in watch ownership. It makes great financial
sense and only you know its true age and history once it's on
your wrist. I own and wear some fabulous top name watches that,
quite frankly, I couldn't or wouldn't afford to buy when new.
I can recommend this prescription as a great way to own and wear
some wonderful watches.
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THE
LAST WORD
Quite frankly I could go on for pages yet, such is my passion
for the wonderful world of watch ownership. However, I have a
surgery to attend to and no doubt patients to care for. So to
round off I think I will give you my prescription for healthy
watch buying. Whether or not you take this excellent medicine
is entirely up to you. Thank you for your time and attention.
Good luck with your watch hunting and as a certain scientist used
to say "Live long and prosper"!
PRESCRIPTION
Take
a careful look at yourself and decide what aspects of your personality,
profession or status you want a watch to promote.
Look
at any role models you might admire and identify the watches they
wear.
Set
a sensible budget bearing in mind that you are investing in something
that will generate value for you in many ways.
Beware
of the large number of fakes/copies/replicas now on the market.
They are not always identified as such and you get what you pay
for. If a watch is offered at a price that's too good to be true
- then it's usually exactly that so avoid spending your money.
Do
your homework. Look at shops, ask for brochures and also use the
internet to get as well informed as you care to be about any watch
brands and models that interest you.
Always
deal with real people. This doesn't exclude buying on the internet
providing you can access real contact addresses and people. Also
look to see that the payment method is secure.
Always
negotiate but do so sensibly. The other person has to make a living
too.
Look
at the potential for going upmarket through negotiating discount,
credit terms or even part exchange.
Explore the potential of avoiding depreciation by looking at pre-loved
watches.
Always
insist on written guarantees and, where appropriate, written confirmation
of authenticity. Just because a watch has become separated from
its original packaging and papers doesn't mean its not a good
buy for you.
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