Watches are an integral part of our daily life. We don’t think you know anyone who can go on with his day without looking at a watch whether it’s a wristwatch or a wall clock.
Despite that except for watch enthusiasts, only a few people know about minute and intricate details about their watches. So we decided to write an in-depth guide about several types watches that are available in the market. After reading the guide you would also know little about them.
Now you might be wondering how many types of watches are there for you to know, and to that, we would say too many. In fact, you don’t need to be a geek to know your watches as Kobe Bryant once said:
” Everyone looks at your watch and it represents who you are, your values, and your personal style”.
We assure you would know more about your watch than you ever did before after going through this article. And, next time you will buy a watch for your wife, girlfriend, or daughter, or a watch for your kids you will be armed and loaded with more knowledge to make a better decision.
To help you better understand the several types of watches that are available we have divided them into several categories like dial shape, wearing or clothing style, power source, and more. So, let’s get started.
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- Types Of Watches
- Different Types Of Watches Based On:
- FAQs
Types Of Watches
Different Type Of Watches Based On Dial Shape
Most people don’t notice but watches are available in several shapes and sizes. A watchmaker gives a lot of thought before deciding to go with a particular watch dial shape. For instance, some watches dial shapes are better for sports watches while some watch case design like Avant-Garde is used to make a statement and so on.
While there are several watch case designs out there but we have tried to cover the most popular designs that you may recognize and spot easily.
1. Rectangle Shape Watch Dial
The rectangle-shaped watch dial design is one of the most common watch dial designs found on watches. Only a few people know that watch design was pioneered by Louis Cartier in 1917. This design is more than a century old and is also known as the Tank watch design.
The reason it is known as the Tank watch design because the inspiration behind the design was the Renault Tank used in World War I. Today it is one of the well-known watch case designs and goes perfectly well with formal attire.
2. Oval
Pocket watches were the first watches to sport this round watch dial design. However, it became part of the norm after the adoption of this design in wristwatches in the 19th century.
One of the factors that contributed to the massive adoption of this design was New York Times article. In that article, the author wondered about the design choices of their European counterparts.
Today this might be the most used design worldwide, you can find this design from smartwatches to elegant Diesel, Skagen, and Fossil watches.
3. Square
Square watch dial design came before rectangular watch dial design. This design is widely adopted by the likes of Casio, Gucci, and several brands.
4. Triangle/Avant-Garde
Avant-Garde is a french word that means people or art that is unacceptable or not the norm in society. If you are the kind of person who likes to be different from the crowd then your next watch should have an Avant-Garde watch case design.
The watch design came into the scene in the 1950s by Richard Arbib and Hamilton Ventura. Today this design is mostly found in premium watches.
5. Tonneau
Tonneau means cask or barrel in french. And just like its name this watch case design is shaped like a barrel which is cylindrical in shape but curved in the middle.
Some people confuse them with Squircle or Cushion case design but both are completely different. The cushion is more like a square with a curved corner whereas Tonneau is an elongated curved rectangle.
6. Squircle/Cushion
As the name suggests it is shaped like a cushion or pillow and it is also popularly known as Squircle. This is because it sports uniform length on all four sides just like a square and with a round watch dial hence the name Squircle.
This design is commonly found in divers or luxury dress watches.
7. Carage
Carage is just oval shape watch case design but in a horizontal position rather than a vertical position found in an Oval watch case design. This is one of the most common designs used by several watch brands mostly in women-centric watches.
Different Type Of Watches Based On Wearing Style
Different watches have different utility and wearing styles. However, sometimes we lump all of them together without realizing how different one watch is from the other. Let’s talk about them.
8. Wrist Watch
There are several types of watches but this one is the most popular and commonly used watch in the world. We have come a long way since 1868 when the first wristwatch was made. Today wrist watches are available in several shapes, sizes and have gone through an entire evolution.
They are used by everyone from athletes, army personnel, to regular day-to-day users.
9. Clip Watch
These watches are used by professionals who cannot wear watches while doing their jobs such as nurses, mountaineers, on-duty personnel, and other similar users. These watches can be clipped onto your bag, belt, clothes depending on the user’s preference.
