Basics of Buying Watches: Waterproof and Water-Resistant

via: flickr.com/guysie

Some people have asked me what is the difference between a "waterproof" watch and a "water-resistant" one.  Truth to be told, there is actually little difference despite what others may claim.  Waterproof was initially coined to describe a watch that prevented water from penetrating its casing under normal everyday usage conditions.

However, since the late 1960s, the term "waterproof" was put to an end by various government organisations, such as the US Federal Trade Commission.  The reason for this was that the word waterproof was found to be misleading, as in the products that were labeled and advertised as waterproof were not actually 100% well, waterproof.  That is to say, the seals of watch casings meant for keeping out water were not entirely impermeable.  Furthermore, the effectiveness of the seals would diminish over time through age, wear and tear as well as exposure to chemicals.

Therefore, many watches today are labeled as water-resistant and will specify its depth rating in meters or feet.  This practice has been issued by the International Organization for Standardization, which many countries have adopted, thus forbidding the term "waterproof" to be used with watches.

However, just because watches are water-resistant to depths of over a hundred meters does not mean you should wear it in the bath or shower.  Water resistance means it can prevent the entry of water under the depth pressure it was tested in, under laboratory conditions.  Water-resistance does not factor in high water temperatures (higher than body temperature), since most of these watches were created for and tested in  cold water, hence the heat will severely damage the seals of the watch.  Additionally, sharp changes in water pressure from activities such as swimming on the surface, may adversely affect your watch too.  Moreover, sudden changes in water temperature, going from hot to cold water or vice-versa, may cause the rubber seals to contract, allowing for water to seep in. Finally, soap can also damage your watch as it accumulates in the small joints and can slowly deteriorate the metals outside.

So, please people, I once again implore you, do not wear your watches when showering or bathing unless you want to damage your watch.

Basics of buying a Watch pt 2: Chronograph Watch

It seems that a certain degree of misunderstanding is prevalent among some people with regards to water-proof watches.  Just because you can use the watch under water, certainly does not mean you can can wear it in the shower or bath.  The reason for this is that during showers or baths, the steam generated by the hot water is able to enter the watch casing, once the temperature cools, the water vapor is transformed into water, thus severely damaging the parts inside the watch.  Hence, please do not ever wear watches when you shower or bath.  I thank Mr Tsai for reminding me about this.

Chronograph Watch
A chronograph is a complication watch, which means it has functions apart from just telling the time.  The chronograph is essentially a fancy name for a watch with a stopwatch function, where the watch has an independent sweep seconds hand.  The name comes from the Greek words of 'chronos' and 'graph', which mean time and writing respectively. It was arguably invented by Nicholas Rieussec for the French King XVIII, as the monarch thoroughly enjoyed watching horse races and wanted to know how long each race lasted. 

Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887

Generally, there are three major types of chronographs today, namely single pusher, flyback and rattrapante. The single pusher uses one button on the side of the watch case to start, stop and reset the timer on each successive push.  A flyback chronograph means there is one button to start and stop the chronograph function and another button to reset the timer to zero.  A rattrapante is also known as a split-seconds or double chronograph as it consists of two chronograph seconds hands.  The first push of the first button starts both hands together, another push will stop one hand, while the other hand will continue moving.  Another push will allow the stopped hand to catch up to the moving hand.  The second button allows both seconds hands to be reset to zero.

IWC Portuguese Rattrapante

Most chronographs have the independent sweep seconds hand mounted in the center and rests vertically. There are subdials that display the minutes and running seconds. Typically the designs of chronograph watches can be said to look more sporty or utilitarian, thus inferring masculine qualities.  The size of the face usually varies from 40mm to 48mm.  Naturally many people today will suggest that the chronograph is redundant since almost all digital watches and mobile phones have a stopwatch function, but there are occasions when the chronograph is handy.  

When to Wear:
At the office, so you can count the exact amount of time it takes for your boss to lose his temper again.  At the gym to measure the time between your work-outs. When you need to time yourself swimming or running. Basically you can take your chronograph everywhere except for the most formal events and showers.

Classic Chronograph Watches: 
Omega Speedmaster Professional, Mont Blanc Nicholas Rieussec, Breitling Navitimer, Zenith El Primero, (Tag) Heuer Carrera Calibre, Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

Basics of buying a Watch pt 2: Watch types

Below are some of the various types of watches available today.  I will describe their purpose and which situations are most suitable to wear them.

