8 Things You NEED to Know About Watches - A Crash Course to Watches

What's going on guys, Teddy Baldustar? Now I

know

how overwhelming

watches

can be if you start using them for the first time and I probably put this video off for too long, but I'm excited to finally address the topic today, which is eight topics eight concepts that I think everyone should

know

about

watches

If you want to learn more about them now, before you start this video, head over to teddyballers.com, full authorized dealer of 20 brands, and also has hundreds of different watch drafts available. you can get five percent off your first order wait maybe you don't know which authorized dealer it is maybe you don't know how to change your watch straps you don't know the tools you

need

by the end of this video you'll know exactly how to do it and also you'll know what that means now, before we get into this video, here we look at eight topics.

Another thing to mention. I have two videos that I think will also be good to watch in unison with this video. one will discuss only the terminology related to watches. I think it's good to know the different parts of a watch if you really want to know more about watches. The other is more about complications, so complications are basically anything outside of just telling time on a watch. look, so every other function, for example, on the watch I'm wearing now it's at 556, it has a date complication, so it's pretty simple and it gets a lot more complex from there, but I would also reference that video in addition to this as It is a useful guide, but to start here, I think the first place to start is to look at the two main types of watches and by this I basically mean the movements within them, so you have your mechanical watches and also their quartz watches.

There are two different types of mechanical watches: you have the manual or hand-soldered watches which actually require you as a watch owner to wind it manually using the crown inside the case or you also have your automatic watches which are They will be wound automatically with the help of a winding mass or a rotor at the back of the movement that will wind or circulate around the movement and help wind the mainspring inside the watch to provide power to it, but from here on out, basically , the process of telling time is essentially the same once the watch is wound, now all the energy stored in this winding is done by winding a spring inside a barrel in a watch.

Now this is basically the epicenter where energy is stored within a wristwatch. Now what's happening from here is once that spring. it winds very tightly and then it will gradually start to release energy through a gear train and we'll basically go down this gear train to something called an exhaust and then we'll work in unison with a flywheel so what's happening here is that gear wheel. exhaust and then a paddle fork will lock, unlock, unlock and the other end of that paddle fork has a little pin that is activated by that steering wheel that goes back and forth, it basically acts like a pendulum and that will be the La basis for being able to tell time and how this will translate to the front of the watch is that you will find that the second hand of a mechanical watch usually ticks like a broad seconds hand, so it is more consistent with its flow of movement. that a tick, tick, tick, is more tick, tick, tick, tick, so that's what you'll see on that front.

This is not always a foolproof way, sometimes quartz watches will have more of that sweep being emulated, but that is what is happening. use full mechanical energy to power a watch just through gears, springs and

things

like that, and all of these mechanical watches will generally have frequencies of three hertz to four hertz and they won't last forever, so if you leave a mechanical watch for a period of Because it uses mechanical energy, it

need

s to be wound, either by wear or by hand winding, it will usually have an energy reserve, which is basically the duration of this process of stored energy from that mainspring until it that stored energy is used up and gradually, just unwind it completely now, the other most popular type of watch is a quartz watch, so a quartz watch will be a watch rather than mechanical energy to power the watch through a real electrical charge, so a battery and quartz movements are used, unlike mechanical watches they are much more precise and much easier to produce once they were developed and just to give an idea about the accuracy of the arrangements, The typical cheap quartz watches on the market are actually more accurate in a month than many mechanical watches are in a day.

So how a quartz movement works is by taking energy from that battery and then through a small electrical charge created by the battery, it is then passed to an integrated circuit and then delivered to a quartz crystal that is cut like a A small tuning fork inside is almost microscopic, so I don't want to get too technical, but when that quartz crystal is sent that specific electrical charge, it will vibrate incredibly fast, so we're talking 32,768 times per second as a result. of an idea. called piezoelectric effect which is basically an idea when you send an electrical impulse to a quartz it will then vibrate at a specific frequency this was calibrated in a way where it will vibrate at that specific frequency here to allow it to tell time but after that vibration, will send a frequency back to the integrated circuit which will then send an electromagnetic impulse through coils and a block of coils that are too close for the hands to move now given the difference in the number of oscillations they take.

