How to Tell if a Watch is Well-Made

over the last several years i've had the opportunity to handle thousands of different watches and with that experience i've handled a lot of good watches and honestly some not so good watches but one fact remains the same is there is usually an objective way of looking at a watch to determine whether or not it's quality but with more people buying watches online and you're just trying to identify you know what's good versus what's bad and say you're just getting in to watch for the first time being able to decipher a good watch from bad watch on the initial onset of looking at something is a bit more difficult than some might expect so in this video we're going to be looking at is seven different ways to identify a quality watch going over some common characteristics that i have found in the past of course these are not going to be all telltale signs but are good things to know about look for when you're trying to identify a properly made watch so in this video what we're going to be doing is basically two parts first look at why mechanical watches are so expensive just to kind of set the tone there the foundation then we're going to look at the seven different categories for identifying a properly made watch before we jump into this video definitely check out the new consultation feature on teddyballstar.com for a full authorized dealer of 30 brands if you see any watch on our website that you have questions about before purchasing feel free to book a time with dedicated watch specialists these are watch nerds helping out other watch nerds make the best purchase for them so do not be shy take advantage of that feature teddybalzhar.com so as we start to explore this idea of what types of traits demonstrate a well-made watch it's important to take a moment to consider the reality that mechanical timepieces are simply more expensive compared to quartz counterparts and why exactly that is the case to put it simply quartz movements are less difficult to produce and require a lot fewer parts and that lower level of complexity also lends itself to mass production in a process that requires little to no human intervention to contrast that with something like the edit 28 24 2 one of the more popular third party calibers coming out of switzerland it's a relatively straightforward caliber by mechanical standards tracking time and date and of course also being equipped with a rotor and automatic winding mechanism even with these fairly pedestrian capabilities for mechanical watch standards the edit 2824 still consists of around well over 100 individual components many of which simply have to be assembled by hand by a person with a reasonable amount of training and experience to do so all driving the costs up in the process in addition this whole process takes time like a lot of time especially compared to an almost completely autonomous process like we have with a quartz movement and time of course costs money none of this is to say that mechanical movements are higher tech they aren't the swiss level escapement which acts as the beating heart of the vast majority of mechanical movements nowadays dates back to the mid 1700s and while modern manufacturing tolerances and materials have massively improved and refined mechanical watch movements the basic way in which a watch operates has changed very little over the last several decades with that in mind what drives people to mechanical watches tends to be the combination of appreciation of the craftsmanship and the hand work that goes into making one the artisanal aspects of watchmaking especially movement finishing and a love for the idea of time keeping as a result of a tiny enclosed mechanical process as opposed to something more digital to put it bluntly it's not a logical or objective pursuit but rather a subjective emotional play to enthusiasts who appreciate everything that goes into their watches while freely acknowledging there are more accurate and more cheaper ways to tell the time understanding this general subjective viewpoint of mechanical watches allows us to better delve into this topic a couple points before we jump into this video one is no quartz watch is gonna be looking at mechanical watches and then number two i'm not going to be using it as a dead giveaway hey like brand is one of the things that hey if it's made by this brand it's a good watch i think that's a dead giveaway we want to look at actual attributes of a watch that will help you identify regardless of who makes it whether it is properly made so now for our first point here we have materials and to begin with just the case construction itself most watches are going to come with a stainless steel case often 316l which refers to a surgical quality stainless steel it's robust it can take on corrosion and is going to be very versatile in a variety of situations and is easier to work with than other materials now stainless steel is not necessarily an expensive material to use so this is kind of just the standard also when dealing with vintage watches there were sometimes cases where they weren't actually making the full case in stainless steel and then on the flip side say something like a stainless steel case back that's also sometimes a way to identify this you can also look at some other materials so a couple points of note one would be titanium titanium is commonly used and seen as a more premium material it's a little bit harder to deal with also there are different grades of titanium that are often referenced grade two titanium is typically the one you're going to be seeing grade 5 is going to be a bit more resistant to surface level scratching but that's something to maybe look out for if they're marketing it as grade 5 that's typically a great indication that this brand is not really cutting any corners in this arena also you can look at other materials like bronze now bronze is a bit more of a i would say debated material but just to be using it in general i think goes to show that this is not