How to Measure Watch Durability for Everyday Wear and Tear

The delicate machinery of a watch shows the incredible craftsmanship of a watchmaker. It makes up for a renowned masterpiece prestige watch brand showcased in its glory. Outside the machinery, a high-end watch made of robust materials that provide protection against potential endangering factors.

The inside mechanism and outside protection of a watch go hand in hand to create optimal durability. Knowing how to measure watch durability can help you estimate its longevity, allowing you to consider a specific product before purchasing. Without further ado, let’s dive into the discussion below!

How to Measure Watch Durability

Durability, or robustness, has long become one of the most desirable qualities in a timepiece. Watch enthusiasts consider it the decisive factor when selecting one model from the multitude of options by various brands. A durable watch also affects its perception of quality in general. It’s enough of a factor for most watch collectors to consider a watch investment.

Specifically, durable watches for men often become a prestige category in the world of horology, especially regarding outdoor or sports wear. While the durability level is not the same, a dress watch has a particular robust quality which allows it to ensure protection against wear and tear. Here’s how to measure watch durability by considering its every part:

1. Feeling the Materials

A watch's material decides its worth and wearability under particular circumstances. For outdoor activity enjoyers, a watch serves as an essential instrument in navigating certain events, like diving underwater or exploring the wild. While not entirely similar, a formal watch usually worn indoors serves a similar role. That being said, the durability or strength level in each model differs greatly.

Among the best watch materials is stainless steel. Sports enthusiasts often lean toward a watch made of stainless steel as it offers corrosion resistance. When worn during outdoor activities, a stainless steel watch remains pristine despite the amount of moisture and sweat accumulating from hours of being out under the sun.

Alternatively, titanium becomes a preferable choice for sports enthusiasts who engage in hardcore outdoor activities. Titanium is much lighter and stronger compared to stainless steel. It can withstand impacts and corrosion properly.

Another material worth considering for its durability is ceramic. A watch bezel usually uses ceramic due to its scratch-resistant quality. Ceramics can help a watch maintain its pristine appearance even after extensive use. The durability of ceramic and a sleek aesthetic often inspire watchmakers to create an extremely stylish watch with a prestigious value.

2. Checking the Water and Shock Resistance

Wearing a watch doesn’t only become a necessity when dressing up for a business meeting or attending a formal family event. Durable watches for underwater activities require at least 100 m of water resistance. A deeper dive will require a higher water resistance, ideally 300 m and above. This water resistance feature should be paired with sealing mechanisms, like robust gaskets or O-rings, to ensure the watch’s functionality even under extreme underwater conditions.

For sports watches, measuring durability includes excellent shock resistance testing. Outdoor activity enthusiasts can benefit from a robust case design as it can withstand impacts. Cases with rounded edges design and sturdy build may help absorb shocks during a particularly intense sports activity.

A durable sports watch also needs equally strong internal movement protection. A case back made of shock-absorbing materials, like rubber or silicon, can protect the inside mechanism from the effects of extreme sports activities. All these together build a properly durable and reliable watch for active wear.

3. Measuring Battery Life

Automatic watches tend to have long-lasting batteries. They don't require a specific setting to operate unlike mechanical watches. Choosing a durable automatic watch means inspecting its battery life. With a long-lasting battery, a watch remains functional without needing frequent changes. Athletes can benefit from this feature as they wear sports watches for extended periods without access to a power source.

4. Examining the Crystal

Another important part of learning how to measure watch durability is examining the material of the crystal. As the cover of the dial, the crystal material becomes the deciding factor in determining a watch's durability. A traditional choice for this will be acrylic crystal, as it doesn’t easily shatter upon impact. However, among vast material selections, the sapphire crystal offers excellent clarity while providing the optimum scratch resistance. It hits the perfect balance between durability and style.

5. Inspecting Hands Finishing

Durability applies to every part of a watch, including the hands. What used to be a part made of various alloys is now crafted from stainless steel and precious metals. With each passing day, brands innovate to ensure the watch hands can withstand external endangering factors, like sun exposure and moisture. Oxidation can occur when moisture gets inside the crystal. On the other hand, prolonged sun exposure can burn the hands.