In the place between, say, the balance wheel and this thick glass vibrating 32,000 times a second, you'd imagine this would be a more precise movement, which it certainly is, plus instead of using mechanical energy, it requires a third real. stored energy source, which is that battery, so you'll probably hear quite often that you know a watch battery needs to be replaced, this is usually for a quartz watch, the other thing to consider here on the front of the watch and a very easy way to In most cases, it is not always true, but in about 99.9 cases on the front of the watch there will be a second hand, but it will be once a second, which usually indicates that it will be a quartz watch If you're playing at home you can probably see that there are a lot of advantages to using cables when this was released it really shook up the whole industry it's easier to produce it's more accurate because it uses a battery you don't have to worry about a power reserve only every few years, you will just have to change that battery and then they are generally more affordable batteries, but why are mechanical watches usually more sought after by collectors?

I think it really comes down to it. to the romantic idea because they are usually handmade, there are more moving parts, the fact that it doesn't use an external power source and the whole thing uses just gears and components of that nature, I think there are a lot of endearing attributes about it and it really focuses more in the romantic idea than in the technological feat that it is capable of achieving, so now, for number two on our list for this video today, we have just understood the industry and the different brands that make up the industry.

I made a video on this topic where I really delve into the different brands in the industry and how it's structured, but really how it's structured is very similar to the automotive industry, there are large conglomerates that own many of the brands that make it up. So to go over some of these, first we have the Swatch group, which is a Swiss group that was formed from the ashes of the struggles that the industry faced during the 20th century, so it includes brands from a wide variety of different . price categories, so you have swatch at the entry level, you also have tiso hamilton longine, you have omega, which is really your main luxury product and you also have high end brands like a breguet for example, and on top of that they are also owners of movement maker etta, which we can discuss a little more in a moment, then from the luxury end of the watch category, you also have Richmond, so Richmond is very similar in terms of diversification as Swatch, but also It has different luxury brands, it has Cartier Vacheron Constantine Jlc Iwc Mont Blanc Longa Panerai. and many others, you also have the seiko group, so this is the powerful japanese group that owns brands like seiko orient grand seiko creedor and other brands, as well as offering their own movements to be used by third parties, then you also have the other group japanese, the citizen group with of

course

citizen watches and then you also have bulova, other swiss made brands like alpina and frederick constant and then they also own movement manufacturer miyota, then you have a brand that you are probably familiar with rolex and then Also, both Tudor brands are privately owned and operated and are major powerhouses in the industry, of

course

, then there is lvmh which is essentially the largest luxury conglomerate in the world and they have gradually started to increase their offering in terms of watches, so own brands like tag heuer zenith yublo and others, then there is the solidarity group that is also starting to enter the big luxury watch group elise nardan gerard perigo and then you have more independent brands, so you have patek philippe, which operates independently, has audemars piguet Also, you have Breitling, but now it has just been owned by a private equity firm, but again it is independently owned for the most part.

You also have smaller brands like Nomos, which is a very well-run independent brand with great performance. You have zen. aorus and this is just scratching the surface, there are many smaller marks, but from a macro point of view, these are just some of the larger marks that you will commonly see and likely many of the marks that you are likely to see. Seeing from the big picture point of view will usually be under one of these brand structures, now number three is how your watch should fit and how to think about this when making a purchase with more people buying watches online.

I think it is very important to understand how a watch should fit you Now, when looking at how a watch should fit you need to understand a few

things

first: you need to know your actual wrist circumference, try different watches and understand what makes the most sense for you. you, but what would you recommend about a From a dimension standpoint, the three things that are probably going to be the most important, one is going to be the case diameter, one is going to be the thickness, and the other is going to be between lugs, so the diameter of the case is basically self explanatory is The first thing to mention with a manufacturer when selling online is to mention the diameter of the case and that will certainly be an important factor, then there is the thickness of the case which is also very important if you don't want something that's huge and I think it will depend on the type of complication, the type of watch, whether it's going to be a hit or a miss for you and then it also has a lug lug.