just a brand that is going about just throwing something out there flippantly and just just seeing if people will buy it i usually don't want some intention but in terms of being a material that is sought after that's a different story bronze and i would say day-to-day utility is not seen as a very premium material it tarnishes very easy but i think that's a reason why some people like it then you can also look at ceramic and ceramic is mostly going to be reserved to bezel inserts but where it really can get complex is when actual brands are taking a full ceramic case and utilizing it in that front now this is very hard to manipulate and create because you're dealing with high temperatures molds that you have to develop and when you're dealing with that type of creation it's difficult to mold ceramic the same way as steel would be because it's not going to bend or be as pliable in addition to that when you're dealing with bracelet ends and things of that sort using the material and where they're using it is just going to be more challenging cases like rotto with their ceramic cases or recently with tudor in the black-based ceramic or looking at omega with some of their ceramic cases definitely look out for those things and kind of keep that in mind different types of materials and how that can affect the manufacturing process these are not materials that just any brand is going to throw out there it's actually a pretty short list if they're making that out of ceramic then you're moving into gold now gold is a little bit more difficult to understand just because there are different uh amounts of densities of gold and what is being used so just understand the basics there 18 karat gold and above is usually what you want to see here for the actual material being used in addition a couple other things to consider for gold is and how manufacturers maybe get around it with either the look or how it's being executed is looking at the actual application of it is it an outer plating so gold plating is going to be the worst of the worst in terms of actual use case of gold because this can flake there's also gold capping i found from personal experience that this is a great way of bypassing a full solid gold case but also providing a good level of flexibility and resistance against scratches it's not going to be gold all the way through but it's going to be more solid than plating and you have full actual gold all the way through the case so definitely understand those differences when looking at watches then you also can talk about crystals now crystals i think sapphire is generally seen as the most desirable and that's really coming down to its resistance against scratches but i do think more than anything what's going to identify a properly executed crystal versus when it's not is how it pairs with the watch case as well as maybe how it's treated so looking at things like coatings like ar coating is it on the underneath side or on the top as well maybe have double ar coating also look at the doming effect of crystals now when you're looking at a sapphire this is usually a better sign of a manufacturer taking a little bit more effort considering a traditional flat sapphire crystal they're actually very cheap to get it's really that process of molding it or changing the shape of it that's going to create that challenge with that sapphire glass now mineral acrylic those are other points of consideration now typically there are other reasons why people will go for mineral crystals or acrylic crystals and i can get more into this in the future but simply put it's mostly for the aesthetics i would say for in the case like a hazel like crystal and mega speed master i think it really does bring the design together allows it to have this vintage hue so just understand the push and pull effect when you're dealing with crystals so now for the next kind of section here looking at bracelets now bracelets for me are a true telltale sign that a watch brand is all about the business when they're developing their watches typically when you're talking about under a thousand dollars bracelets are not seen as an opportunity to show your watchmaking shops but instead kind of cut corners and cut costs so that you can just build the central case to the best ability that you can and be the most competitive that you can so this is certainly an area where a lot of manufacturers cut corners when the right manufacturer's doing it right some things that you can look for are going to be the links themselves are they hollow are you talking about solid end links things of that sort that just kind of exude a little bit more of i would say exceptional production now another area where you can look is the clasp now the clasp is typically one of the more difficult areas to produce for a manufacturer and there are different things there's mild class there's stamp clasps now it's not always you know better or worse but typically mild class are going to be more desirable this is just a different process in which it is going to actually be created a stamp class that's exactly as you would sound it's just being created through a stamping type of process and just pressed into place now that's not to say there aren't good ones out there say like marathon watches for example they have stamp class and that allows it to be a little bit thinner but that's something to look out for micro adjustment the security of the locking mechanism a great example of this is with tutor they have ceramic pins that will be set within the clasp to allow nice wear over time so with that locking and unlocking that process can create a lot of tension and friction and over time with continued process there that could create a lot of challenges as the mechanism might not be as secure as it was when you first got the watch so that's something to look out for as well other small details to look for are how the links are held into place most cases they're going to be using a pin system or a pin and collar system at the more