What should you look for when buying a watch?

    A man should own a good watch! This is a phrase we often hear. Though brief, it captures the significance of a watch to a man. Many beginners ask: "I am buying a watch for the first time, what should I look for?" Watch Home is here to answer this for you.

1. Check the watch winding mechanism

    Winding a watch should feel effortless. When turning the crown to wind, it will initially feel loose and gradually become tighter; when the crown can no longer be turned forward, it indicates the mainspring is fully wound and the winding mechanism is functioning correctly. If you hear an abnormal clicking sound or feel the gears slipping while winding, it indicates a fault in the winding mechanism.

II. Checking the hand-setting mechanism

    When setting the time, the hands should move smoothly, reliably, and evenly. When inspecting, focus on the friction tightness between the cannon pinion and the centre wheel arbor. If there is no feeling of excessive looseness or tightness during adjustment, the friction is correct and the lubrication is appropriate; otherwise, there is a fault in the hand-setting components.

III. Checking the exterior components

    The exterior of the watch should be inspected via the case, crystal, dial, and hands. The case should be free of pits and obvious scratches, with symmetrical edges; the seal between the case back and the middle case should be tight; the distance between the lugs should be equal, and the spring bar holes should be centred at the ends of the lugs with appropriate depth to prevent the strap from detaching. The crystal should be clear, bright, and free of defects or scratches. The three hands should be installed correctly, maintaining proper safety clearance between the hands themselves and between the hands and the dial. The dial and hand plating should be clean and free of blemishes, with complete dial markers or luminescence. There should be a gap of approximately 0.1-0.3mm between the crown and the case.

IV. Checking the sensitivity

    The sensitivity of a watch refers to the flexibility with which its balance wheel begins to oscillate automatically. The recommended inspection method is:

    1) Gently shake a watch that has stopped and is not wound, and observe the movement of the second hand: if the second hand stops within a very short time, it indicates that the watch can fully exhaust its power reserve once wound (meaning the mainspring has no remaining torque), indicating high sensitivity; if the second hand continues to move for a long time, it indicates that the watch cannot fully exhaust its power reserve (meaning the mainspring still holds torque), indicating low sensitivity or a fault in the movement.

    2) With a watch that has stopped and is not wound, slowly turn the crown and observe when the second hand starts moving: the less the crown is turned before the second hand starts, the higher the sensitivity; conversely, the sensitivity is low or there is another fault. Note, however, that high-beat watches have stiffer hairsprings and require more winding than traditional frequency (18000 vibrations per hour) movements to start oscillating. A highly sensitive watch will run for a longer duration after being fully wound.

V. Checking the clearance and position of the hands

    There should be sufficient clearance between the hands and the crystal, the dial, and between the hands themselves to prevent friction that could affect the movement. Check this by adjusting the time. To verify the alignment of the hour and minute hands: set them to 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock to see if they form a right angle; set them to 6 o'clock to see if they form a straight line; and set them to 12 o'clock to see if they overlap.