To keep the watch hands out of external harm, watch manufacturers use a rhodium alloy coating or finishing. Rhodium alloy serves as a protection against rust and tarnish. Another way to keep the hands safe is to heat them or use chemical treatment. In the case of "heated-blue" hands, the hands will have a striking blue finish. Most pilot watches often use heated-blue hands.

6. Testing Tolerances

All watch parts come together to build a piece of a divine horology creation. When they’re united, the watch has higher tolerances. Tolerances in watchmaking are the permitted variances in size or fit between components. Tight tolerances enhance a watch’s functionality, robustness, and general quality, guaranteeing each part fits perfectly and securely. It means each part is securely attached, like end links that feel snug. The tighter the tolerance, the longer a watch stays together as a unit and offers a comfortable wearing experience.

7. Scanning the Movement

A worthy watch investment requires you to ensure every part of it is crafted properly without a fault, most importantly the movement. A well-built and reliable caliber serves as a defining factor in a watch’s durability. When inspecting the movement, consider the two following qualities:

Quality of the alloys. A watch model can have a silicon hairspring to protect the movement against magnetism. Nevertheless, complexity is not always a bad thing as many sophisticated complications are crafted by the hands of excellent watchmakers through precise manufacturing.
The simplicity of the design. It can affect how easy it is for the movement to serve its function. Nonetheless, complicated movements can stay durable when crafted with precision by skillful watchmakers.

8. Ensuring the Coating

Coatings serve as a crucial factor in ensuring a watch’s durability. They play a similar role to rhodium on stainless steel hands to protect against corrosion and potential scratches. In addition to protection, coatings tend to give a darker color to steel.

Usually, brands use PVD (physical vapor deposition) or DLC (diamond-like carbon) coatings, which change the appearance of a watch completely. Both coatings give the alloy a grainy matte texture in cases and bracelets. Such types of coatings can be found in Oris and Seiko watches.

What a High-Quality Watch Consists of

A prestigious watch is a display of watchmakers' masterful craftsmanship. Owning a high-quality watch from a luxury brand allows you to appreciate every detail of the masterpiece. From the outside to the inside, a single watch consists of significant parts worth paying attention to as they are built for overall durability. Here’s the explanation for each part:

The Outside

Examining a watch from the outside requires you to take a look at each detail, including the case, face, and dial.

Case

On the outside, a well-made watch doesn’t have sharp edges. It’s carefully built with a slight curve for comfort. Most high-quality timepieces have slightly rounded edges with polishes and smooth finishes. A higher-quality watch even has hand-finishings. Moreover, the engraving, beveling, and enameling are done by hand.

Face

When measuring watch durability, you cannot leave out the face or the crystal. A high-quality watch tends to use sapphire crystal. It’s known for its high durability and clear appearance, allowing you to see the details on the dial, such as the date, water resistance, and chronograph.

Dial

Compared to cheap watches, high-quality watches have a more three-dimensional appearance. A carefully crafted watch will have certain features that commercial timepieces don’t, like hobnailed bezels and stylized numerals. These intricate elements require time-intensive processes and are more expensive to produce.

The Inside

A high-quality watch is generally synonymous with mechanical movements due to the time required to produce them. In-house mechanical movements have small, intricate, and complex mechanisms that power a watch. The inner pieces of some models even use precious metals and jewels to ensure durability.

That said, quartz and automatic watches indicate lower quality. Battery-powered watches provide more accuracy and durability in intense activities that require a stable source of power. Most sports watches use batteries because of such a reason.

Final Thought

A list of durable watches for men and women varies, but a guide to checking durability generally includes similar things. Inspecting every part of a watch can be a good start for either beginners or pros. Every single part of a watch contributes to its durability. It’s necessary to pay attention to a watch’s details without a miss before deciding to add one to your collection.


Maker
Movement
Case
Lug Width
Water resistance
Dimensions