affordable end but not always the case there are many high horology luxury watches that still use this type of system so you can't just use it as a blanket statement but typically this is reserved for less premium bracelets on the market there were also of course the i would say more desirable screwed in lengths that will allow you to with a small watch makers screwdriver adjust the links more precisely in this kind of same light there's also other different bracelets something like i'm wearing right now a hexling screw from zen these i think have a lot of shared characteristics with screwed in links and go to show that manufacturers not trying to cut corners and are thinking about how to make those adjustments when you have the watch other things you want to look for is the articulation of the bracelet links when you are first holding a bracelet if it is a very smooth underside it's breathable you want those elements because it's going to allow that strap or that brace i should say to fit on your wrist much better and also offer some breathability when it is very tight and there's not those breathable sections in the bracelet that's where you get that horrible hair pulling effect that can be often seen in a lot of those really entry level bracelets on the market say like sub 500 and very similar to bracelets also looking at straps i think the general thing here i have a video i don't know if it'll be out at the time of releasing this but going through all the things you need to know about different straps but understand the different materials and what goes into the creation of a strap straps believe it or not are very difficult to make straps you want to know the different you know full grain top grain understand the different approach there and how it's utilizing the hide then getting into genuine leather and also just different bonded leather of course you want to stay away like the plague from bonded leather because that is not going to age well over time at all understand the different types of materials and exotics and what animals are actually being used in the creation of these different leathers a big thing to look out for and just be aware of are grains and by grains i mean alligator grain crocodile grain this is done for two different reasons in some cases brands are trying to be deceptive and creating a reptilian look or upscale look because it is very expensive to get your hands on these materials on these hides but when you are looking on the flip end on maybe a little bit less of an insidious type of path for brands it's also used as a way to kind of bypass going to different parts of the world a lot of restrictions we were talking about these exotic materials and going over different borders so pretty simply just know the different types of leather where the material is coming from on that animal and knowing the different qualities now we're looking at case finishing and dial finishing and to begin with case finishing here things that i look out for when looking at a case is a couple things how well are the surface treatments so the brush finishing can you actually see those brush marks like if you ever seen like really good just vertical or horizontal brushing you can actually see the brush strokes when that was actually being applied by the watchmaker that's a great indicator the polished surfaces how reflective are they how sharp are those reflective surfaces as a great example of this of course is going to be your grand seiko with their zaratsu polishing on the side of their cases it looks almost like a luxury sports car with like this aerodynamic nature to it and you're talking about broad polished surfaces this is a very unique technique shared by them but also the distinction of polishing and how it goes between two different surfaces looking at those lines looking at even like a tudor black bay 58 a lot of this is subconscious too the reason why i think this case is so attractive in many ways of course it has its own unique flair but it's almost that small little hairline bevel that polished edge along the side of the lugs in the case that really allows it to pop just a bit more and it kind of goes unnoticed also looking at the tiso prx we're talking about a watch that is 375 dollars but you can look at this watch underneath the macro lens or even with the naked eye and you can just tell that they didn't cut corners here this is a well finished case look at that polished edge of the side of the case or maybe even look at the polishing between the links that's always a great telltale sign that a brand is not cutting corners here breaking apart the different faceted elements of the case does it have more of a slabbed off straight downside or does it have different elements that kind of stack when looking at it from that side angle of the case all of these elements really help in identifying a well-finished case versus one that is not well finished it is a little bit more difficult to do online but if you're able to see real photos these are things are going to jump out at you then moving into dial finishing and i think most people's eyes they just kind of go right into the dial at the onset when they're examining a watch so this is a little bit easier for people to identify but just general things to look for just the finish on the dial itself is it texturized is it have a bit more of a matte sunburst effect not to say that any of these are necessarily better than others but what is the effect of the dial surface itself but some of the best indicators of this are going to be just the finishing elements on the hands do they have polished ends are the markers printed or applied now applied i would find is mostly going to be sought after a bit more or seen as more premium because each one of those elements are being hand applied to the dial but that's not too diminished printed a well printed dial you know say something like a vacheron 1921 you look at those printed numerals up close it looks like a calligrapher bloody was just handwriting