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A picture may speak a thousand words, but there is still no substitute for trying on a metal watch. That’s not always possible (and that’s something T+T Discovery Studios has worked hard to change). Many of us buy watches online, invisible to the eye. As a community, watch enthusiasts are more educated and curious than ever before to learn more about the ins and outs of the watch world. Things are getting better, but some brands are doing better than others when it comes to communicating the specific details that are important to evaluate a purchase. Here are six things every watch brand should tell us.
thickness
Believe it or not, measurements for this pillar are not always disclosed in some press releases or branded e-commerce sites. This is truly amazing. Because the main measurements that everyone expects are diameter and thickness, and many of us even want to know the full trinity of diameter, thickness, and lug-to-lug measurements. is. The thickness of a watch is a highly desirable measurement for buyers, as it determines not only whether the watch will slip under the cuff, but also how the watch will sit on the wrist. Thinner watches add more elegance to their aesthetic, and although the sports category is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the dress category, many buyers prefer sportier items to be their watch choice, even in formal situations. That’s what I think.
We have seen how important thickness is to our customers. A perfect example is the Tudor. Some expressed disappointment at Tudor Black Bay Heritage’s pivot to the manufacturing movement. It wasn’t because the new movement was any less desirable; in fact, the technical upgrades were appreciated. However, this comes at the cost of adding a few precious millimeters of thickness. Jumped from ETA Smiley’s 12.7 mm to Kenissi’s 14.8 mm. Then, in 2023, Tudor introduced a new generation of Kenissi Black Bay watches with a slimmer profile of 13.6 mm. But the only reason this was communicated to the public is because a watch publication did our homework and had access on-site at Palexpo.
Rolex has yet to post thickness measurements on its product pages, but Tudor has since made them easily accessible on their product pages. The big brother is in a position to learn something from the little brother. That being said, neither page contains rag-to-rag.
Between the lugs
After expressing my feelings about the importance of rug-to-rug measurements, many people reached out and expressed how much they sympathized with that sentiment. I see new buyers getting caught up in the established size benchmark of diameter, but in reality, a watch can never be too wide for the wrist, but it can never be too long for the wrist. It’s possible. For those who aren’t familiar yet, lug-to-lug length is the distance from lug tip to lug tip. Unfortunately, many brands leave out this important information.
As a result, specs can be deceptive, and combined with what we’ve been taught to focus on diameter as a KPI for achieving the perfect fit, many believe that the Submariner jumps up to 41mm. You will be disappointed to know that there is. Admittedly, I often prefer smaller diameters, but like many people digging deep down the horological rabbit hole, what we all really want to know is thickness and lug to lug dimensions.
A good example of this is the comparison between Doxa SUB 300 and Nomos Ahoi Atlantik. The Ahoi comes in both 40mm and 36mm configurations, so on paper you might think that both are smaller watches than the 42mm Doxa Sub 300, but in reality that’s not the case. The length between the lugs on the NOMOS Ahoy 36mm is actually 46mm, and the width on the 40mm is a whopping 50mm. Each size is a precious few millimeters longer than the SUB 300’s 45mm lug distance.
Unsurprisingly, we’ve seen improvements in this area since we first asked brands to start providing lug-to-lug measurements on product pages and press releases. Interestingly, such disclosures have become the norm primarily for microbrands and independent companies, and are not yet widespread among major brands. That being said, I appreciate that the lug-to-lug distances and thicknesses for all the watches on the website are readily available – Omega and Grand Seiko.
weight
No, I don’t want to know the weight of the watch to know the value of the scrap metal in advance. The weight of a watch is important from a fit and feel perspective. For example, a modern steel Rolex GMT-Master II weighs approximately 150 grams. The Grand Seiko Tentagraph, on the other hand, is made from lightweight titanium. Still, it weighs 154 grams, probably due to the rather large modular caliber inside. As you may know, steel Rolex watches are known for their precious metal-like weight on the wrist. So when you try on the Titanium Tentagraph, you might be surprised. It never feels like a snowflake (it weighs 100 grams) on your wrist.
