Taking care of your time and prestige
We all have different reasons in buying watches. Some buy for its practicality, some for fashion, and others may be for their artistic designs or even to show their prestige.
Watches today is very practical. They can tell you the day, date and time in other time zones, or remind you of an appointment, even to wake up you and monitor your heart beat.
The practicality is only part of the watches can offer. It is also for fashion. Watch styles reflect and define the times, from sports chronographs to ultra-thin dress styles.
In addition, the watches are also about prestige. Some watches carry the grace and tradition of names recognized around the world as signifying the highest elegance in jewelry and timepieces.
It's artistic. Fine watches are designed by artisans and craftspeople who fashion case, bracelet, dial and sometimes gems into not just a functional timepiece, but a work of art.
Before you buy new one, it is good to first learn about types of fine watches. Below are some information and advices suggested by Jewelers of America in its website www.jewelers.com.
There are several types of watches, which include;
* Mechanicals, or the traditional "wind-up", watches work with the help of a mainspring inside the watch which the wearer winds by turning the crown on the side of the watch. The spring gradually unwinds and turns tiny interlocking wheels which move the watch hands to measure seconds, minutes and hours.
* The automatic or self-winding watches wind themselves as the wearer moves their wrist. The wearer's arm actions cause a weight behind the movement to rotate, winding the mainspring. They can also be wound manually.
* Quartz watches are powered by batteries, rather than a mechanical spring. The batteries send electronic impulses through a small bar of synthetic quartz crystal which vibrates more than 32,000 times per second. Those vibrations are channeled through a series of gears that result in one impulse per second.
The terms analog and digital refer to the way time is displayed on the dial. Analog simply refers to a watch with traditional time-telling "hands." Quartz analogs are watches in which the hands are moved by the electronic impulses passing from the battery through the quartz crystal to a step motor which moves the hands.
Digital watches display the time with digits -- numbers -- instead of hands. The numerals are created by either light- emitting diodes (LED) or liquid crystal displays (LCD).
Quartz watches are generally more accurate than mechanical watches, for two reasons. One, mechanical watches have many moving parts. That means more friction and less accuracy as the parts interact. Digitals have no moving parts. Two, the quartz crystal's constant and amazingly frequent vibrations per second enable watches to measure the second with unprecedented accuracy. A quartz watch should function properly for years with a battery life of one to up to five years.
* Special feature watches perform a variety of tasks. Besides telling the hours, minutes and seconds, many watches reveal the month, day and year. Some also give the phases of the moon or the time in other countries or time zones.
* Chronograph watches measure small fractions of a second. Some are used to calculate speeds, distances and altitudes. There are specialized watches for astronauts, pilots, parachutists and skin divers -- even timepieces that meet the special needs of blind persons.
Also, most fine watches today are specially made to resist water, dust, wind, shock and magnetic fields.
Selecting a watch, like selecting any piece of jewelry, should be based on personal taste. Today's watches are not only timekeepers, but are considered important fashion accessories. Men and women make a definite fashion statement by the watch they choose - sporty, dressy, youthful, tailored or sophisticated.
People today are replacing their old-fashioned watch with a complete wardrobe of watches to suit their lifestyles.
For sport or leisure, a person may want to wear a chronograph. For business use, a more tailored-looking watch with a leather strap and neutral color dial is sometimes desired. For evening and dress wear, the sky is the limit for decorative and elegant watches. Gold or platinum bracelets with or without precious gemstone accents - for men and women - provide an excellent way to show off your fashion panache.
To achieve the expensive luxury look without the expense, watches of gold overlay are also available.
No matter what style of watch you choose, there are some guidelines to follow. Buy a watch with a familiar trademark or one whose performance has a good reputation. To avoid being "ripped off," always buy from a reputable jeweler, who is available today for advice in making your purchase and tomorrow for service and future reliable purchases.
Since it is difficult, if not impossible for the untrained person to detect a counterfeit, avoid the transient street peddler or questionable mail-order promotions which advertise huge discounts on so-called designer or "famous name" watches.
According to Timotius J. from PT City Time, fake watches today are difficult to identify.
"Only the experts' eyes copuld recognize them, such as the quality of the body, knob and the initial. But only original ones have certain codes inside the machine," he explained.
And be sure that the manufacturer is behind the warranty.
"Watches you bought from the street traders or sellers at Mangga Dua shopping area will never give you warranty cards and proper boxes since their products are real fake," another distributor reminded.
Take the time to show you care. Wind a mechanical watch in a clockwise direction, preferably about the same time each day. Take it off your wrist so as not to place undue pressure on the stem.
Although many watches are equipped with shock-resistant devices, it's not wise to subject it to overly vigorous treatment. Replace broken or scratched crystals immediately: even a hairline crack can let dust or moisture into the mechanism, threatening its accuracy.
Unless the degree of water-resistance was clearly specified when you bought your watch, don't risk wearing it into the shower or pool, or on a moist wrist.
No matter how handy you are, don't attempt any "do-it- yourself" watch repairs. It's best to replace a battery in a quartz watch before it runs out. Dead batteries left in the watch can leak or corrode and ruin it. Also, don't attempt to change the battery in a watch yourself.
Sutarsa Tanu from PT Mitraniaga Bumiandalas reminded collectors of quartz timepieces to always replace the batteries every two years at the latest.
"It's better to replace the batteries every year. And always replace the batteries at official counters, otherwise you will face another problem," he said.
He quoted a veteran Swiss watch mechanic, who always reminded him, that customers should be told in advance to immediately remove the plastic cover usually placed at the back of new watches.
"Leaving it there will only rust your watch," he said, adding that many local customers here prefer to let the plastic there thinking that it will help protect the watch from sweats. (K. Basrie)