Watch Movements

The majority of the watches sold on the market today have quartz technology, however in recent years there has been an emergence of alternative watch movements that are just as sought after and appreciated as quartz watches were only a few decades before.

But why have these watches grown in popularity all of a sudden? For automatic and mechanical watches in particular, many people appreciate the craft involved in making them. The technology is hundreds of years in the making, and still growing even today. Others have come to appreciate watches that run on "clean," natural energy such as 'wrist power' or solar tech, and therefore eliminating the worry of polluting batteries to dispose of.

Below are examples of the most common watch movement types on the market today:

Mechanical

A watch that uses a balance wheel for time measurement and a mainspring for power. Also referred to as a 'Manual Wind' watch.

Automatic

A self-winding watch. Inside is a rotor which includes an oscillating weight that swings backwards and forwards with every movement of the wrist. The oscillations are converted by means of a gearing into a rotary motion that winds the mainspring.

Quartz

The most common watch movement type today. A tiny piece if quartz crystal inside a tube vibrates at very high speeds to simulate oscillation. These watches also use a small battery for power that lasts generally about 2-3 years. These watches do not require winding.

Kinetic Quartz

The Kinetic quartz is exclusive technology to Seiko Instruments. It generates electrical energy to power itself from the natural movement of the wearer arm and wrist. It stores the energy in a capacitor. The reserve energy lasts 3 to 14 days in a motionless watch.

Solar Quartz

A relatively new technology, Solar quartz watches use a quartz crystal for time measurement. The dial uses a very thin disc of amorphous Silicon under the dial to convert light energy into electrical energy through a photovoltaic process. The electrical energy is then stored in a special energy storage cell. Citizen Watches in particular has an entire line devoted this solar technology, known as their 'Eco-Drive' timepieces.

Watch Materials

Why is one watch more expensive than another?

Generally, mechanical and automatic watches, by nature of their movements, are more costly than quartz watches. Even in lower cost models, the movement is well designed due to highly functional elements that use the latest technologies available. In very carefully made movements, all parts, whether functional or not, are manufactured and finished with great care. All metal components are polished, the bridges (and/or rotor) are decorated, and all parts undergo stringent tests for functionality. Basically, the manufacturing standards for a watch movement are extremely high.

In addition to the movement, the materials used for the more visible components of the watch add to the overall value, as detailed below:

Solid Gold

When a person refers to a "gold watch" or a "steel watch," he or she is referring to the material used to make the watch case. The watch may have a leather strap or rubber, but if it has a solid gold case, then it's classified as a gold watch.

The most common form of gold is yellow in color, but it can also be white or pink (often called rose gold), depending on the metals that are mixed with the gold to make the alloy.

A karat is a unit of measurement used to denote the concentration of pure gold in the metal. Some solid gold watches are 18 karat gold (approximately 75% pure gold) while others are 14 karat gold (approximately 58% pure gold). The highest rating possible for gold is 24 karat (100% pure gold), however it cannot be used for watchcases because it much too soft. By law, if a watch contains pure gold is must be etched somewhere on the back along with the gold karat rating. If the watch bracelet is also sold gold, the etching is also displayed on a specific link and/or the buckle.

Generally gold watches are sold in limited edition from high end watch manufacturers, though some also offer watches with solid gold bezels that are just as sought after by watch collectors for their incredible beauty.

Among precious metals, gold is by far the most popular for watches. Occasionally youl find a watch made of silver as well. Platinum can also be used but is generally very expensive to produce and maintain.

Electroplating

If a watch appears to be gold but does not show its karat rating on the back of the case, then the watch is said to have been electroplated. Using a base metal generally made of brass or steel, it is then covered with a layer of precious metal up to 20 microns thick (watches are often plated in 10 microns or less). A micron is equal to 1/1,000 of a millimeter. Common precious metals used for electroplating include: gold, silver, chromium (chrome), palladium, rhodium and ruthenium. Sometimes this type of plated material is referred to as PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition).

Prices for electroplated watches range from less than $50 to more than $5,000 on average.

Stainless Steel

In recent years, stainless steel has become an enormously popular watch material. The stainless steel used for watches contains chromium, which forms a coating on the metal surface in order to protect it from corrosion. Steel can vary in widths, though it become a general consensus that the thicker the stainless steel case and/or bracelet is, the better quality it is. Often true stainless steel cases and bracelets are also hypoallergenic for those who are allergic to certain metals.

Prices for stainless steel watches can range from under $50 to thousands of dollars. It may surprise some people that a watch made of such an inexpensive material can be so expensive. This is because the material of the watch case and band is a relatively small factor in determining a watch price. Much more important is the cost of labor that goes into the watch and the amount of marketing funds used for promotion. (The exception is watches set with substantial numbers of precious and semi-precious gems. For these watches, the MSRP is more closely related to the value of the materials used.)

Two-Tone

Some watches simply have touches of electroplated gold or chrome used as a decorative element on the case and/or bracelet. Stainless steel or brass watches with plated accents are usually referred to as two-tone watches.

Titanium

Titanium has also become more popular for watch designs in the past few years. Stronger than steel and resistant to corrosion from salt water, it can still nonetheless be easily scratched, which is why some companies protect their titanium watches with a special coating. Titanium is also lightweight, weighing about 40% less than stainless steel.

Ceramic

In recent years, watches have also explored the realm of molded materials like ceramic. First made for the underbelly of the Space Shuttle to shield astronauts from extreme heat during re-entry, ceramic is guaranteed against scratching and breakage. It comes in a variety of colors and shapes and often mixed with other materials such as stainless steel.

Tungsten

Tungsten is a precious metal often used for watch bracelets with an unusual steel gray finish. Its appeal stems from the fact that it not only has the highest melting point of any periodic metal known, but it also one of the hardest metals as well. Both are sought after attributes for watch enthusiasts who want their watch to last.

Mother-of-Pearl

Mother of pearl is the iridescent internal layer of mollusk shells and is composed of the same material as pearls. Though technically not a gemstone, mother of pearl is used in all types of fashion jewelry and watch faces and sometimes is also dyed a pastel shade to match a certain style of watch.

Gemstones

The most common gemstones used for watches are:

• Diamond
• Sapphire
• Ruby
• Emerald
• Garnet
• Blue Topaz
• Amethyst

Except for diamonds, these gemstones are primarily used for decoration on ladies watches either on the bezel or the bracelet. Diamonds are available for both men's and ladies' watches and are typically used for hour markers on the dial or as decoration the bezel.

Watch Straps

The most common watch straps are made of either calfskin or kidskin (from goats) leather. Occasionally youl come across a pigskin or lambskin watch strap as well. Another group of watchstrap leathers called 'exotics,' generally more expensive than leathers which include lizard (sometimes called 'teju'), crocodile, alligator, ostrich and shark. Often calfskin is embossed with a pattern to make it look like an exotic leather. Often they are referred to as 'ostrich-look,' 'lizard-look,' etc. or simply 'crocodile leather.'

There are also watch straps made of synthetic materials such as nylon, plastic, PVC rubber and even Kevlar (commonly used for bullet resistant vests). Popular for use on sports-watch straps, these materials are especially resilient to the elements and the abuse that sports watches are prone to take.