Piaget Altiplano

Dress Watch
This is the watch to wear when you dress up for formal events, hence the name of dress watch. The styling is classic, elegant and subtle.  It is characterized by a clean and simple dial, either in black or white, often with a leather strap.  Remember, the colour of your watch strap should be the same colour as your belt and shoes, otherwise it will look rather uncoordinated.  

via fashiz.tumblr.com

Quite often, the watch case is slim and not too big, often 40mm and smaller.  Note that the purpose of the dress watch is not to shout and show off, but rather serve as an accessory to complete the smart and formal look. Class and understatement is what the dress watch confers.




When to wear: With a suit when you go to court, attend weddings, funerals and formal parties. Alternatively, you can also wear it with a sports coat (similar to a suit jacket) or shirt, and smarten up a casual look.
Classic examples: Piaget Altiplano, Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso, Cartier Tank, Patek Philippe Calatrava


Diver's Watch

divers-watches.net

These watches usually have a more rugged design, with a rotating bezel surrounding the face of the watch.  The purpose of these watches originated from diving. The bezel saves divers the trouble of remembering how long they have been underwater.  It features markings of 0, 10, 20, and so forth.  The diver aligns the zero marking on the bezel to the minute hand to track the number of minutes passed underwater. 

Furthermore, if the bezel does not have a locking mechanism, it should be uni-directional (counter-clockwise), as a safety measure, in case the diver accidentally bumps the watch, in which case will increase the supposed elapsed time.  This would cause the diver to return to surface prematurely, ensuring the diver never stays underwater for too long.

In addition, the hands and markers of the watch should be luminous for situations where lighting is limited underwater. This includes the seconds hand, to show that the watch has not stopped, as many dive watches possess a mechanical movement.  As legibility is important, the face of the watch is usually 40mm and bigger, sometimes up to 48mm. Naturally they need to be water resistant of at least 100 meters, although some are resistant up to over 1000 meters.   Also, the straps are either stainless steel or rubber since the watch was intended for wear underwater.

Rolex Submariner

However, many people who wear diving watches actually do not dive, but like the rugged and sporty design or the sense of exploration and excitement associated with diving.

When to wear: With a wet-suit or swimming trunks or wear it with casual clothes such as shorts and t-shirt.  Many people also wear it with their suit to present a paradoxical image of formality and the wild, whereas others just wear it to show off and feign a persona of masculinity and adventure.
Classic Examples: Rolex Submariner, Panerai Luminor Marina, Seiko Monster, Omega Seamaster, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

買錶的基本知識 part1

Cartier Flying Tourbillion

最近身邊的朋友開始覺得該買隻像樣的錶，所以我就來分享買錶時該注意的基本事項。對觀念傳統的人而言，除了袖釦、領帶夾以外，男生能配戴的飾品就是手錶。

手錶最基本的功能就是報時，但現在車內配備、手機、各種公共場合都很容易獲得時間的資訊，手錶報時的重要性就減少，戴錶的象徵意義大於功能性。也就是說，配戴手錶的同時也是個人特質、生活型態與地位的展現。再者，戴錶隱約透露出你對守時的重視；而在工作場合中，看錶報時比起看手機報時顯得較嚴謹、專業。當然，如果你帶一隻Mickey Mouse或是Hello Kitty的手錶，你百分之百會被當成小朋友看。

機芯是測量、產生精確時間的裝置，也就是手錶的心臟。一般來說，根據機芯的不同將錶分為兩類:機械錶和石英錶。

機械錶
機芯是使用機械裝置來測量時間，它是透過上發條儲存動力，接著用齒輪來傳送動能至擺輪，藉由擺輪的穩定頻率均化發條的動力輸出，進而推動機芯規律的運作。另外，秒針是隨擺輪移動，擺輪搖晃的頻率越高，秒針越平滑順暢。