This is a dimension that is not normally provided by manufacturers, but if I had to say it. Of the three that is probably the most important in determining whether a watch will fit you, this is probably the one and is measured from the top of a watch here, from the bottom of a lug to the top position on the back. top of the lug is measured more from top to bottom here, so for me I have a six and a quarter inch wrist and usually on the lower end of watches, I like 34 to 36 millimeters when it comes to box sizes. and usually moving like 40 millimeters from lug to lug and up and then going to the top end, usually 39 to 42 millimeters for sports watches is where I make that cut and 50 millimeters is that lug to lug distance where regards thickness.

I think anything under 12 millimeters for a dress or casual watch is a great option and then anything under or around 14 millimeters for divers and chronographs, but I think 14.5 is usually my limit, these kind of basic points , I think they are It's very subjective but you just have to try different watches and really understand what's best for you so look at how to wear and why I think this is so important is that the watch I'm wearing now has about 45 millimeters wide between handles. distance but the diameter of its case is 38.5 millimeters, but when you put it next to it to say this nomos orion which has a case of 35 millimeters and a distance between lugs of around 44.8 millimeters, it actually shows how two watches that have a 3.5 difference in case diameter are often worn on the wrist in terms of luck to carry, it's very similar just because the longer lugs on that nome, that's why I think between lugs is very important, it is generally something that is not taken into account and I think it is something that you probably want to consider whenlook at a watch, but again, often you will have to try to find it from a third party because the manufacturers do not provide this, another thing to consider from a case diameter point of view but also from a thickness point of view.

When you look at the diameter of the case, if the diameter of the case is 40 millimeters but let's say it has a bezel, for example on the watch, what that will do from a perceptual point of view is make the dial look smaller, for example, the young Hans Maxbo's chronoscope has a The selected lug with an actual case diameter of 40 millimeters is very compact compared to this rolex explorer ii, which also has a case diameter of 40 millimeters and a distance between lugs much larger, but when you put them side by side or with a strap on them on the wrist, for example, they have very different types of wearing experience because one is all dial and the other has that outer bezel, so that's something to consider and then another thing to consider is the thickness, if the thickness is where it resides, if it resides primarily in Then the case is going to be used very differently than if it resided in the glass, so this Maxwell chronoscope has a thickness of 14.5 millimeters, but most of that will happen from the dome glass, which wears very differently because of that.

I don't really feel that when you have it on your wrist compared to the actual case, say with a black Tudor bay that is like a slab outside the case that will get a little thicker on the wrist again. this is very subjective, you just have to try things to find out what is best for you and your wrist size, try different watches even if it's not the watch you are going to buy and that will be a good way to find out. which are the best watches for you, so below we have straps and tools that will really help you take your watch to the next level.

I always heard this conversation once as it was an old friend of mine who said that I like the Apple Watch because I can change the straps on the Apple Watch, well I think that's a very good point to show that I think a lot of people don't consider that , for a watch you're looking at, in most cases you can simply change the strap. with many third party options, so I have hundreds of different straps on my site. I think it's a great way to get the most out of your watch. That's really all you need to understand to be able to change a strap. your watch should comprise the width of the lugs or the distance between the two lugs of the watch, you'll just want to get something that fits that, for example what I have now with a lug width of 20 millimeters and changing the straps.

In it you can see how it has a totally different appearance. You can put a NATO strap on it to make it look more casual. You also have the metal bracelet that comes on, so it will have a more sporty look. You also have leather straps that will give it more of a country watch style or maybe even a dressier look and there are different leathers you can choose from once you determine the width of the lugs you can have a lot of fun with this. and being able to exchange them, the only thing you have to consider is that some watches have integrated bracelets, for example this Maurice the Quad icon, the way the bracelet attaches to the case is unique, it's quite personalized, so in that case any third party strap.

Not only will it fit this, you need something very specific to fit it, but most watches out there don't have this scenario and will usually be able to offer a bunch of third party options that you can buy from anywhere. Now to put the actual strap on the watch and just go over some basic tools that I think are really good to have, one is a spring bar tool and I recommend Virgin. I have them available on my site. They have been in business. since the year 1700 they are tools made in Switzerland and they are very useful, they usually come with two different ends, one will be a fork end and then within what it will allow you to do and how you basically change the straps, there is a small bar inside a spring bar is basically exactly what you imagine, a bar with a spring, so you take this little fork end of this strap tool, you push down on the spring and it will allow it to come out and then you can pull it out. the strap and change it for new straps or bracelets for example there is also a lug end of the actual bracelet and many watches will have scenarios where you can use it to adjust the bracelets if it is like a bracelet with a pin and collar or with lugs as well perforated. and you can use it to take out that spring bar instead of using the fork end.