those because honestly that is what's happening there's hand printing and then there's just a simple pressing process where printing is kind of seen as a shortcut say you're looking at something like the tiso gentlemen looking at the gentleman and the finishing on those applied markers you have brush finishing on the tops and then polish edges on the side and it really works well with the entire case you want to create a story with your dial and what you're looking at there i think this is just such a great opportunity for brands even at a more affordable end to show kind of some of their chops and you look at brands like a seiko who do does an exceptional job in the more attainable end and making a well finished dial that's a great way to probably set a appropriate kind of standard or at least where you know exceptional should be at a more attainable perspective another execution you might see when you're talking about applied markers is kind of this cantilevered effect how are the markers displayed uh say something like the zenith d phi they're almost set off like little diving boards cantilever kind of creating that really interesting three-dimensional look that sucks the viewer in and is something you don't notice right away but if you do have an eye for it you can identify it just think about the manufacturing of that and how that creates much more of a dynamic that brings the eyes in than maybe normal other things i look for is just the execution of complications on a dial i think the best way if you're talking about it from an attainable end is a date window does it look like they just threw a date window in there as an afterthought and in a lot of cases that is going to happen because based on the movement that they're using if they're using a simple third-party movement a lot of cases what they'll just end up doing is just putting a date on there just because the movement comes with a date so you can typically tell when manufacturers have that thought process because typically it's just like jammed in there and doesn't have a lot of thought after that what i'm looking for here is like outline maybe more of a stepped approach here but distinctive separation between that complication and the rest of the dial a couple other things guilloche clu de perry any dial surface effect that just creates a very entrancing type of approach now just be careful with some of these different finishes not to say that they look bad but there is hand application of this and then there's also kind of more of a pressing technique that you will see from this execution now it's important to talk about movements as our number four point now movements are certainly the most loaded probably topic here and we're going to look at it from a few different angles but just to understand and set expectations because i think expectations are the key to happiness in many ways when you're looking at the entry-level mechanical movements you're gonna look at the likes of yoda seiko as being probably some of the two primary ones in this arena i have done in a complete video looking at the different third party movements i think it's so important to understand where movements are who makes what and the different types that are out there so i certainly would recommend taking a look at that video most of these entry level options if you're talking about miyota 8000 series movements or seiko with their 4r series of movements these are going to be seen typically in watches up to around 500 or so and then you start transitioning to their higher level movements going into something like their 6r series from seiko and then from yoda their 9 000 series of calibers that can start going up to around a thousand bucks if not a little bit more then when you start getting into that thousand dollar price range there are of course some few exceptions but this is typically when you start getting into the world of swiss made third-party movements from the likes of etta soprad selita probably number two behind etta also stp a lot of different options out there but those are probably going to be the bigger ones you're going to be aware of also offshoots of etta with other brands like valjoux pazu unitas all of those are going to fall underneath that umbrella and typically those watches are going to come around a thousand dollars starting price and then transition all the way into around three thousand four thousand dollars if you're talking about value movements especially that's where you're going to probably start seeing a bit more of that there are gonna be many brands that are gonna utilize third-party movements even from a luxury perspective as they are reliable and i don't like a lot of the hate that etta selita and all these type of brands get in terms of being housed within say even more expensive watches say we're talking three thousand four thousand dollars i think it's absolutely fine the problem is i think when you start getting really high up and when brands aren't delivering anything more as a byproduct of that so just have realistic expectations here about what is possible know the different movements from a third-party perspective but usually around that three thousand four thousand dollar price range when you're talking about swiss watches this is when you're going to start seeing in-house movements probably some of the best examples of this at this range is going to be the likes of omega also looking at tutor as an example and then it kind of just goes up from there now in-house does not always mean better or more reliable there are pros and cons that go with both so understand what that in-house movement is bringing to the table is a brand just saying in-house to sell you a watch or are they actually doing some unique things with like extended power reserve maybe resistance against shock magnetism maybe there's additional testing standard that's going involved here but i think accuracy is typically probably one of the best things well as well as power reserve because a lot of these