Here are six things you won't realize until after you've decided to buy a mechanical watch, but by then it's too late

For many new watch enthusiasts, buying a watch is usually a fleeting thought. It usually takes a few years of wearing them before they get a full understanding of mechanical watches. In fact, the principle of mechanical watches is not complicated,TUDOR Royal M28323-0001 and you can avoid a lot of detours just by making some understanding.

First of all, when a mechanical watch suddenly stops moving, it is usually because of a lack of power reserve.

Newbies don't initially have the habit of wearing a watch every day, and usually only remember to wear a watch when they go to a party.TUDOR Black Bay 39 M79660-0001 When they realize that their watch is not going, they usually shake it a little bit or think it's broken. However, a mechanical watch relies entirely on the swinging of the wrist to store kinetic energy to maintain proper timekeeping. Conventional watch movements typically have a power reserve of between 30-70 hours, so if a watch is not worn for two or three days, its kinetic energy will have long since been depleted. When worn again, it needs to be manually wound for 20 revolutions and worn for more than 8 hours a day so that it doesn't stop moving.

Secondly, all mechanical watches have errors, which are not necessarily related to the price of the watch.

The movement of a mechanical watch is a precision instrument, which is affected by factors such as shock and impact, temperature change and magnetic field environment. Even after the calibration of mechanical watches, it is normal for the error to become bigger after a period of time. And no matter how expensive the brand is, it dares not promise that its mechanical watch has no error. If you are obsessive-compulsive about errors, then it is more suitable to wear electronic watches or quartz watches.

The third thing is about the waterproof depth of the watch is different from your understanding and expectation.

The waterproof rating of a watch is usually labeled as 50 meters, 100 meters, 300 meters, and 500 meters. The waterproof depth here does not refer to the depth underwater, but the pressure. I have always felt that mechanical watches labeled in this way are misleading to novices. 50 meters or less is equal to not waterproof, 50-100 meters is limited to car wash, hand wash and other life level waterproofing. 300 meters onwards can be worn in the summer to swim. But all mechanical watches can't be worn in a sauna because they are not resistant to hot water or water vapor.

The fourth thing is that mechanical watches do not need to be serviced every year.

Mechanical watch maintenance simply means taking the movement out and taking it apart, cleaning and oiling each part, and checking the movement parts for wear and replacing them. Nowadays, the high-end watch repair industry is proliferating, and they exaggerate the benefits of regular maintenance, but in reality, they are just trying to charge exorbitant repair fees and profits. Normally, as long as the watch is not malfunctioning it does not need to be serviced.TUDOR Glamour Double Date M57103-0005 Even for very careful watch enthusiasts, maintenance once every 3-5 years is enough.

The fifth thing is that the vast majority of Swiss watches use ETA movements.

Except for the brands that have been using their own developed movements, such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, etc., 95% of the brands in Switzerland are using or have used ETA movements in some of their models. Although there are many Swiss watch brands, the vast majority of them are really just acting as a case factory.

The sixth thing is to try not to buy entry-level Swiss watches.

Mechanical watches have now become an exclusively male luxury, and as a result the major watch brands are selling for more and more money. The main point of wearing a watch is to show one's financial strength and of course to enhance one's taste. Entry-level watches such as Tissot and Longines are very cost-effective, but the phenomenon of wearing them and putting them in a drawer to eat dust is quite common. Why not simply buy a mid-range luxury brand watch?

Mechanical watches are not perfect, on the contrary it has many flaws. It is a decorative item worn by those who have the money and the time to spare. Of course, there is nothing wrong with wearing it purely because you like it for the convenience of watching the time. That's why it's important to determine your actual needs and budget before you buy a watch, so you won't regret it. So what are some of the other things that you only know after you have purchased a watch?