The Well-Made Watch: The Case

When looking for quality, there are several characteristics of a well-made watch. The case material is one to focus on as many affordable watches will offer several different materials. Titanium and Ceramic are the top of the list for this price range, but the standard should be stainless steel. 

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is an iron based alloy composed of iron, carbon, chromium, nickel, manganese, and nitrogen. What makes stainless steel a great case material are the properties of the metal. It is resistant to corrosion, very durable, can withstand high temperatures, is low maintenance and over all looks great. 

There are different grades of stainless steel, but the one you really want to get is 316L. This grade is part of the marine grade stainless or medical grade stainless. This is the quality you what you want on your wrist. 

Beware of shortcuts/lesser materials

Even though stainless steel is an alloy, if a watch is advertising their case is made with an alloy, they are not referring to stainless steel. These alloys are a lower quality metal alloy and will most likely be a zinc alloy. Zinc is inexpensive compared to stainless and will eventually have issues. This material is not as strong or as resistant to corrosion and will show sign of pitting over time. A plating is sometime applied but will eventually wear away.  

To combat the issues of a lower quality zinc alloy, a stainless steel case back is offered on some watches. That is a step in the right direction; however, it won't prevent other parts of the case from eventually having problems.

Don't Stop at the Case

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When a watch comes with a metal bracelet, check to see if the bracelet is also a good material. Even though the bracelet could be changed out, it's better to have a good quality matching bracelet and should be a detail that is not missed by a good watch maker.

Case material is not the only characteristic to look at when shopping for watches but it is a good start. Check out the Crystal Material, Movement and Water Resistance to round out what to look for in a well-made watch.