What Makes Expensive Watches For Men Worth Their High-End Prices?

Expensive Watches For Men

Watches for men come in all sizes and shapes, and also in all price categories. And it is probably no secret that a $20 quartz watch can keep time the same as a $60000 Rolex, and many other luxury expensive watches for men for that matter. So, technically in many cases, there could be quartz watches that show more correct time than luxury watches, so aren’t they in that sense ”better”? But here is where the major question comes into the picture, why are those watches so expensive?

This is a question that is constantly being asked because in particular those people who do not know watches that well cannot decode and justify how a small object such as a watch can be so expensive but answering this question is not as simple either. So here, we will share all the main reasons why they are so expensive and what makes expensive watches for men worth their costs.

Why Do Luxury Watches Cost As Much As They Do? 

The luxury watch industry uses numerous kinds of materials depending on the specific look and advantages they want in a watch. Many different kinds of material may be used to manufacture their case which includes in particular plastic, steel, ceramics, and precious metals. The most expensive of all materials, platinum is also incorporated in these expensive watches. Yellow gold, used in quintessential gold watches, is also among the most expensive. Whereas some brands increase the copper content in their watches to an extent that you get what is euphemistically known as a red-gold watch’. The type of crystal used to protect the dial can also vary. Different finishes can be found in these expensive watches: plastic, mineral, or sapphire crystals are all common, and hence prices can vary greatly.

The second reason watches are so expensive is the overhead included to produce them. We’re not just talking about the raw materials here, though those can sometimes be more considerable in the price for watches with precious metal cases. Overhead for a watch company, like any other industry, includes materials, production, custom machinery, prototyping, design, and research and development. Also, these watch brands spend years of R&D refining each step of the watchmaking process, including creating in-house movements, specialized dial mounting, long-power reserves, and finishing techniques. Every facet of luxury watch production is detailed out and followed to its precision. 

The bracelet of the watch can also affect the price of the watch, bearing in mind that major price differences are naturally to be expected between a plastic strap and one manufactured from rare leather, or a precious-metal or titanium bracelet for example.

Quartz Watches Vs Mechanical Watches

It requires a team of watchmakers years to design complicated movements of these watches,  to create working prototypes, and even build custom machinery to make specific parts before ramping up into production. And at the higher end, there’s the hands-on, time-consuming process of finishing movements, dials, and cases which is nothing less than art, something you don’t see on more affordable timepieces. All of this doesn’t come cheap.

The machinery that allows the watch to keep time, and beat in a very specific rhythm, is called the caliber or the movement of the watch. There are two basic types of movements - quartz, or mechanical.

Quartz watches are your basic watches that require a battery to operate, whereas mechanical watches use a spring that is wound very precisely to operate. Historically almost all mechanical watches were designed and made for a very specific purpose. Some watches were meant to be used in a highly radioactive, or highly magnetic area, whereas others were designed to keep a proper track of time underwater, or in space. Quartz watches would simply stop functioning in places where temperatures are extreme, and in places where the magnetic fields are skewed. Each of these things adds complications to the movement. 

This also means that these expensive watches are “professional” watches, meant for professionals, to be used in a very specific field. The complications of the watches also mean that they cannot be and are not mass-produced because of their high-quality control, making them extremely rare in the market. Thus, the price is jacked up.


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