The world of watches is exciting and fascinating. Watches are like perfumes objects of desire and it is hard to say whether the asking price is right or exorbitant. This problem of price occurs only when you want to buy a rare, antique, or limited edition watch. If you are just buying a model mass manufactured by wrist watch giants then the maximum retail price is always given in catalogue and on company web sites.

How does one know the worth of a watch? It is hard to value a watch from pictures placed online. What is important is to check the condition of the watch including its movement. It is hard to judge a valuable watch from pictures on the World Wide Web. Sadly people randomly label things as antiques or valuable but in actuality the watch is one of thousands. Just because it is ?old? does not mean it has a high value.

Today people all over the world collect watches for functionality, aesthetic value, and vintage value. Evaluating a watch must include aspects like: quality, craftsmanship, availability, history, reputation, uniqueness, and more.

1.Consider carefully the ?quality? of the watch. Find out about the design and construction. Examine the case, dial, and movement. Important factors are functionality, accuracy in keeping time, reliability of manufacture, and longevity. To become a ?collectible? a watch must bring with it a piece of history.

2.Find out the minute details of construction. Aspects that play a role are innovativeness, complexity of movements, and the mechanical functions. Sometimes a watch gains value as it represent a change in way watches work say for example the first digital or automatic watch.

3.Determine its value based on how many are flooding the market. The fewer the numbers the more ?collectible? a watch is. Or if it belonged to a great personality like ?Einstein? or if it participated in ?making history,? was worn when someone climbed the highest mountain for the first time or flew around the world.

4. Consider the demand for the watch. Some watches are popular among collectors not because they are rare but because they are funky or ?different,? they have great curiosity value. A watch may gain import because of their brand name for example many like to posses a ?gold Rolex.?

5.Weigh the pros and cons of reputation. Many watches sell just because x,y, or z made them. Very often a manufacturer sourced watches from others and sold them with his ?label.? And these watches are renowned because of a ?brand name.?

6.Know what the watch will fetch in the market by doing a survey. Ask whether the owner will furnish an independent evaluation by a watch expert.

Brands that are popular are: Rolex, Breitling, Heuer, Omega, Patek Phillippe, IWC, and Girard Perregaux among others.

World over collectors and connoisseurs consider: the age of a watch, uniqueness, the manufacturer, date of issue, rarity, mechanics, movement, and repair. Another possibly important factor is ownership.

Learn about watches through the World Wide Web, from auctions, and watch exhibits. If you get a chance view famed collections. Make notes and weigh the pros and cons of collecting. Decide do I want to collect by mechanics or use. Or am I interested in who wore the watch when. Find your own niche and level and ?keep a watch on the watches.?