It's a great tool. I would recommend being a virgin. I think I have tried the cheapest ones, they are definitely the best you can have and you will be able to use them almost every day if you try to change straps like I do all the time. There are also other tools that are very useful. You can get a set of screwdrivers to help adjust and you know, change different bracelet sizes. I think it is very useful. Other things that I think are useful, like a timing graph, for example, to judge the accuracy of your watches, if you want to get into regulation and things of that nature, it's a really good tool, but there are also different things if you want. measure the bracelets, there is a different bracelet block, you know different tools you can use to remove the case back, tweezers, things of that nature, yes I actually have a tool set on my site that you can buy, it's pretty affordable . it has pretty much everything that you would potentially need to be able to work on your watch in the future until you start to really get into, for example, modifications or things of that nature, but tools, straps and just accessories, I think you are very important to really be able to maximize your pieces and sometimes I don't think people really understand that this is the case, so number five, we'll get back to the moves, understanding the different types of in-house versus third-party moves and then we'll also look at certifications like chronometer certification, so a couple of terms that get used a lot are the concept of in-house movements or different manufacturers like etta or seiko miota output, as well as certifications like cost certification or being a certified chronometer.

Now first look at the The idea of ​​in-house Now the definition of in-house movements can get a little gray but generally it is a watch movement that has been designed and developed by a manufacturer within one of their own facilities and this becomes a little uncertain. It is the construction of smaller parts, such as spiral screws, which can often be found by specialists or created by specialists and then placed into watches. I don't want to get into the gray area of ​​what is made in-house and what is not made in-house. but usually the in-house moves are more collectible, they're more sought after, and usually to even get into the game and have your own in-game move, it takes millions and millions of dollars to be able to create one and then do it as well. . at scale you're usually paying a premium for in-house movements, they're usually a little more hand-finished or elevated in terms of their overall appearance of some sort, but they're not always better performing and I want to join that , so there are also third party movements and third party movements like etta, they are in switzerland, they are owned by swatch group, you also have miyota which is owned by a citizen in japan, these movements because they are mass produced and some of them, like the added 28 24 2, they have been on the market for decades, as well as other comparable movements like Salida, which are basically just clones or alternatives to etta, they have many advantages, they are generally cheaper to buy, they are proven. there are millions produced on the market, they have been around for years, they are easy to regulate, parts will be easier to get in the future and then the servicing costs are much lower than in-house movements and I mean, much lower.

So yes, it's definitely nice to have in-house movements, but sometimes the cost per ownership just isn't there and I think buyers often don't consider it, so I personally don't mind seeing third-party movements inside watches at Unless we're starting to get into real luxury brand pricing territories, like the 5000 territory and above, but even then, usually when watches use those types of movements, they use highly modified versions of them or produce them at a higher price. grade, so there are different grades of these movements, so you have your standards, you also have your labs and your stopwatch, higher grade movements and usually these higher grades will perform, but they will also usually end by doing so and these.

Top-tier movements are those that are usually sent for chronometer testing to be certified chronometers. Now the most popular chronometer certification is done by cost or cosc. It is a Swiss organization that tests watch calibers through a variety of different tests and if I want the details of what they are testing, there is a lot of information available, I don't really have time to go through them all, however, a certification of costs is basically just a widely recognized accreditation and it costs money to certify the movement, but it really just comes with an added respect because as you know, watches come with certification, you know the value that was demonstrated with both the assembly and the regulation of the movement and is a good way to know that a manufacturer is not taking shortcuts in what they say.

There are internal standards for many of the brands that actually exceed what is made in terms of cost, so many of these high-end luxury brands don't even send their watches for this because, honestly, their internal testing standards are higher than that. Now, number six, we have water resistance and water resistance is probably one of the most misleading ideas in all of watchmaking, so just to give a general summary, when you buy a watch you will probably see something that mentions water resistance on it. meters, which is quite a lot. self explanatory or atmospheres or ATMs or bars, but what gets a little confusing is not actually the different phrases but the misleading measurements and limitations, so when you get a watch that is tested and you say it's good up to 30 meters, in reality it is not like that.

