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*This guide is not complete, I will add more stuff, feel free to contribute in the comments.

Buying a watch may seem simple, but there are five things you have to look out for first before buying.

  1. Fitting: There are many sizes of watches; some may seem big and heavy or too small on your hand. Picking the right size is very important. That’s why you should always try a watch on your hand first!
    Watch Size Guide: What’s the Perfect Size for Your Wrist?
    How to Measure Your Wrist for a Watch: A Step-by-Step

  2. Price/Budget: Ask yourself first, “How much am I willing to pay for a watch?” Then set a price range and search for the one you are looking for.

  3. Movement: Movements are the heart of the watch, what makes them operate every day, and so there are three movements to choose from: quartz, manual, and automatic.

    • 3.1 Quartz watch movement uses a battery as its primary power source to keep time. Quartz watches are also known for accurate timekeeping.

    • 3.2 Manual watch movements require the wearer to wind the watch by hand regularly. Turning the crown winds the mainspring, storing energy that powers the watch until it needs winding again.

    • 3.3 Automatic watch movements, also known as self-winding movements, harness the natural motion of the wearer’s wrist. A rotor inside the watch spins with movement, winding the mainspring automatically.
      Different Watch Movements Explained
      Watch Movement Types Explained By The Experts

  4. Style/design: Whether you are looking for a dress watch, a diver’s watch, or an everyday watch, you have to choose based on your style. Be sure to consider the colour of the case, the dial, the straps, the numerics (Roman or Arabic), and so on.

The Ultimate Watch Buying Guide
A Man’s Guide to Wristwatches: How to Choose a Watch


Watch Brand hierarchy/guide

Consumer Enthusiast Quasi-Luxury
Bulova Alpina Anordain
Calvin Klein Archimede Ball
Casio Aristo Baume & Mercier
Citizen Damasko Christopher Ward
DW Doxa Ebel
Fossil Edox Eberhard
Invicta Farer Epos
Junkers Glycine Eterna
Mathey Tissot Hamilton Formex
Mondaine Laco Fortis
Movado Le Jour Gucci
MVMT Luminox Hanhart
Nixon Marathon Junghans
Orient Revue Thommen Longines
Pulsar Seiko Prospex Maurice Lacroix
Sea-gull SevenFriday Meister Singer
Seiko Squales Mido
Skagen Steinhart Monta
Stuhrling Stowa Muehle-Glashuette
Swatch Yema Oris
Timex Zodiac Rado
Tissot Frédérique Constant Raymond Weil
Victorinox Sinn
Vostok Titoni
Tourby
Tutima
Union Glashuette/SA
Wempe
ZRC
Entry-Leven Luxury Luxury High-End Luxury
Bell & Ross Breitling BlancPain
Bremont Bulgari Row 2
Carl F.Bucherer Cartier Chopard
Chanel ChronoSwiss Credor
Graham Corum Frank Muller
Hermes Dior Girard-Perregaux
Kurono Tokyo Grand Seiko Glashuette Original
Minase IWC Harry Winston
Ming Louis Vuitton Hubolt
MontBlanc Officine Panerai Jaeger-Le-Coultre
Nomos Omega Roger Dubuis
TagHeuer Zenith Rolex
Tiffany & Co Ulysse Nardin
Tudor
Vulcain
Ultra Luxury
A. Lange & Söhne
Richard Mile
Armin Strom
Arnold & Son
Audemars Piguet
Bovet
Breguet
CZAPEK
H. Moser & Cie.
Jaquet Droz
MB&F
Patek Philippe
Piaget
Ressence
Vacheron Constantin
Van Cleef & Arpels

AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants)
F.P Journe
Philippe Dufour