so,i want to buy a new watch   what are my choices   i will give a broad overview of the basic watch & movement types   watches come in many different sizes, styles & colors to suit many different tastes   one of the most basic is the three hand watch   the three hand watch provides three hands, an hour, minute & second hand, everyone has seen one of these   the next step up adds a date function   another step adds the day as well   next we move on to watches that add a few complications   the information they provide in usually shown on a subdial or dials on the face of the watch   subdials can show a secondary second reading or the day of the month, month of the year or fractional seconds   the most commen is a chronograph   the chronograph usually provides two or three subdials that are used in a stopwatch-like manner   the have what are called pushers usually on the same side that the crown(which lets the wearer set the time) & start & stop the chronograph timing funcitions & reset the subdial hands to "zero position"   chronographs are very popular   many wearers never fully use the functions, they just like the look of the timepiece   yet other owners of these watches use the timing functions all the time for a variety of tasks   there are many more watches that use subdials to provide information among them is a master calander   it provides much information such as day of week, month, year an sometimes the moon phase   also some master calanders provide an am/pm indicator in the form of a sun/moon subdial   feature vary from from one master calender to another   another watch type is a regulator   it shows time with three seperate hands in different locations   commenly called a doctors watch it easily shows the seoconds so a pulse reading may be taken   i will move on to movments type now, having just touched the basics of watch type   there are three basic movments-   quartz, automatic & mechinical   while we all have seen a quartz most don't know that this movement didn't come into production until the last few decades   it is the most accurate of all the movement types provided it is a quality quartz movement   it requires a battery that must be changed on a regular basis   the next is an automatic   while the automatic is mechanical it does not require the wearer to wind it if worn daily   the automatic is available in many forms & price ranges   the most beloved by watch collectors is probably the swiss-made automatic   the swiss consider watch making to be a very important craft   they take it very seriously   the swiss government regulates this industry & has recently relaxed the strict standard allowing these movements to be used in non-swiss made watches   automatic movements get their power from the movement of the wearers arm   when worn everyday or placed in a watch winder they seldom have to be wound   many don't allow winding through the stem   you must move them to get the watch started   this is one of the most popular movements in todays watch industry   they usually are very accurate & only require service every few years to lubricate the moving parts   the last movement type is the first to be produced   it is the mechanical   many watch purists believe this is the only watch to own   they must be wound almost daily   it is this time with their watch that many collectors love   there is something about winding a watch that is special   as a watch collector (horologist) i have all types of watch in my collection   i like them all   for my daily wear watch i most often reach for an automatic   there is something about these watches that facinates me   many of the automatics i have feature what is called a valjoux 7750 movement   it is the workhorse of the swiss watch industry   refered to as a "tank" of a movement it is very reliable & built to last   when i move my arm i can feel the rotor (what winds the spring that powers the watch) rotating inside   i love this micromechanical wonders!!   i have just touched on the wonderful world of watches   should you want to find out more there are many websites devoted to this subject   go to your favorite bookstore & purchase a book on watches   it will give you much more information about watches   i have not even touched the subject of shapes of watches there are as many different sjapes as there are people who love them   go ahead & browse ebay   look at the many timepieces that are for sale   you will find a watch you love   you may even be bitten by the watch bug   i warn you once this happens the only cure is to get as many different watches as your budget allows   i hope you have found this helpful in selecting your next watch   i wish you many happy days just looking over your collection & searching for the perfect new timepiece!!   in closing go ahead & buy that new watch you have your eye on...its about time!!