This means you can perform all activities with water resistance of up to 30 meters. Basically, it's just a matter of testing these watches under static conditions. The problem is that, although there are usually never static conditions when it comes to water, you are creating voids as you move your arms, if you had them. Strapped to your wrist there is pressure associated with being underwater to some degree, so there are a lot of things to consider, so just to give a summary of what each of these different specifications mean when you look at them on your actual watch, first you have 30 meters, three bars or three atmospheres, this is a watch that will be splash resistant, so don't swim with this one, you don't want to get wet, then you have 50 meters water resistance, which will be splash resistant and you can swim a little, but you have to be a little more careful with this, don't do crazy activities with him, but usually he'll be fine.

Personally, I don't swim with 50 meter water resistance watches, but nevertheless, saying that maybe you're just getting into it. a pool when walking gets a little wet this will be good for those 100 meters water resistance 10 bars or 10 atmospheres this will be suitable for most water activities you can swim you can do many things in the water with it then you have your 200 meters of water resistance, which will be suitable for basically any water activity. You can think of things like snorkeling, diving, which says there are also different certifications, like an iso certification for dive watches or certified divers who undergo grueling tests to withstand the harsh conditions underwater, so these are just standards that professional diving watches must meet, so typically these watches have a water resistance of 200 to 300 meters, if not more, and just require a lot more testing to perform.

Just because there are many divers who have 200 meters of water resistance does not necessarily mean that they are a certified diver. A couple more things to consider with water resistance, watches with fewer holes in the case will be safer for actual water resistance. called gaskets on a watch, which are basically seals, a rubber seal inside the watch that helps keep water out, things like a screw-down crown, so a crown that actually has a thread on the crown that pushes down it applies pressure and will allow it to be more a little secure to not let water in and there are also different types of watches like a chronograph for example, I personally don't think it's a good idea to swim with a chronograph unless it has screw-in pushers because Even if you are very careful, you just hit one of those pushers and allow water to enter the watch, that will be aproblem and it will be a very expensive service and finally, just because a watch has a water resistance of 200 meters on the day you buy it, it doesn't This doesn't mean that it's always going to be that, as time goes by, if a watch It's not tested periodically, it's always good practice if you're really pushing your watches to the limit with water, to always have your joints tested for water resistance to make sure you don't risk the thing taking on water because, again, that's very expensive and it's a bad day if that ever happens.

Next, we have the different types of crystals, so basically there are three levels of crystals or three different types of crystals. What you will commonly see first has your acrylic, your hazelnut or your plexiglass crystals, then you have your mineral style crystals and finally you have your sapphire crystals, so they all have their advantages and disadvantages. First, look at your plexiglass acrylic and it has a light. Crystals These crystals are usually the cheapest, but they have some advantages, so they are generally easier to work with. You can tame them very simply without very high costs. They also have a very warm vintage feel because these were actually the crystals used in many antique watches.

I personally love the look of it, but the downsides are that they scratch pretty easily, but the nice thing is that you can use third party stuff, like a Polywatch for example, to really buff out the scratches, as long as it's not a big cut or fold in real glass, you can usually rub them off and then you have the mineral crystals, so these are basically a nice step up in terms of scratch resistance compared to plexiglass. The crystals are a little more difficult to polish, but they are relatively affordable and you also have Seiko with the unique Hard Lux, which is more of a mineral style crystal, and then you also have sapphire crystals.

The best thing about sapphires is that they are very scratch resistant, they are very clear but they are more difficult to work with and are much more expensive. Another thing to consider with sapphire crystals is that there is usually an application of anti-reflective coating which basically helps make the watch more anti-reflective. In terms of looking at the dial, the watch I'm wearing now has two layers of anti-reflective coating. It's usually on the bottom, this one has both layers, but it actually makes the watch look like it doesn't. It doesn't even have a crystal, so sapphires can be very clear when you have this type of anti-reflective coating.

