Watch listings are full of words that sound technical and are rarely explained: quartz, automatic, chronograph, analog-digital, water resistant. Most of them describe either how the watch keeps time or what the dial can do. Here is what each one means in practice, so you can tell what you are actually buying.
How the watch keeps time
Quartz
A small battery sends current through a quartz crystal, which vibrates at a steady rate. Almost every affordable watch is quartz, and for good reason: it keeps better time than a mechanical movement, needs no winding, and costs far less. The battery typically lasts a year or two and is inexpensive to replace.
If you want a watch that just works, quartz is the sensible answer.
Automatic and mechanical
No battery. A mechanical watch is powered by a wound spring; an automatic winds itself from the motion of your wrist. These are the watches enthusiasts care about, they cost considerably more, and they keep slightly worse time than a cheap quartz. You buy one for the engineering, not the accuracy.
Smart watches
A small computer on your wrist: notifications, step count, sometimes a heart rate reading. They need charging every few days rather than a battery once a year. Treat the health readings as a rough guide rather than a measurement.
What the dial shows
Analog
Hands on a dial. Easiest to read at a glance, and the most formal.
Digital
Numbers on a screen. Easier to read exactly, usually with an alarm, stopwatch and light.
Analog-digital
Both on one dial. Common on sports watches. More crowded to read, more function for the money.
Chronograph
A chronograph is a stopwatch built into a watch. It is the reason for the extra small dials and the extra pushers beside the crown. If those sub-dials do not move when you press the pusher, they are decorative rather than functional — that is common at lower prices and worth knowing before you buy.
Water resistance, read carefully
This is the most misunderstood line on any watch listing.
- Water resistant with no depth given. Assume splashes only. Do not wash your hands wearing it.
- 30m / 3 ATM. Rain and hand washing. Not swimming.
- 50m / 5 ATM. Swimming at the surface.
- 100m / 10 ATM and above. Swimming and snorkelling.
The depth figures come from still-water pressure tests, not from real swimming, which is why the practical advice sits a level below the number. And no water resistance rating covers hot water, because steam gets past seals that cold water does not.
Strap and case
- Stainless steel. Heaviest, most durable, most formal. Links can be removed to size it.
- Silicone or rubber. Light, comfortable in heat, easy to clean. Best for daily and sports wear.
- Leather or rexine. The dressiest look. Does not enjoy sweat or repeated wetting.
- Case size. Measured across the dial in millimetres. Around 38 to 40mm suits most wrists; 44mm and up is a deliberately large look.
Making it last
Keep it away from perfume and from the steam of a hot shower, both of which attack seals and leather. If the second hand starts jumping in two-second steps, the battery is nearly flat — that is a built-in warning, not a fault.
Picking one
Our guide to watches under Rs 3,500 covers what to expect at the budget end. Browse watches, or ask us on WhatsApp at 0345 6650894 and we will tell you what a particular model actually does.