Some clip watches also come with tactical equipment like a screwdriver, compass, knife, and more. Therefore not only these watches help users keep track of time but also assist them in their activities.
10. Pocket Watch
Pocket watches were really popular among the masses before wristwatches took them over after the event of World War I. Today they are mostly used by collectors or watch enthusiasts but that doesn’t mean they are no longer available for purchasing.
In fact, most luxury watchmakers like Audemars Piguet, Montblanc, and several other similar brands still make pocket watches. However, you can still buy one at a reasonable price online.
Different Type Of Watches Based On Clothing Style
Most people prefer different types of watches for different occasions. Like we all have different shoes for job interviews and casual get together, the same is the case with watches.
11. For Casual Wear
As the name suggests you can wear this watch in your everyday day-to-day use. If you want to be able to simply read time any time you want throughout your day then casual watches are perfect.
You can wear them while doing dishes, grocery shopping, or your daily chores. They are mostly inexpensive and go along with your day-to-day dresses really well.
With casual watches, you won’t even have to worry much about the aftercare of the watch as they are durable and long-lasting watches.
12. For Party Wear
If you are going out for a party then you must wear your party watch. These watches are stylish looking and are perfect for every occasion but have lower durability than casual watches.
They require a lot of aftercare compared to casual watches and cannot be used for day-to-day usage. Most party wear watches have a polished finish or sports strap which gets damaged with prolonged usage.
13. For Formal Wear
You can wear these types of simple and elegant watches to board room meetings, presentations, during interviews, and other similar occasions. They sport a simple minimalistic design which gives the wearer a simple and sophisticated look.
These watches will go along with most of your dresses so you won’t have to worry about them not matching with your clothes.
14. Luxury Watches For Showing Status
There is a huge market for luxury watches that’s why brands like Rolex, Tag Heuer, Patek Philippe exist. Most people think that luxury watches simply mean watches with ornaments or polished gold finish available in fashion watches.
In reality, there is so much more than that as these watches are made by some of the world’s best watch designers. Most luxury watches are hand made keeping the old tradition of watchmaking still alive.
These watches represent wrist watches at their best and that’s why all the watch collectors, rich affluent people like politicians, entrepreneurs, and celebrities love them so much.
Different Types Of Watches Based On Power Source
No watch can run without using any sort of energy and watches can be powered by more than one power source. So it will be fair to also differentiate these watches based on their power source. Watches with different power sources give different mileage that’s why it is important that you know about them.
15. Mechanical Watch
Not a lot of people know about mechanical watches as they are no longer readily available. So if you are one of them then let us introduce you to these watches.
Today all the modern watches come with an inbuilt battery so you have to just wear them and forget about them until the battery dies. However, with mechanical watches, you have to periodically wind the mainspring present on the watch either by hand or via a winding mechanism.
After doing that only the watch would work otherwise it will stop working. These watches are no longer the norm but once were used by our forefathers.
16. Quartz
Most people think quartz written on a watch is a kind of branding but that’s simply not true. Quartz is the second most abundant mineral present on our planet. And this particular mineral vibrates at a constant frequency when the charge is passed through it.
That is why quartz is used in watches to make them more accurate. Moreover, most quartz watches require almost zero maintenance and can last for several years.
This is the reason why most watches that have quartz written on them are known for their accuracy, reliability, and also durability.
17. Kinetic Watches
Kinetic watches are hybrid of both mechanical and quartz watches. These watches recharge themselves by the user’s hands and wrist movements. The energy which is produced gets stored inside the watch’s battery and it is used to power the watch.
18. Solar
As the name suggests these watches are powered by solar energy. Just leave your watch under the sun or simply wear it when you go outside next time for the watch to charge automatically.
These watches have photovoltaic cells on the watch dial which converts solar energy into electrical energy. That energy is used to charge your watch’s battery and ensure the long life of your watch.
19. Lithium-Ion Battery
All the smartwatches are powered by a Lithium-ion battery because they need to be recharged again and again. Smartwatches today have so many features like touch screen display, GPS, camera, and more. All these functionalities increase the energy requirement of the watch therefore using a replaceable battery is not ideal. That’s why all modern smartwatches use lithium-ion batteries.