It is now number eight on our list. Here are the different places to buy watches, so first you have the black market sellers and you basically want to avoid them like the plague, these are not places you want to go to buy your watches, they usually sell replica watches or counterfeit watches and the business practices behind this are of course illegal, they are infringing trademarks and if you buy these watches I don't think it is a good idea of ​​course and the sellers are at great risk of being prosecuted and facing large fines or even jail sentences, so I don't approve of these things at all.

I would never go in this direction and I don't think it's a good idea to have a fake watch, the world lies to you all the time. I don't think it's a good idea to lie to yourself by wearing a fake watch, so next you have the gray market sellers. one is a little more nuanced. I want to make a video about this in the future to go into this in more detail because I think this is a very interesting concept in the industry, so gray market sellers are sellers who are not authorized by the brands to sell the products. now how this market is created and usually what will happen is you will see that watches may be listed at a discount compared to the retail price and how this is all happening is basically these sellers go and find through different countries or finding it through different sellers and all these little loopholes and finding products and being able to list them at a discounted price, they usually buy things in bulk or try to locate products so they can list them in the lowest dollar amount possible, They are not allowed to do this although it is not illegal to do so and from the initial point of view it seems that you can always get a good deal so there are just a couple of things to consider when looking at the green market just a few ideas, You don't really know where the products come from, normally what happens is that the products are sold in one country and then shipped to another country and then sold at a discount, that's one way of doing it.

Another thing to consider is that the products themselves are often not in stock, so one thing you'll typically see is that the product will be delivered in four to eight weeks or four to 12 weeks or something like that, basically it's just shipped. will assign you. to say we don't have this watch, we're going to try to go get it and then try to get it at the lowest price to give it to them at the price we promised them and then thirdly, they don't come. with factory warranties some of these different sellers will have their own warranties but I have generally found that they are not very good, the customer service is usually not very good either for these types of sellers but if something goes wrong and you have to fix it. get a service, then you're out of luck, or you have to spend the money to fix it and then also a lot of these larger conglomerates that I mentioned earlier taking big steps on it, even rejecting some of these moves. working on it when something goes wrong and when you're spending a lot of money, I think sometimes it's a very important thing to think about, especially when you're dealing with the expensive service that comes with watches and having a luxury watch, the next guy from sellers, I think it's a great option if you want to get something at a reasonable price or a price that is, I think, more affordable and it's used, there are a lot of great second hand sellers that give that.

More luxury experience and I definitely recommend it. This is a great way to do it. I have a video where I mentioned a few different third party sellers that sell used and vintage watches that I can mention or link down in the description. below, but I think second hand sellers have a lot of advantages: you can often get a good price, if you buy from a trustworthy seller you can get that experience again, but if you really want to buy from the seller, there are also some scary things Which can happen in the used vehicle world if you don't buy from the seller, if things seem too good to be true, they usually are, they always are, so I would avoid finding a good honest seller that has a good track record. and then just buy from them it's a great way to get a good deal and finally you have authorized distributors so authorized distributors are sellers who are authorized by the brand to sell their products so myself my store is a authorized place for everyone.

The brands I sell authorizers generally have a better customer service experience because they represent the brands, which is not always the case. There are certainly some bad authorized dealers, you get access to new products and you also get factory warranties, which in many cases is very helpful if something goes wrong with the watch or you say something goes wrong with the movement and you have to send it back, that's all covered if it falls within that warranty window because I mean some of these services for luxury products and they start. It costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars to get some of these services so the cost of ownership can be high and having a long warranty is very helpful, but again, if you want that authorized experience, I'm an authorized dealer, so you get a five percent discount on your first order.

I love showing you what it's all about, but guys, that's this video. Sorry it's so long, but I hope this can be a useful source of information, whether you're getting into watches for the first time or someone who may have. on watches for a while and maybe you'll learn something new here today, but guys, if you like the video, there's a lot of work to do, please like, subscribe, hit the bell icon if you enjoyed it, also follow me on Instagram, yeah want to stay up to date with future content again please check out teddybaldestar.com and anything else below, is there any other information that you think is helpful for someone who is just starting out looking at watches?

Maybe it was overlooked here. I love seeing the comments. Next I wanted to delve more into the technical side, not so much the subjective side of things like collecting philosophies and things of that nature that I wanted to avoid for another day, but guys, thank you very much again for watching, be well and I'll see. all of you very soon