Tic Toc...

A vintage timepiece wrapped around one’s wrist, especially an automatic, is one of those sublime luxuries that must be experienced at least once in a lifetime. Often you hear people say: “They don’t make ‘em like they used to…” and that is true. Of course technology has brought the wristwatch to split second accuracy, but frankly unless you are a train conductor or airline pilot who really needs that kid of accuracy. The mechanisms on many watches have gotten so sophisticated that they spend most of the time in an envelope going back and forth from the client to customer care for repair.
Another reason vintage watches are so beautiful is their understated aesthetic. A watch should tell time not blind people with ostentatious material nor impede you from actually telling time.
There are, of course, various levels in the pantheon of watches and much of it depends on where it is made and with what mechanism. Switzerland is the country when one mentions watches. No other country comes close to the tradition of watch making: the elite Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet and the more “common” but certainly more widely known Rolex, Omega and Breitling to name a few. The Japanese have certainly given the Swiss a run for their money when it comes to mechanisms, but ask any watch collector and they will take Swiss movement over Japanese hands down. Then of course there is the Quartz vs. Automatic vs. Coil. It truly is a matter of preference, but why depend on a battery or your memory to keep your watch going? True, quartz is more accurate, but how late are you every going to be to an appointment?!
Whatever your choice, make sure it is simple and accurate enough and most of all that it is a watch and not a piece of jewelry.