third-party movements struggle with power reserve with many of them talking about 38 to 50 hours for most of them on average so just know what comes involved with saying in-house also one other final thing to keep in mind when looking at movements third-party in-house where another area kind of gets gray is when brands start to use different naming conventions for slightly modified movements and understand where they're trying to maybe make it perceived as a manufacturer caliber a lot of brands do this i don't want to necessarily name names here because there'll be too many to name but just understand when a brand is doing this and keep that in mind there are also brands that are going to have proprietary movements made specifically for their execution so say something like raymond weil with their freelancer skeleton this movement is made by selita but was literally made with intention for a skeleton layout which there are a lot of brands that try to do this on the cheap and try to create this open aperture or a skeleton dial that is totally fabricated just to look the part no actual inner workings of the movement are on display it's more of just this uh fabricated type of approach and i just think it looks incredibly gaudy in many instances so keep this in mind proprietary third-party in-house as well as those naming conventions and know when a brand is you know giving it to you straight so now going hand in hand with movements we also have different testing standards now the most popular ones are going to be different third-party standards so probably cos c is going to be the most popular one this is a third party standard that a lot of manufacturers use as a great accreditation for their movement this doesn't come without actual testing though so all these movements are going to be tested up they're sent in tested under a variety of different environments in different positions and things of that sort there's great detail and documentation about what goes into this but the standard deviation for these type of movements are minus four to plus six for a cosc certified swiss chronometer now this is really that initial standard for accuracy and reliability and just comes with some extra peace of mind also a thing to know is these manufacturers are spending money to get these watches certified same way that you might go to school to get yourself certified in something with your diploma so kind of see it in that light it's just a way of just having an extra set of eyes and accreditation on that movement there are other standards like metas which was made most popular by use by omega but now has been recently adopted by tutor these are different in terms of the test but also the range of deviation and how the tests are actually being done in the case with cosc these movements are just being tested up so just the movements when it comes to medcast you're also testing up the movements cased up within the watches this idea of testing up the entire watch is also done by rolex so this gets into the idea of internal testing standards by brands that are sometimes even more stringent than the third-party testing standards so in the case of rolex they send in their watches to be cosc certified but then in addition to that they're also testing up the watches within their own facilities rating their movements to be as accurate to minus two plus two so that is certainly of course a less range of deviation compared to that of cosc so keep that in mind also brands like jlc with their thousand hours testing you saw aorus with their caliber 400 and what they were doing there and what they're speccing out for their movements and then you can start getting into even more attainable watches as we're talking about something something like the washington my legs in i mean they're using like top grade movements so understand the different grades of movements and what is being used see what the regulation techniques are and what they're quoting out from the manufacturer typically brands are pretty accurate about this because they do not want to mess around with giving false hope and kind of false advertising for this so they're going to be pretty true if they're going to advertise this at the end of the day what really matters when identifying movements in terms of their reliability those third party testing standards are great to have but if you know the brand you know who's going to be casing it up regulating it that is a great indicator at least knowing that having an expectation of if that movement is going to be operating properly so next up we have movement finishing and one area where a well-made watch can be identified easily is the back of that exposed case back where you can see exactly what is going on in terms of movement finishing which is any method to make a watch movement look more visually appealing for one any level of additional movement finishing implies a lot more attention going into that watch movement and as watch it get more expensive typically there is more of an artisanal touch that's going to be applied and finishing becomes a great way of identifying that watchmaker's know-how so a couple different things and finishing techniques to be aware of one would be on galage this is that polished beveled surface on the edge of a surface of a movement component typically on bridges then you have purlage this is a series of circular patterns which overlap and often cover larger portions of a watch movement like that of a base plate then you also have graining techniques this is a method of leaving finely textured appearance similar to brushing but deeper in a particular direction it can be circular linear or in a sun ray effect one of the popular finishing techniques is code dejanev also referred to as geneva waves geneva stripes it's a series of parallel lines engraved into a movement surface either by hand or with a lathe and in many instances will feature a grain-like finish within them then you also have blueing so this is a method of heat treatment most