The design of contemporary watches can range from the ultra-modern to the classic and from fun to chic, and everything in between. It comes as no surprise that there is a watch for every occasion. Moreover, more and more companies are coming out with watches that suit the different moods of a person.

Some watches are specialized for a certain activity, e.g. mountaineering or sport diving. There is a huge choice depending on interests and tastes.

You must thoroughly analyze what you need the watch for. Answer questions like: Do I need the watch for regular use? Do I want it for a special activity? Do I want one for special occasions? Where and when am I going to use it? Etc.

The watch's purpose is very important, as watches are not only intended for telling the time.

Watches may be worn as a fashion accessory, and many people are not too concerned with how well the watch tells the time but are more worried about how it looks on them.

What main features do you need the watch to have? It could be a luminous dial, date display, a readout of altitude or depth in water etc.

All watches have certain key features, which are common across all watches. However, if you want some exclusive features, then your can pick those that have a certain amount of style, and have a classic, romantic, or a futuristic range of features.

It's the face of the watch, which is the deciding factor, when you buy a watch. The face of the watch must be such that, its size is commensurate with the wrist size of the person who is going to wear it.

For example, a person with a small wrist wearing a watch with a large face looks wrong.

Normally, females look best with a small-faced watch whereas males should usually have one with a large face.

Many people do not worry too much about the strap, but it needs to match the watch and also the skin tone of the wearer.

Straps of stainless steel are a good idea for the majority of people, being hard wearing and good-looking. Leather is another good option, but suits fewer people than stainless steel.

The majority of modern watches are water resistant, an important feature to have since almost every watch gets wet at some time.

Make sure to ask the vendor, about the degree of resistance to water. For many watch makers, the term "water-resistant" means different things.

You won't go wrong if you consider the above tips, while buying a watch. A word of caution here: Steer clear of impulse buying, while buying a watch.

Visit the author's site for information on ladies watches and advice on buying a watch online.

Posted under Watches

Beginning of 2010 was rather busy for Alldaron, having sold the watch company that was started in 2005 by him and his father (Jon D.) to an investor, he formed a new company called SwissPL - which offers private label Swiss timepieces in small quantities for under $1,000 each. This is a unique opportunity to produce an individually customized watch made in Switzerland, which till now was completely unheard of. The tradition in Switzerland, dating back a hundred years, demanded that if you wanted to produce your own private label timepiece by adding your name or company logo to the dial then you had to order 300 or even 500 units. What made matters worse is you couldn't easily find the manufacturing companies, which were a closely guarded secret in Switzerland. This excluded all but wealthy people from making Swiss watches.

Alldaron and his father (Jon D.) have been in the Swiss watch industry for close to 10 years now. They noticed the trend change from retail store sales to online sales well before the watch industry cared. Along with his father, Alldaron formed a small Swiss company in 2005 selling exclusively online. This was at a time when people said it would never work; "no one buys watches online" was the attitude.

From 2005 to 2010 they sold tens of thousands of watches online to satisfied customers, reflected in the thousands of positive feedbacks they received each year. Their business approach was more personal in nature by focusing on customer service over profit and by building a caring friendship with their customers. In 2010 they sold the company to an investor.

On behalf of his former company, Alldaron attended the Wings Over Miami Gala event in 2007. Here he had the honor of meeting CAPT Snort Snodgrass, a legendary Navy F14 Tomcat Topgun pilot and renowned air-show performer. Dale, or "Snort" as he is known, has over 4900 flight hours and 1200+ aircraft carrier landings in the famed Grumman F-14 Tomcat plane. "Snort" is the most experienced Tomcat pilot in the world, a highly decorated combat veteran and the inspiration for the movie Top Gun. The famous scene where Tom Cruise does a fly-by was actually performed by Snort along side an aircraft carrier at sea, only yards from the ship, flying the F-14 Tomcat vertically. When Desert Storm ended, Dale was promoted to Navy Captain and was given the honor of commanding all the Tomcats in the U.S. Navy.

Dale is the only pilot approved to fly in both the U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight Program and the U.S. Navy Legacy Flight Program. With a similar attitude towards business, Dale and Alldaron partnered for a special edition Wings Of Gold watch, which was only produced in a limited quantity. They formed a friendship throughout the years, and after Alldaron launched SwissPL, Dale joined the team.

Alldaron was able to form a special partnership with a legendary Swiss manufacturing company that has been continuously producing hand-made watches since 150 years, catering to the production needs of some of the world's top brands. Normally they don't produce single units, but through the years Alldaron and his father formed such a personal business relationship with them that they agreed to this unique arrangement for SwissPL.com - Utilizing only the best materials, machines and watchmakers; SwissPL's manufacturing partner produces extremely high quality timepieces rivaling brands costing thousands for a fraction of the cost; they also produce their own line which sells as a recognized luxury brand in Europe, Asia and the Middle East ranging in price of $2,800 to $6,000.

The custom watches offered by SwissPL are 42mm in case size with a 22mm steel Oyster bracelet; being constructed of surgical grade stainless steel alloy, with solid end-pieces, screws in the links (not pins); the clasp has a professional diving extension. The glass is sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective treatment. The numbers and markers on the dial are in Super-Luminova phosphorous (glow in the dark) paint. The watch is pressure tested to 1000 feet (which is 300 meters).

Alldaron along with Snort, and the SwissPL.com team, are working with various U.S. military units (Navy, Army and Air Force) producing custom watches for them. Attending invite only reunions and military events, SwissPL has many great partnerships in negotiations for the near future, including one with an iconic racing legend and a feature Hollywood film project.

Ever wanted to wear your own personalized Swiss made timepiece? Well, now you can. Visit the folks at www.SwissPL.com to begin the exclusive tailoring process of individualizing your custom Swiss made watch.

Posted under Watches