The short history of men's watches
The first timepieces were developed in the 14th century and featured mechanical movement. Batteries hadn't been invented yet. The big milestone for timepieces was the clock button, which lets us wind up the clock, generating enough energy to run it for some time. In the next 500 years improvements were made to mechanical movement, until the late 1900s when quartz watches started replacing mechanical watches in an era called "The Quartz Crisis." High-end watch brands are still making mechanical watches. They've recently gone back to fashion, perhaps because most show the inside workings of the mechanical movements. This really brings back some old-school charm, especially when it comes to pocket watches!
Watches movements
Men's watches vary widely in thickness. This is strictly a question of the watches' inner workings. Many people have a penchant for mechanical watches because their seconds hands sweep in a fluid motion, whereas those on quartz watches have a more choppy movement, as illustrated below.
Mechanical movements – Expensive watches
Mechanical clockwork is non-electronic and functions solely thanks to the mechanical energy it stores from the winding process. Inside the watch, a spring is wound tightly and provides between 1 to 5 days of operation until it's literally wound down. As a rule, run time depends on the quality of the watch. There are two kinds of mechanical watches: manual and automatic.
The manual mechanical watch is wound up by turning the knob on the side of the watch,
but with an automatic mechanical watch it's actually getting energy from your kinetic movements so you never have to wind it up if you wear it a lot. Because mechanical watches are both thick and wide, they're not suitable for boys and they tend to be in the higher price ranges.
Quartz movements — inexpensive watches
Quartz movement watches rely on the energy derived from the vibrations of a quartz crystal that oscillates in a specific and precise interval. This interval is what makes the seconds hand move in a choppy manner instead of a clean sweep. There are many reasons why quartz movement replaced mechanical movement watches.
- Quartz is much more accurate
- Quartz is less expensive to make
- Quartz inner workings need much less space
- Quartz watches can be smaller and not as thick
So if you are in the market for an inexpensive watch, quartz movement is for you.
Daniel Wellington They keep accurate time and the battery lasts approximately two years. So for good quality at very reasonable prices, quartz is the solution.
At Trendhim we virtually never have sales unless individual watch models are going to be phased out of our product offerings. This does not mean that you can't find an inexpensive watch with us. See our prices drop-down menu.
Watch functionality.
What is the difference between a chronograph, chronometer and tachometer? We've listed their distinctions below.
Chronometer
Chronometer refers to the precision of a watch being accurate enough to be used for celestial navigation by mariners. Back in the day, it was mandatory to have a chronometer when going to sea. Although many people still have them as backups, they have mostly been replaced by wireless systems. To get the official stamp of approval as a chronometer, a watch must undergo rigorous testing at the famous Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute. There, the watch is tested for over 2 weeks at different temperatures and locations. All of that maximum precision does come at a higher price of course.
Chronograph
Essentially a chronograph-equipped watch means that it has stopwatch functionalities.
Tachometer
A tachometer is a watch function that can help you measure speed by relating time passed to distance covered. The tachometer scale is usually placed on the crown or the face of the watch.
Watches and water
How much water can a watch endure, and what happens when it rains? Can you wear a watch when you go swimming? Yes and no. It all depends on the watch you're looking at. On the back of the watch casing, you should see sometimes like "Waterproof 10m" which in no way means that you can wear it to a depth of 10m. Seems misleading, doesn’t it?
The list below shows how the different depths/pressures must be interpreted.
10m depth = 1ATM (atmospheric pressure).
10meter / 1ATM
| The watch can handle a little spray or drizzle of water. |
| 30meter / 3ATM | The watch can easily cope with rain and splashes of water. |
| 50meter / 5ATM | The watch is safe to wear in the shower or during a swim in shallow water.
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| 100meter / 10ATM | The watch is water resistant for any activity except deep diving.
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| 150meter / 15ATM | Use for any underwater activity. |
Can I purchase a boy's watch?
Yes, we estimate that any quartz watch would do, but not the mechanical watches because of their size. A boy's watch face should be 4cm (1 9/16") or less in diameter and a leather strap would be preferable. Use the menu at the top of the page to find quartz and leather strap combinations.
