I believe that everyone should own at least one nice watch at some point in their life. It doesn’t have to be an expensive Rolex or Patek Philippe, either. In fact, plenty of excellent options exist at every price point. In my opinion, a nice watch has quality craftsmanship, a well-made movement, and the ability to bring the wearer joy every time they strap it to their wrist. It's one they’re excited to wear daily, or whenever the occasion calls for it.
Options span many different categories, mainly dive watches, GMTs, field watches, chronographs, and dress watches. In this guide, we’ll break each down to help you decide what suits you best.
What Should You Look for in Your First Quality Watch?
Watches don’t just simply tell the time. They serve as an extension of one’s personal style and sometimes even hold sentimental value. They can fly under the radar or command everyone's attention. They can be ready for anything or dressy and elegant.
To narrow the search, start by considering why you’re in the market for a watch in the first place. Do you want a one-and-done watch, or are you a beginner building a collection? Versatility matters if you don’t plan to buy any other watches in the future.
Factors to Consider:
Style: Which genre speaks to your lifestyle and personal taste? Sport, dress, or casual/everyday watches?
- One watch collection: A versatile dive watch or field watch
- Frequent traveler: A GMT
- Office or formal occasions: A dress watch, although some dive watches and other traditional “tool watches” can be dressy, too.
- Casual, everyday wear: A field watch or small dive watch.
Movement/Functionality: Most nice watches use either a quartz or mechanical movement. Some have simple, time-only functions, while others include additional complications like a date window, GMT, or Moon Phase.
Size: Different case sizes, shapes, and profiles suit different wrists. Measure your wrist first and, if possible, try different watches on in person to get a general idea of which size and weight is best for your wrist.
How Much Should You Spend on Your First Watch?
The industry has evolved considerably in recent years, giving collectors more accessible price points than ever before. Features once often associated with higher-end watchmaking, for example, some Swiss-made movements and guilloche-style dials, don’t necessarily have to command a premium anymore. Thanks, in part, to a growing microbrand market, there are plenty of options in the $1k-and-under price range.
Ultimately, how much you spend on your first nice watch depends on your budget and what is important to you. Brand prestige, for example, can come with a hefty price tag. However, someone who appreciates the history, engineering, and functionality of a quality mechanical watch can find plenty of options without spending thousands of dollars.
Consider how often you’ll wear the watch, which complications (if any) matter most, and what materials you prefer.
Dive, GMT, Field, Dress, and Chronograph Watches Explained
As mentioned above, each main watch category speaks to different lifestyles and personal preferences. Below is a quick breakdown of each one.
Dive Watches
Dive watches are among the most popular with collectors and the most purpose-built tool watches on the market. They’re engineered for use while in the water, often with around 300 meters of water resistance, although some brands vary.
Perhaps more importantly, they are incredibly legible. A proper dive watch will have luminescent hour markers and hands for precise underwater timekeeping, and many also feature a uni-directional bezel for reliably timing dives. At the same time, you don’t need to dive to enjoy one. Many simply prefer dive watches for their sporty aesthetic.
The Maen Hudson 38 MK5 embodies all the classic dive watch design codes: clean, easy to read dial with luminescent hour markers, 300 meters of water resistance, and a 60-minute bezel.
GMT Watches
A GMT watch displays two or more time zones at once. Some are true GMTs, also called Traveler GMTs, while others are called Caller or Office GMTs. The main difference is how the movement adjusts the local hand or GMT hand. Additionally, some have rotating 24-hour bezels, while others feature a fixed 24-hour scale printed directly on the dial, among other variations.
GMTs are particularly useful for frequent travelers or anyone who communicates with people in different time zones. Like any other watch in this guide, you don’t have to use the extra time zones to appreciate a GMT watch. Many also enjoy them for their often-colorful bezels and aviation-forward design.
The KNIS Meteorite GMT Automatic is both a GMT and a dive watch, complete with a 24-hour scale surrounding the dial, a 60-minute bezel, and 200 meters of water resistance. The meteorite face is made from a slice of the Muonionalusta meteorite and features Swiss Super-LumiNovaR hour markers and hands.
Chronograph Watches
Simply put, chronograph watches have a built-in stopwatch function for measuring elapsed time. Most have pushers on the side of the case to start, stop, and reset the chronograph, plus a tachymeter bezel or scale printed on the dial and additional sub-dials to display elapsed minutes or hours.
Chronographs are particularly appealing for their close ties to motorsport and aviation as well as their technical build. Plus, the stopwatch complication has countless everyday applications. Need to time your daily mile or keep track of your parking meter? A chronograph fits the bill.
The Baltic Scalegraph Classic Panda Dial is surrounded by a black brushed aluminum tachymeter bezel. It wears nicely on the wrist at 39.5mm and is powered by a manual Sellita SW510-M movement.
Field Watches
While GMTs, dive watches, and chronographs have more functionality, the field watch strips the tool-watch idea down to the bare necessities. With military origins dating to World War I, field watches prioritize legibility and simplicity, often with high-contrast hour markers and sometimes a date display. They’re practical and tough enough for everyday wear, and they're often smaller than other models in the tool watch category.
Field watches are particularly popular among watch enthusiasts because of their no-nonsense, straightforward aesthetics and affordable entry point into mechanical watchmaking.
The Kuoe Old Smith 90-002 is inspired by classic British military watches. To mimic watches from the 1940s-1970s, the dial has an uneven satin finish and orange-tinted Swiss Super-LumiNova.
Dress Watches
Watchmaking is largely defined by two different categories: sports watches and dress watches. Traditional dress watches are, by contrast, usually much more refined and elegant, often with thinner cases than sports watches and more understated dials - although there are certainly some very ornate dress watches on the market as pictured below. They come in a bevy of case sizes, shapes, and even materials, with many brands adopting their own signature approach to the segment. Cartier has an affinity for shaped cases and Roman numeral dials, and Rolex often pairs its dress watches with fluted bezels, for example.
Dress watches occupy an entirely different part of the market than sports watches, which is why many seasoned watch collectors, myself included, would argue that every watch box needs at least one for variety. Dress watches aren’t exclusive to formal events, either. Many are suitable enough for everyday wear.
The Baltic Prismic Salmon takes inspiration from vintage cocktail watches. It features a beautiful guilloche dial, a slim 9.2mm profile, and a reliable Swiss-made movement.
So, Which Type of Watch Should You Buy First?
Many experienced collectors will simply tell you to buy what you love, and that’s great advice. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if it’s a dive watch, GMT, chronograph, field watch, or even a dress watch. What matters is that it’s a watch that suits your lifestyle and one you’re excited to wear.
