What, exactly, are designer watches?

Are they even real watches, worthy of your collection?

This is not merely an academic question for those who care about watches and all the careful engineering and craftsmanship that go into "real" timepieces. Sure enough, so-called designer watches tell time - and that's the purpose of a watch, after all. But real timepieces - as an horologist might put it - do much more than that.

Horologists are watch collectors and fanatics. For them, a watch is more than a useful tool. For horologists, watches are intellectual achievements to be prized, carefully considered as connoisseurs do their cigars or fine wines. A true watch represents imaginative majesty, translated into the grammar of springs and gears. True timepieces are bold statements, pronouncing not just the time and date but, ultimately, the refined character of the wearer.

Designer watches also make statements, of course. But what they say is typically superfluous, where real watches are concerned. They say nothing more than that they have been, ostensibly, designed by some famous designer. And what of the design? That can only be left as a matter involving subjective tastes. So what is there to consider? One either likes a certain design or look or one does not. There is simply no arguing over tastes. Tastes are subject to everything from transitory moods (which in turn may be caused by nothing more than a sudden rush of hormones) to cultural traditions (curiously, no pink-colored wrist bands have yet appeared to match all the pink shirts that are currently in vogue, even in the world of formal fashions).

A true watch, however, will admit of more conversation than that. Mechanical intricacies cannot be endlessly debated, because mechanical principles base their validity on only one concern: efficiency. It is better simply if it works better. But ironically, this does not prevent debate among horologists over the merits of different movements between different watches or brands. Whereas a designer watch is almost only about aesthetics, true watches inevitably solicit admiration for their engineering - as well as, as important asides, their looks. For such watches, being true timepieces, typically start at almost two thousand dollars and can fetch upwards of thirty or forty thousand - without much, if any, precious metals or gems! - and can never look bad at all. Most such watches are actually made for professional aviators or divers; hence the attention to detail and the obsession with specifications. Designer watches, on the other hand, simply need to sell, and to as many as possible. One is about meeting professional requirements, the other simply a business opportunity.

Article written by Paul Wise, who has done extensive research on Designer Watches. Looking for Designer Watches? Visit WatchesInTime.com.

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