In March 2012 , at a jewelry show in Switzerland , watchmaker Hublot unveiled what news reports hailed as the world ’s most expensive articulatio radiocarpea watch – a timepiece encrusted with 1,282 diamonds , include six stones that weighed more than three carats from each one . It contain 17 doer 14 months to lay out all the stones in the one - of - a - sort timekeeper . The price tag ? Five million dollars . The company ’s Chief Executive , Jean - Claude Biver , told the Baltimore Sun that it ’d be hard to make a pricier lookout man than this one , given that " the surface of a watch is limited " and there just is n’t much way for more bling [ source : Hennigan ] .
Hublot ’s over - the - top watch is an elegant piece of radiocarpal joint candy , to be sure , even if you would n’t make bold to wear it on the street without an armed escort . But if you ’re implicated about in reality using a watch to differentiate metre , this one probably is n’t that great of a choice , since there ’s so much glitter on the face that the positions of the hour , minute and second hands are knotty to recognize . Also , there ’s no digital presentation and no stop watch mode , so it would n’t be very utile if you want to keep track of your tempo when you go for a jog in the park . In comparison , a humble Timex Ironman T5E321 , the sort of vigil you may purchase on Amazon.com for as little as $ 47 , can do all of that and far more . It has a back - lit display that you could read intelligibly even at night , and if you ’re a traveller , you could set it to switch between two different clock time zone . In a nip , it even can replicate as analarm clock .
But most significantly , the $ 5 million vigil does n’t necessarily keep clock time more accurately than a $ 47 watch – at least to any arcdegree you could discern . In a study bring out in Horological Journal in 2008 , a researcher from the National Institute of Standards and Technology used advanced scientific equipment to essay the operation of four flash watch , including a imitative Rolex purchased from a street vendor for $ 15 . He found that all four were surprisingly precise , to within a few thousandth of a second per day [ source : Lombardi ] .
So for strictly useful purpose , the answer to the question we ’ve position is a simple " no . " But " better " is subjective , and people pick watches for a mass of other grounds besides telling time . What makes one take in well than another , and how do you choose one that good suits you ?
What makes one watch better than another?
Since most modern lookout are pretty much as true in term of keeping clip , how do you pick the dear picket for you ? Your pick really depend on what qualities you value in a timepiece and what you ’re willing to expend to get those tone . Here are a few factors you may want to consider :
For some reason , I ’ve never been a self-aggrandising lookout man - have on guy , possibly because I do n’t like to have something around my carpus , and because I incline to be lacking - minded and misplace expensive things that I take off at dark . But as an grownup professional , of course , I ’ve also had the want to be punctual and to manage my time . For years , I compromised by wearing a punk Timex digital running timer with a lightweight plastic watch bracelet , and maintain it on invariably , even when I sleep . The advent of the iPhone , which has the time conspicuously expose on the opening CRT screen , freed me from watch wear . I even use my iPhone as a feed timer and an alarm clock .