Different Types Of Watches Based On Watch Display
20. Analog Watches
We don’t think we need to tell you about analog watches as they are the most commonly used watches all over the world. It can be found in your living room wall clock, on wristwatches, and even on the Big Ben tower in London.
These watches have three watch hands. The shortest hand is known as the hour hand and the longest watch hand is used to denote minute. Most watches also have seconds hand which is the longest fastest hand available on the watch.
21. Digital Watches
Digital watches are watches that come with negative displays. They are easy to read and can tell time, date, stopwatch, and several other useful functionalities. Unlike analog watches, they don’t have any moving parts so they are more durable and reliable than traditional watches. A perfect example of digital watches is G-Shock watches that are available for women, kids, and men.
22. Touchscreen Smartwatch
Touchscreen watches as the name suggests works on the touch input from the user. You can operate the watch using your fingers alone and most touchscreen smartwatches come with an inbuilt camera, GPS, apps and games, notification sync, and more.
23. Braille Watch/Tactile Watch
Before wristwatches were so readily available these watches were used to read time discreetly. To read a tactile watch you need to touch the face of the watch and it would have two ball bearing that will denote hour and minute on the watch. However, today tactile watches are used by blind or users with low vision as you can read these watches by feeling the watch dial with your hands.
24. Hybrid Watch
Hybrid watches are a mixture of smartwatches and analog watches. They provide you best of both worlds and also offer better battery life than smartwatches. Hybrid smartwatches are also available at an affordable price and offer features like fitness tracking, alarm, notification sync, and more.
If you prefer the traditional look and feel of the watch but can’t live without modern health tracking features then it will be perfect for you.
Different Types Of Watches Based On Functionality
25. Surf/Tide Watches
Tide watches are made for surfers and come with pre-programmed tide data for several locations, also moon phases, and sun data for those locations.
These tide watches are also durable, waterproof, and also have versatile looks making them perfect for daily use.
26. Diving Watches
As the name suggests these watches are made for divers as they can withstand a high amount of pressure underwater. These watches usually have luminescent watch hands and dial for underwater readability. Dive watches also have rotating bezels which help divers in tracking time spent underwater.
27. Chronograph Watches
Chronograph watches feature multiple sub-dials within the main dial of the watch. These sub-dials are often used to keep track of seconds, minutes, and hours separately.
Most chronograph watches have a dedicated sub-dial for stopwatch function that is especially useful for athletes.
28. Smart Watches
The perfect example of a smartwatch is an Apple watch. With a smartwatch, you can make and receive calls, set reminders, make payments, track sleep and so much more.
Smartwatches are powered by Lithium-ion batteries so they can be charged again and again.
29. Pilot Watches
Pilots also need assistance when they are flying thousands of feet above the land. That’s why there are watches designed specifically for pilots known as Pilots watches.
Pilot watches come with an inbuilt compass, altimeter, tachymeters, and slide rule bezels. It helps to perform calculations and make decisions while in the air.
30. Field Watches
Built for on-duty military personnel, field watches are durable, shock, dust, sand, and water-resistant. These watches also have 24 hr military time mode and offer 3-4 years battery life making these watches dependable.
31. Tool Watches
Tool watches are those watches that come with crucial features that can help in specific activities. For instance, watches with a barometer sensor can predict changes in atmospheric pressure. So if you like to go fishing and don’t want to ever get stuck in a storm then look for a watch with a storm alarm feature.
These tool watches can further be subdivided into several categories like hunting and fishing watch, pilot watch, dive watch, and more.
FAQs
What Are Different Styles Of Watches?
There are four different styles of watches available in the market based on the clothing style. These watches' styles are casual wear, party wear, formal wear, and luxury watches that show status.
What Type Of Watch Is Best For The Daily Use?
Quartz watches are best for daily use as they are more reliable and accurate than mechanical, kinetic, or any other kind of watch.
What Is The Most Popular Watch Style?
Casual style watches are the most popular watch style among masses. Not only these watches will be perfect for any occasion but are also available at reasonable prices.
How Many Different Types Of Watch Dial Shapes Are Available?
Rectangle, oval, square, triangle, tonneau, squircle, and carage are seven different types of watch dial shapes available in the market.
