The right watch for you.

Part one of  Watch Planets guide to choosing the right watch.

Buying a new watch can be confusing, There are so many brands out there to consider, Tissot Watches, Fossil Watches, Adidas Watches, DKNY Watches, Police Watches, Rotary Watches , Sekonda Watches, Seksy Watches, the list is seeminly endless. However there are a few pointers that will help you make the right choice.

Consider the following points:
 
Think about why you want the watch.
Every watch serves a purpose, from the most utilitarian to the most artistic. No matter what purpose yours will serve, there is an appropriate watch to meet your expectations. 
Watches can be generally divided into the following categories :dress watch  -  sports watch - diver’s watch -   pilot’s watch
  How much are you prepared to pay?
 
With most people, the cost of a watch is taken into consideration, unless you have an never ending pot of cash, "lucky you" However, don't just be swayed by a cheap price tag, value and quality are also very important factors, it can be far more economical to buy a good watch that will last for years rather than several economical "disposable" watches. But if fashions your thing, there's nothing wrong with having a nice collection of shorter-lived fashion watches.
 
Watches vary greatly in price from affordable to the extremely luxurious.Don't forget at Watch Planet we offer a price beater Hotline, "if you find the same product on another site cheaper then let us know and we will beat it"- Price Beater Hotline on (01425) 476822) 

So what makes one watch so much more expensive than another?
 
Generally, mechanical watches, by the  nature of their movements, are more costly than quartz watches, but there are a number of other factors that affect the cost of watches.
In relation to the movement, even on inexpensive models, this part is well designed and all the highly functional elements make use of the latest technology. In more expensive movements, all parts, whether functional or not, are finished with great care. 
The type of case materials used can also vary. Cases can be made from plastic, resins, stainless steel, base metal (usually brass), gold-plated base metals, gold-filled and precious metals.The watch case or the documents accompanying the watch will tell you the  metallic content. Plastic and resin composites generally are the least costly and are found primarily in fashion and sport watches. Stainless steel is a robust metal, used widely in sport watches.
 
Prices of gold-plated watches vary depending upon the thickness of the plating, in a watch this is measured in microns. Gold plating can range from 2-micron thickness to 30-microns and more. Precious metals used on watch cases include 14K or 18K gold, sterling silver and, in some very high-end watches, platinum.
 
Crystal types also vary, but with fewer options. Generally, the crystal, which is the glass-like covering designed to protect the dial of the watch, is either plastic, mineral glass, or synthetic sapphire. Plastic is mostly used in lower-priced, mass-market watches, while mineral glass is sturdier. Sapphire crystals, more expensive than mineral glass, are not only sturdy, but also highly scratch-resistant.
 
Bracelets can also influence watch prices considerably. There are straps made of plastic, rubber, leather and exotic skins. Similarly, metal bracelets can range from inexpensive base metals to precious metals, to specially developed tungsten carbide or titanium.

Look out for part 2 of choosing the right watch for you, coming soon ... 

Sekonda Watches

Sekonda is a British brand which was established in 1966 to offer a collection of mechanical watches which were manufactured in Russia. With extensive marketing support and superb customer service Sekonda quickly became a household name. The introduction of the quartz movement saw manufacture moved to Hong Kong and this enabled Sekonda to introduce more fashionable styles. This combination and continued marketing support led to Sekonda becoming the best selling watch brand in units in the UK in 1988, a position that is still held today.

The period since 1998 has been one of rapid change with the introduction to the worldwide market of numerous fashion brands. Whilst competition is good for every brand, these new introductions started to take market share without substantially growing the total market for watches. Sekonda still remained the number one selling brand but action had to be taken. In 2004 SEKSY was born. With many years of experience in watches the Sekonda team turned their expertise to the fashion arena and developed product aimed at the 25 to 35 age group. An instantly recognisable name meant that SEKSY could become a worldwide brand. The launch range consisted of just eleven models and with clever advertising a number of these lines soon became best sellers.

The second year saw the range expand to current levels with around thirty models. At this point Sekonda introduced a gents fashion range called ONE.

This was launched with nine models and again was backed with impactful advertising. SEKSY and ONE are meant to be different from other fashion brands but both ranges still carry the Sekonda ethos of giving the customer excellent product at competitive prices. The brands have grown each year and in 2006 the third advertising campaign for SEKSY and second for ONE, created substantial demand by going back on television through sponsorship of programmes such as 'Jack Osbourne Adrenaline Junkie', 'Ghost Hunting with Girls Aloud' and 'An Audience with Take That'. In 2007 the SEKSY range and ONE ranges will be expanded.

Stringent quality control is a feature of all Sekonda watches under all its associated brand names. Quality is never sacrificed due to commercial pressure and these standards have ensured that out of 1.6 million watches sold, less than 1% are returned.