Watch buying tips

A little history of watches and a few tips for purchasing the perfect watch. Classic Fusion Ferrari GT 3D Carbon, 45mm carbon 3D fibre case, black rubber and Schedoni leather strap. One of the luxury partnerships that just makes sense, Hublot has been working with Ferrari on a series of special edition watches since 2011. Taking its cues from Gran Turismo cars through the years, the 45mm Classic Fusion Ferrari GT is a true collaborative effort: Hublot built the movement, Ferrari built the case. The latter is cast in carbon 3D fibre and designed at the Centro Stile Ferrari in Maranello, Italy. The former — Hublot’s Unico manufacture self-winding chronograph flyback movement — is made in Switzerland and comprises 354 parts. Besides black-on-black carbon, the Ferrari GT is also available in 18k “king gold” (£32,100) or titanium (£18,200).

Let’s move on to the under 1000 USD category. While the circa $10 Casio F91W-1 probably also deserves a place on a list like this, we’ll begin with the awesome World Time just to avoid Casio-overload. But the Japanese brand is undeniably strong in this price point with tough, reliable, dirt-cheap watches. Oh, and some people find them to be quite stylish as well. This Casio World Time offers all these attributes and more (including world time, calendar, and alarms) with a dash of retro-futuristic nostalgia, and it’s surprisingly robust for such a great price. Using an automatic movement based on an old caliber originally from Seiko, the Orient 3 Star is a simple, utilitarian automatic akin to the Seiko 5. While there’s not much in the way of fit and finish, it does have a well-proportioned 37.5mm case, a stainless steel bracelet and a colorful dial. Its as simple of an automatic watch that you can get, but therein lies its charm.

Chunky, luxury watches don’t suit everyone’s style, but this sleek-looking beauty carries the elegance and swagger needed to stand out from the crowd. The steel blue-like dial with its mix of distinctive leaf hands and Roman numerals exudes an air of class appropriate to a watch brand founded in Geneva in 1830. At 40mm it’s on the upper end of the medium size scale. Strap it on your wrist and see why celebs like David Duchovny and Kiefer Sutherland are huge fans. Chotovelli, a brand founded in the 1920s in Turin, derived and inspired by Italian aviators, is a name you probably haven’t heard before. Which just means it qualifies as a ‘find’. For the price, this handsome oversized chrono is by far the biggest bargain on the list, and the opportunity it affords to give each admirer a mini history lesson is just icing on the cake. The saddle leather strap will only get better with age, but caveat emptor: at 47mm, this is one big watch.

WatchNerd was born from a desire of a group of watch nerds to educate and connect with fellow watch lovers. Tired of seeing watch enthusiasts make buying mistakes, and frustrated by the lack of an easy way to research watches, they saw an opportunity to create an ultimate resource for their community. Our mission is to help watch lovers make the most informed decision possible, saving them unnecessary mistakes, time, and effort in their search for their perfect watch. No hidden agendas, no tricks up their sleeves — just a genuine desire to serve, educate, and connect with the community we belong to and love. See more info on https://www.watchnerd.com/.