Watches worn during physical activity have the advantage of being lightweight. After all, you don’t want to slow down your forehand. And unless you plan on staying at the bottom of the ocean forever, it’s also impractical to wear a heavy yellow gold Sea-Dweller on your wrist… All kidding aside, the weight of the watch and its distribution will dictate how you wear the watch. may change significantly. Place the balance of the watch on your wrist. For example, the Tentagraph feels more ergonomic because all of its weight comes primarily from the center of the watch, while the bracelet retains its familiar lightness. Once again, a call to both Grand Seiko and Omega to post the approximate weight of all their watches on their websites. Other brands should follow suit.
where does movement come from
There is nothing wrong with using a mass-produced caliber (modification), and the significance of making it in-house should not be given too much weight. Movements from companies like ETA and Sellita offer proven performance with extremely robust construction. On the other hand, some in-house calibers come to market with problems and customer complaints that take time to resolve. But even if modified mass calibers were completely overhauled, not explicitly disclosing the ebauche of your caliber is like writing a paper in school and not citing your sources. You may have made a great argument, but your professor will want to know how you came to this conclusion.
As watch buyers become increasingly informed, we are all becoming more educated consumers, professors who demand references, so to speak. At this point, the brand began using the phrase “manufactured caliber” for movements that had been modified in-house, making the presence of ebauches similar to pharmaceutical advertisements that reveal side effects in small print at the bottom of the screen. seems to be hinting at it. An “in-house” caliber designed by the brand from scratch. You may also see brands such as Bell & Ross and Bremont alluding to ebauches in their reference and caliber numbers. For example, the BR-CAL.302 inside the Bell & Ross BR-03-92 is an ETA-2892 or Sellita SW300, and the same is true for Bremont watches that use the improved production caliber BE-92AE. Masu.
A subtle perk that only the uninitiated will appreciate is the presence of “92” in the reference number of Bell & Ross watches and the Bremont caliber number. I would say a little more transparency never hurt anyone. In fact, I think just being able to detail all the work you’ve put into fixing the ETA, Sellita, or other ebauche provided would really help us provide even more service. It’s definitely better to be honest. Otherwise, the watch community will take a hard look. And if the findings point to an undisclosed ebauche, the conversation surrounding the watch is completely ruined.
Supplier transparency
What emerged from the Ebauches conversation is that it’s not just aspects of the movement that watch brands can typically be more transparent about. Perhaps it’s a sign of the in-house pretentiousness expressed by watch consumers, but watch manufacturers rarely make watches entirely in-house, and they don’t even reveal which experts helped make it happen. There are very few as well. Or at least not easily known to the general public. It’s also possible that brands naively believe that the larger market isn’t really interested in knowing the deep behind-the-scenes details, but more and more people are getting acquainted with the nuances of watchmaking. Therefore, watch enthusiasts definitely want to know. Not only do they want to know, but brands also have an opportunity to impress watch enthusiasts. Cadranier de Genève, Metalem and Aginhour are all highly regarded specialists in the watch community. So why hide the name when it’s actually a valuable selling point?
I think watch manufacturers will get better at this over the next few years, but they probably won’t be perfect. Indie companies like Czapek are certainly at the forefront, constantly citing experts to help their brands create, such as the Chronode for certain calibers or the Donze Cadrans for dials like the Goutte d’Eau. I recently spoke with Julien Tornare, Hublot’s new CEO. In a conversation about the news that LVMH will expand production of Zenith movements for use across the group, he said: What you need is a high-end quality movement. ” I agree, and most of the markets to which this information would be relevant would agree as well. For those who aren’t involved, it’s information that will be ignored, and there’s no harm done to the brand.
realistic images
The conundrum of rendering and realism continues to plague the watch industry. Sure, you can retouch a “proper” photo, but the rendered soldier shot that every brand offers as a baseline won’t do a watch justice. Grand Seiko, a brand known as an industry leader in color, texture, and finish, has struggled with this problem for years. When the SBGA413 first debuted, many people pointed out during the live broadcast that the dial was not as pink as the original renderings of the watch had led us to believe. Additionally, as you can see in the photo example above, this website’s rendering does little to convey light and shadow, which is one of the brand’s core design missions. The metal remains bright in the render, making it unclear which surfaces are brushed and which are polished.
But Grand Seiko has proven that it listens to the field and listens to feedback. Years after this point was made, Grand Seiko began taking top-quality live photos and publishing them in their press packages. That being said, the brand still doesn’t use these great photos enough on their website’s product pages. We understand that the problem of using rendered images remains prevalent across the industry, and that high-quality photography requires investment, but big brands with bigger war chests have the ability to solve this problem. There’s no excuse not to spend your time. Ironically, Micro is leading the way here too and tends to be better at this. Because Micro knows this makes a big difference in sales conversion, especially when you don’t have a physical presence around the world.
Featured image “Megaphone and Fumigene” by Grégoire Lannoy is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