often applied to screws but in some instances also to watch hands it's going to turn a metal of vibrant blue color while making the surface harder this is done by actual heat treatment so just keep in mind that there are brands that are not going to be actually doing that and just kind of doing this superficially but it is a great way to tell whether a watch is well made then you also have engraving and this is used to create tax specific details on the metal of a movement surfaces or case backs but in most cases going to be seen on a movement when you're dealing with third-party movements really no modifications are going to be made except the rotor of the movement in some instances so just keep that in mind kind of set that foundation of what is kind of to be expected that floor for what is going to be expected from the third party movements and that will help you probably better identify when you look at something with a little bit more substance and then finally here we have complications so if you're not familiar with the complication it's basically anything outside of telling the time on a watch now the most common complications are going to be a date complication i mentioned about how the date is outlined as being a great indicator of maybe seeing something that's done with a bit more intention and done with a little bit more quality in the case of perpetual calendars tourbillons repeaters i think these are a little bit more obvious that you're dealing with a high-end luxury watch now there are certain ways that manufacturers have gotten around this say like something like the tourbillon i've seen a lot of chinese tourbillons now now i'm not going to speak about chinese tourbillons but typically if it looks too good to be true it usually is we're talking about high-end watchmaking so just kind of keep that in mind but how i really want to look at this is looking at some more reasonable executions of complications things like a date with that outline that just looks a little bit more premium you could also look at something like a power reserve i think this is a type of complication that isn't so high-end but when done well i think it's a great way to show a manufacturer going its way and then say something like a pointer date is a great example of this aura's doing this very well at 2 000 these are modifications being done to this movement to create a more retrograde type of effect in uh just display of that date so creativity at a lower end or execution in terms of quality those are things to look for complications are usually one of those elements that is a little bit easier to identify also you could look at moon phases as being another great kind of point of consideration some ways that manufacturers go around this is they'll have like a moon phase-like approach but it's really just an am pm indicator so look for a true moon phase versus one that is not going to actually be able to judge those different phases of the moon now complications is probably one of the more obvious i would say points on this list but look at like on the more attainable end how the complication is being executed does it look like an afterthought or was the complication front and center when they were designing that entire watch or were they just doing it simply because the movement came with it and you know what whatever let's just roll with it they're definitely some great examples of brands that do this well versus ones that cut corners all right guys now those are the seven things that i would be aware of and consider when being able to identify a properly made watch hopefully this will help you when looking for telltale signs that a watch is well made versus maybe where manufacturers cutting corners this is something that's just kind of a growing list for myself i've handled tens of thousands of watches at this point over the last five years kind of insane at this point so i've handled a lot you see where brands are do a really good job and where maybe they don't do as good of a job so it's good for you to continue to just start developing your own criteria for what is a good watch for you and it really does change depending on the price have realistic expectations don't expect the best thing for the cheapest amount of money but really do of course i think demand quite a bit from your watch because at the end of the day you're going to be having this thing strapped on your wrist quite a bit but guys if you enjoyed this video you found it helpful please give it a thumbs up subscribe and hit the bell icon really would appreciate that and that is a great way to to show an indication what you guys are into and what you're not into in addition teddy balancer.com full authorized dealer of over 30 brands helps make all this content possible quick and fast fulfillment dedicated customer support full factory warranty for any of the products that we carry as well so if something goes wrong you are completely covered we also offer price match so if you see one of our watches for cheaper at another authorized dealer fill out the form and we'll get in touch with you and nine out of every ten dollars that we generate goes right back in the content we're creating here be sure to follow on instagram as well to stay up to date with the content see some cool photos of watches but guys thank you again so much for watching be well and i'll see you all very soon

Channel: Teddy Baldassarre

Views: 504,432

Keywords: teddy baldassarre, teddy baldassarre watch, teddy watch reviews, teddys watch colleciton, watch enthusiasts, watch collecting guide, best watch under 500, best watch under 1000, best watch under 2000, hodinkee, bark and jack, best watches, watch collector insight, watch opinion, rolex, omega watches, rolex submariner, best luxury watches, watches as investments, well made watch, quality watch, how to tell if a watch is well made, luxury watch guide, zenith defy classic

Id: sPchd4qbDZg

Length: 30min 14sec (1814 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 24 2021