朗格機芯

石英錶
使用特殊設計的電池提供電流促使石英結晶體產生快速且穩定的振動頻率，接著透過晶片將此頻率放大傳輸至馬達將其轉化為動力，推動指針。

ETA 石英機芯

機械錶報時不比石英錶精準，且必須定期保養，其價格也比較高昂，但一般來說機械錶仍獲得相對好的評價。原因是機械錶的製作需要精湛的工藝技術，它所展現的美感與數百年的歷史傳承。此外，機械表若妥善照顧，使用年限達數十年，可做為傳家寶代代相傳；反之，石英錶的壽命就相對有限。因此，極具收藏價值的錶款都是機械錶。

如果你戴錶只是為了追隨當季流行時尚，石英錶會是你的首選。
如果你買錶前有做點功課，機械錶是可以適度展現你的品味與質感，又可傳家的明智選擇。

犯了這些錯，穿再帥也沒救

parisiandaily.com

最近我看到越來越多男生穿著得比較正式，這表示他們開始注意外表，而這是一個好的轉變。然而，我也發現很多人對於穿著的基本規則不太懂。但有些穿西裝的重要禮儀和基本穿著搭配是男生一定要知道的。

即便你覺得西裝外套和西裝褲的材質、顏色差不多，但兩者一定要一致，不要亂混搭!旁人是有眼睛分辨出材質與顏色的差異，他們會以為你買不起一整套西裝、再不然就是西裝褲洗了還沒乾，才會黑色外套配深深灰的褲子。如果你想要走混搭風，就挑對比明顯的顏色，像是海軍藍vs.白。

megasuits.blogspot.com

穿西裝，永遠記得當你站立時最後一顆釦子不要扣，不管是兩顆、三顆釦子或是雙排扣的西裝都一樣。如果你的西裝是單一顆扣子，在你起身當然就該扣起來。而在你坐下的時候就要記得把西裝釦子解開，但雙排釦無論是站立或坐下都只能扣著。這個不起眼的小動作，在懂得禮儀的人眼裡，自然會為你的表現加分。我女朋友去某銀行面試時，就有遇過同場的應徵者被董事長提點穿著禮儀，要他坐下時要記得把釦子解開，這樣西裝才不會皺皺的影響觀感。

請記得襯衫最上面的釦子不要扣，除非你有打領帶或領結，不然別人會以為你早上趕著出門忘了打領帶。另外，皮帶跟皮鞋的顏色要一樣，穿咖啡色皮鞋就要用咖啡色皮帶，穿黑色皮鞋就要用黑色皮帶，簡單來說就是皮件類的物品顏色要一致。

modgentman.com

襪子的顏色是要跟褲子接近或同色系，而不是根據鞋子的顏色來搭配。此外，除非你要模仿Michael Jackson，千萬不要黑鞋配白襪!唯一的例外是你想要表現獨特的時尚品味，你才會穿跟褲子不同顏色的襪子，像是灰色西裝搭配紫色襪子。

collegehumor.com

今年夏天，台灣男生喜歡把polo衫領子往上翻，這是屬於1970、1990年代的流行，如果你怕太陽毒辣讓脖子曬傷，寧可花錢買罐係數高品質好的防曬乳，也不要再當古人了，這樣一點都不MAN。


如果你有使用袋巾，記得材質和顏色要跟領帶不一樣。不然會顯得你很刻意或是有強迫症，同時也透露你對顏色的搭配沒什麼概念。還有金屬配件的顏色不要金、銀混搭，例如；銀色袖扣，金色手表，銀色戒指，不是穿金又戴銀就會提高你的身分地位。

adorn-london.com

附帶一提，即便再流行的穿搭方式，不適合自己的身形就不要勉強，你不是模特兒身高180，短褲配靴子只會顯得你腿短腿粗又矮。

最後，如果你不是視障朋友，就不要在夜間或室內戴墨鏡，不然你就成了自以為帥的渾蛋。

Basics of buying a watch pt 1 continued [Update]

Something I forgot to add with regards to mechanical watches was that there are 2 types of mechanical watches, namely manual and self-winding.

Manual Mechanical Watch

Panerai Manual Winding Watch

This means the main spring of the watch must be wound manually to power the movement of the watch.  Generally this requires the wearer to turn the crown of the watch, (a knob on the outside of the watch case) to wind the main spring. Below is a diagram to explain the process by Tourneau.com's Knowledge Center:

tourneau.com

1. Turning the Crown winds the Mainspring, causing it to store energy.
2. The Gear Train transfers the energy to the Escapement.
3. The Escapement meters out the energy into regulated parts.
4. The Balance Wheel uses this regulated energy to beat back and forth at a constant rate.
5. Every certain number of beats, the Dial Train transfers the energy to the hands of the watch.
6. The hands advance.

