how to buy your first wood watch – helpful tips
TRANSCRIPT
There are lots of companies that sell wood watches these days. That’s no surprise because wood watches are the hottest trend for wrist watches in a long time. Before wood watches, you had three choices for watch bands -- metal, leather, or some form of sweaty rubber made from petroleum by-products (yuck!) When, wood watches were introduced just a few years ago, they looked like something Fred Flintstone would wear, except bigger. I bought one of these clunkers and I was afraid someone would think I was wearing a child’s Playskool watch! Today, the design of wood watches has become ultra-sophisticated. So, before you buy your first wood watch, take my advice.
Choose a wood watch suited to your taste. Wood watches come in a multitude of shapes and styles. The best wood watch companies have at least 30 different watch styles. If a company has less than 10 different styles, they are just in it for a fast buck and have not expertise in what it takes to make a high quality wood watch. As example, Hawaii-based Company, Martin & MacArthur, features over 120 different styles of wood watches, with new styles being introduced every month.
Look for a company that has innovative designs. Don’t settle for a wood watch with a thick face that protrudes off your wrist. Chances are, the watch movement in these thicker wood watches in made in China and not high quality. The shape of the watch face should be right for you. If you like a big, modern dial, some wood watch companies have just that. If you like smaller discreet watches, find a company like Martin & MacArthur that has at least 25 different styles in smaller faces. There are now elegant styles that include automatic, self-winding wood watches and the wood watch with moon phase dials. Choose something that is innovative and worth the investment.
Be sure your wood watch has a good warranty. You need to be assured that the retailer who sells you a wood watch can stand by their product. If the retailer is just a secondary seller, that means you are out of luck if you need to get your watch serviced. The secondary sellers cannot handle repairs and do not have a maintenance agreement with someone who can repair watches. Buy a wood watch only from a company whose name appears on the watch itself, like Martin & MacArthur.Be sure the company making the wood watches has been around for a long time. You do not want to buy a wood watch from a start-up company who got funding last week on the internet. These start-up companies are not likely to be around for a long time. Frankly, it will be a race to see which has a shorter life – your wood watch or the start-up company that sold it to you. Frankly, if the wood watch company has NOT been around for at least 50 years, then they cannot be trusted to make a good wood watch. On the other hand, a company like Martin & MacArthur have been around for over 54 years, making fine Koa furniture for the finest resorts and homes in Hawaii.
The craftsmen of Martin & MacArthur are proud to feature solid Koa wood watches made with Koa wood from its own private stock of Koa harvested from the Hamakua District of the Big Island. These Koa watches have solid state quartz movements for long lasting durability. Every Koa link on these watches is hand-carved and sanded. Then the individual links are finished with a light coat of walnut oil.
Martin & MacArthur’s exclusive Koa watches are perfect for everyday use. Water resistant. Impact resistant. The Koa wood will not fade or darken over time. Instead the natural patina of the wood will grow deeper and more lustrous from the oils on your skin. No need to ever polish your Koa wood watch. Adjustable band for comfortable wear. Koa watches are only available from the fine wood craftsmen of Martin & MacArthur.
Buying your first wood watch is a wonderful experience. If you follow this advice, you can’t go wrong.
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Written by Michael Tam, owner of 16 different wood watches and looking forward to owning his next one.