Watch Buying Guides
Plain-English guides for buying mechanical and quartz watches. Written from the catalog data — every claim about size, movement, or price retention links back to a watch you can verify against.
Buying
Do Watches Hold Their Value?
Most watches lose 30-50% of MSRP on the secondary market. A specific shortlist of references holds 90% or appreciates. Here's how to tell which is which.
What Size Watch Should I Get?
The right watch size depends on wrist circumference and lug-to-lug, not diameter alone. Most wrists land in the 38-42mm range. Here's how to figure out yours.
Explainer
What Is a Microbrand Watch?
A microbrand is a small, independent watchmaker — usually run by 1-10 people — selling direct-to-consumer at prices between $200 and $2,000. Here's how they differ from mainstream brands.
Automatic vs Quartz vs Manual Movements
Quartz is battery-powered, accurate, and cheap. Automatic winds itself from wrist motion. Manual is wound by hand. Here's how to pick between them.