Self winding Mechanical Watch
This is commonly known as an automatic movement.  The main spring is wound by a rotor, which is turned by the movements of the wearer's wrist and gravity, hence powered by kinetic energy.

Audemars Piguet Rotor (back of the watch)

When the main spring is wound, it builds up energy, which is slowly released to run the watch.  On average, most mechanical watches can run for roughly 40 hours on one full winding. Naturally, once the main spring has released all its stored energy, the balance wheel will stop, which causes the watch to stop, unless it is wound again. Furthermore, mechanical movements could face the risk of over winding the watch, but most mechanical watches these days have a slipping clutch device used on the main spring to prevent this from happening. The diagram below represents the steps involved in the working of automatic movements by Tourneau.com:

tourneau.com

1. Movement of the wrist turns the Rotor which winds the Mainspring. Turning the Crown will also wind the Mainspring.
2. The Gear Train transfers the energy to the Escapement.
3. The Escapement meters out the energy into regulated parts.
4. The Balance Wheel uses this regulated energy to beat back and forth at a constant rate.
5. Every certain number of beats, the Dial Train transfers the energy to the hands of the watch.
6. The hands advance.

Quartz Watch 

The diagram below illustrates the process of how a quartz watch works by Tourneau.com:

tourneau.com

1. Electricity is carried from the Battery to the Quartz Crystal via the Integrated Circuit.
2. The electricity makes the Quartz Crystal vibrate at a rate of 32,768 vibrations per second.
3. These electrical pulses are sent via the Integrated Circuit to the Stepping Motor.
4. The Stepping Motor sends every 32,768th electrical pulse to the Dial Train.
5. The Dial Train advances the hands on the watch.

Basics of buying a watch pt 1

Recently a number of friends are interested in buying their first serious watch, thus I would like to discuss some the the basic things to look for when purchasing a watch.  To traditionalists and conservatives, the watch is the only acceptable form of jewelry a man can wear, besides cuff-links and tie-bars.  

Naturally the purpose of the watch is to tell the time, but in this day and age, where the time is available in our car, on our phones, in public and so forth, the importance of telling the time on your wrist has decreased.  Hence the current emphasis of wearing a watch can be said to be more form over functionality. This means it provides another opportunity for self-expression of your personality, life-style and status.  In addition, wearing a watch subtly indicates that you care about keeping time and in the professional world, you will be taken a bit more seriously when you wear a watch as compared to whipping out your smartphone to tell the time. Obviously if you wear a Mickey Mouse or Hello Kitty watch, I don't think you will be taken seriously at all.

Generally, there are two types of watches based on their movements.  A movement is a device that measures the passage of time as well as displays the current time. The two types of movements are mechanical and electronic, commonly known as quartz movement.

Mechanical
These types of movements essentially use a mechanical mechanism to measure time and is powered by a spring that needs to be wound regularly to build up energy.  It releases the energy through a series of gears to power the balance wheel, which through other mechanisms, move the hands of the watch at a constant rate. The seconds hand of a mechanical watch can be said to 'glide' or move around smoothly. 

Electronic/Quartz
forums.watchuseek.com

Mechanical Movement
ofrei.com

Electronic or Quartz Movement
These watches use a specially designed battery that activate a quartz crystal to vibrate very quickly.  These vibrations are converted into energy by a computer chip to drive an electronic motor, which move the watch's hands.  The seconds hand can be seen to tick every second, but some quartz powered watches also have seconds hands that glide. 

Although mechanical watches are less accurate than electronic powered watches, and require periodic maintenance, mechanical watches are more expensive and considered more prestigious.  The reason for this is there is craftsmanship, aesthetics and tradition associated with mechanical watches.  Moreover, if properly maintained, it can last much longer and passed down through generations, whereas the electronic circuitry of quartz powered watches have a limited lifespan.  Thus serious timepieces only consist of mechanical movements.

So if you want a watch just for fashion purposes where you can throw away next season, a quartz watch is probably more suitable for you.  However, if you want a watch that will be taken more seriously, where you can keep it for many years and pass down to others, rather get a mechanical watch.