Buying guides

What a watch actually costs to keep

Published service intervals and prices, computed over 10 and 20 years. The number nobody else publishes.

Buy it for life

Watches that last a lifetime

The criteria for a forty-year watch, then eight that meet them. The flagship page here.

Buy it for life

Buy it for life watches

Seven watches that survive a strict buy-it-for-life test, and why most don't.

Most durable

Most durable watches

Crystal, case, water resistance, crown — the four specs that decide durability, ranked.

For beginners

Best watches for beginners

A first watch chosen on checkable specs, with the jargon explained as it comes up.

Sapphire vs mineral crystal

Four crystal materials compared on the things that matter over twenty years.

Titanium vs stainless steel

Weight, hardness, allergies and coatings — what actually separates the two metals.

Water resistance explained

What 30m, 100m and 200m actually permit — and why the rating degrades with age.

Japanese vs Swiss watches

Movement, accuracy, warranty, service price and parts — compared on published figures.

How to spot a fake watch

Nine checks, ordered by reliability. Start with the spec sheet, not the movement.

For small wrists

Best watches for small wrists

Eight watches under 48mm lug-to-lug, with the measurement that actually decides fit.

Best gift

Best watch gifts

Watches worth giving — sized safely, warranted properly, no maintenance surprises.

Watch straps

Lug widths, materials and quick release — and why an integrated bracelet is a decision.

Pilot watches

Best pilot watches

Four pilot watches judged on glass, water rating and whether the movement can be rebuilt.

Solar watches

Best solar watches

Six light-powered watches, ranked — and the honest limit of a solar module.

Titanium watches

Best titanium watches

Four titanium watches, and an honest account of what the material gives up.

Skeleton watches

Best skeleton watches

Three openworked watches worth keeping, and the popular one we would not buy.

Automatics that fit smaller wrists

Best automatic watches for women

Five mechanical watches that fit a smaller wrist, judged on the usual six specifications.

NATO straps

Best NATO straps

Four military-pattern straps compared on nylon thickness, steel grade and length.

Watch winders

Best watch winders

Three winders compared on TPD, direction and power — and whether you need one.

Retirement watches

Best retirement watches

Five watches built for the thirty years after the party, ranked.

Graduation watches

Best graduation watches

Six first watches worth keeping, built for a decade of daily wear.

Longest warranties

Watches with the longest warranty

Every brand's stated warranty and exclusions, and the best five-year watches.

Gifts for watch lovers

Best gifts for watch lovers

Straps, a winder, and the gift of a paid-for service — for someone who owns watches.

Dive watch straps

Best dive watch straps

Rubber, silicone, MN and NATO dive straps compared on what actually lasts in water.

Quick-release straps

Best quick release watch straps

Tool-free straps compared, and the odd lug widths that make them hard to find.

Hiking watches

Best watches for hiking

Six analog watches for the trail, judged on weight, water and what powers them.

Swimming watches

Best watches for swimming

Five watches with the margin to swim in every day, and the one to keep dry.

Large wrists

Best watches for large wrists

Six watches that fill a large wrist properly, and the one that is only thick.

Teenagers

Best watches for teenagers

Six first proper watches for a teenager, ranked on what survives being a teenager's.

Nurses

Best watches for nurses

Four washable, legible watches for clinical work, and the popular one that isn't washable.

38mm watches

Best 38mm watches

Seven 38mm watches ranked, with the lug-to-lug for each.

39mm watches

Best 39mm watches

Five 39mm watches ranked, with the lug-to-lug that decides fit.

40mm watches

Best 40mm watches

Seven 40mm watches ranked, from a 300m diver to dress watches.

41mm watches

Best 41mm watches

Four 41mm sports watches ranked, with the lug-to-lug that decides fit.

42mm watches

Best 42mm watches

Five 42mm watches ranked, and the one that wears much bigger.

Thin watches

Best thin watches

Six watches under 11mm thick, ranked — and the 14.2mm one to skip.

Three-watch collection

The best three-watch collection

A diver, a field watch and a dress watch that do not overlap, plus two alternates.

Watches for dads

Best watches for dads

Six watches for a father, chosen to outlast the occasion.

Groomsmen watches

Best watches for groomsmen

Six watches to give groomsmen, worn on the day and every day after.

Watch boxes

Best watch boxes

Four watch boxes compared on capacity, lining, lock and warranty.

Watch rolls

Best watch rolls

Five watch rolls compared on capacity, separation, closure and warranty.

Quartz watches

Best quartz watches

Seven quartz watches ranked, battery and solar, and the one to skip.

44mm watches

Best 44mm watches

Seven watches from 43mm to 45mm ranked, and the one that wears bigger still.

Anniversary watches

Best anniversary watch gifts

Six anniversary watches that will outlast the occasion, and the one to skip.

Unisex watches

Best unisex watches

Seven watches from 35mm to 38.4mm that suit any wrist, and the one to skip.

Watches for moms

Best watches for moms

Six watches for a mother that survive real life, and the one to skip.

Vintage-style watches

Best vintage-style watches

Six vintage-style watches built to modern standards, and the one to skip.

Leather straps

Best leather watch straps

Five leather straps compared on tannery, lining, buckle grade and width range.

Lug width

How to measure your watch's lug width

Measure it in a minute, and see which watches take the awkward odd sizes.

Resale value

Do watches hold their value?

The honest answer about resale on affordable watches, and what to track instead.

Alloy vs steel

Alloy vs stainless steel watch cases

What "alloy" usually means, how 316L differs, and who states the grade.

One-watch collection

The best one-watch collection

What one watch has to do, and the three that actually do it.

Two-watch collection

The best two-watch collection

One tough, one smart, no overlap — four watches that build the pair.

Gym watches

Best watches for the gym

Sweat, knocks and bar contact — four watches that handle it.

Work watches

Best watches for manual work

Four watches for job sites, and what actually breaks a watch at work.

Student watches

Best watches for college students

Four watches that survive four years — and the false economy to avoid.

Milestone watches

Best watches for milestone birthdays

Three watches worth marking a decade with, chosen to still run in thirty years.

Cold-weather watches

Best watches for cold weather

Titanium, straps and what cold does to batteries — four winter picks.

Spring bars

Best watch spring bars

Spring bars on steel grade, diameter and width — and when to replace them.

acrylic crystal watches

Acrylic crystal watches

Why the softest crystal is the only repairable one, and the three acrylic watches worth buying.

lume

Best lume watches

Which makers publish the lume compound and grade, and which just say "luminous".

Gift buying

How to buy a watch as a gift

Fit without measuring, the lug width that makes a wrong guess fixable, and what not to buy.

For grandfathers

Best watches for grandfathers

Legible dials and light-powered movements — watches that need no winding, battery or setting.

36mm

Best 36mm watches

The 35-37mm band: four watches, ranked on footprint and cost to keep.