What collecting actually involves

Most of this hobby is reading and looking. You compare references, try watches on, swap a strap, set the time, and decide what not to buy. A few terms come up in every listing. The movement is the mechanism inside: quartz runs on a battery, automatic winds itself from the motion of your wrist, and hand-wound needs the crown turned each day. Case diameter is the width of the watch and lug-to-lug is its length across the wrist. Lug width is the gap the strap fits into. The crystal is the clear cover over the dial, and a reference number identifies one exact model.

A field watch on a striped nylon strap lying on wool cloth beside two old cameras — A field watch on a nylon strap

02

Four ways to start

QuartzA battery or solar watch with hands. It is accurate, thin and cheap to own, which makes it the easiest first watch to live with.

Start here

Pick the size that fit best at the store and choose one plain three-hand watch in it. Wear it every day for two weeks before you look at another.

AutomaticA mechanical watch that winds itself as you move. You trade some accuracy for a movement you can hear, feel and learn to look after.

Start here

Choose one automatic with hand-winding, then wind and set it yourself on day one. Time it against your phone for a week and write down what it gains or loses each day.

DigitalThe classic resin and steel digitals from the 1980s, still made today. They cost the least and survive almost anything.

Start here

Buy the plainest classic digital you like and wear it for a month. Learn every mode from the printed manual, including how to silence the hourly chime.

VintageOlder watches bought used from a dealer, a forum or an auction. Prices can be low, but condition and originality take study, so many collectors come to this second.

Start here

Pick one model made between 1960 and 1990 and read 20 past sale listings for it before you bid on anything. Note the dial, hands and case back each real one shares.

Chrono24

Open a direction to see its first step. Quartz, Automatic and Digital each add that kind of watch to the kit. Vintage adds a loupe and crystal polish, since the watch itself is bought used.

Two hands holding a round watch on a black strap over a desk

03

Your first month

Tick these off as you go

04

What to check before you buy

Fit

Lug-to-lug length matters more than case diameter. If the lugs hang past the edges of your wrist, the watch is too big.

Lug width

An even width such as 18, 20 or 22 mm gives you the widest choice of replacement straps.

Crystal

Acrylic scratches easily but polishes out. Mineral glass resists scratches better. Sapphire is the hardest and costs the most.

Water resistance

A 30 m rating covers rain and hand washing only. Look for 100 m and a crown that screws down if you plan to swim.

Service cost

A quartz watch needs a battery every two to three years. A mechanical watch needs a service every five to ten years, often $150 to $400, which can exceed the value of an inexpensive one.

Seller

An authorized dealer gives you the maker's warranty. A discount seller is cheaper but covers repairs itself, so read its warranty terms.

Used listings

Ask for photos of the dial, case back and movement, the service history, and whether the box and papers are included. Compare the asking price with several past sales of the same reference.

An open watch box holding steel sports watches and digital watches on tan pillows — Steel and digital watches in a box

Compare asking prices

Chrono24 A marketplace for new and used watches. Browsing asking prices by reference number is free

05

Setting, winding and care

A mechanical watch movement held in a metal holder on a blue tray — A mechanical movement out of its case

Starting a stopped automatic

Turn the crown clockwise 20 to 30 times, then set the time. Shaking it is not enough for a full day of running.

Changing the date

Never use the quick-set date between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. on a mechanical watch. The date gears are engaged then and can break. Move the hands to 6 o'clock first.

The crown

Push it all the way in, and screw it down if it has a thread, before the watch goes near water.

Magnets

Keep mechanical watches off speakers, laptop lids and magnetic phone cases. A magnetized watch suddenly runs minutes fast per day, and a watchmaker can fix it in a minute.

Cleaning

Wipe the case and crystal with a soft dry cloth. Rinse a water-resistant watch in fresh water after the sea or a pool.

Storage

Keep watches dry, out of direct sun and apart from each other. Pull the crown out on a quartz watch you will not wear for months to save the battery.

06

What trips beginners up

Buying fast

Five cheap watches in a month teach less than one worn for a month. Most collectors sell their early impulse buys at a loss.

Buying for resale

Very few watches hold their price, and almost none bought new at this level do. Buy what you will wear.

Trusting photos for size

A 42 mm watch looks moderate in a product shot and large on a 6.5 inch wrist. Go by measurements.

Fakes

Counterfeits carry a famous name they have no right to and are illegal to sell. A price far under the going rate from a new seller is the usual sign.

Reading "serviced" as proof

On a used watch the word means little without a dated receipt from a watchmaker.

Old glowing dials

Watches made before the 1960s often used radium paint on the hands and markers. They are safe to wear closed, but never open one or scrape the dial.

A man with a loupe at his eye working on a watch movement with tweezers — Looking closely through a loupe

Fingers holding a small gilt watch movement while a tool touches it

07

Where to learn more

Reviews, forums, chapters

Review sites give you measurements and wrist photos, which matter more than opinions. Forums are where to post a listing and ask whether it looks right before you pay: describe your wrist size and budget and people answer within hours. A local collectors' chapter or meetup lets you handle dozens of watches in one evening, which no amount of reading replaces.

Free places to read and ask

08

How the kit is put together

The base kit is small on purpose: a spring bar tool, a box and one spare strap serve every collector whatever they wear. The watch itself depends on the direction you picked, so each kind sits behind its own add-on and joins the total only when you switch it on. The startup range above counts one watch plus the tool, from a classic digital at the low end to an automatic with a box and strap at the high end. The Vintage add-on holds the loupe and crystal polish only. The watch comes from a dealer, a forum or an auction, and its price depends on the model you choose. The link removal tool can wait until you own a watch on a metal bracelet.

Three watches on tan leather straps in a wooden box with a navy lining — Watches stored in a lined box

09

Fill the watch box

Compare the options on each line, then set your tiers and check out from the watch box. Clicking a card selects it there. The spring bar tool, the box and the nylon strap start in the kit. A watch joins when you switch on Quartz, Automatic or Digital, and Vintage brings the loupe and crystal polish. The link removal tool starts out until you add it.

Spring bar tool

essential · Tools

Straps and bracelets are held on by spring-loaded pins, and this forked tool is how you release them. Swapping a strap yourself is the cheapest way to change how a watch looks and fits.

budget

EFIXTK Spring Bar Tool Set with Extra 6 Tips Pins for Watch Wrist Bands Strap Removal Repair Fix Kit,72PCS Extra Watch Pins

4.5(5.1K)

$8.99

Watch Collecting

What collecting actually involves

Four ways to start

Your first month

What to check before you buy

Setting, winding and care

What trips beginners up

Where to learn more

How the kit is put together

Fill the watch box

Spring bar tool

Six-slot watch box

One-piece nylon strap

Analog quartz watch

Entry-level automatic watch

Classic digital watch

10x triplet loupe

Acrylic crystal polish

Bracelet link removal tool