Shopping for luxury watches requires a far different approach than shopping for everyday, entry-level watches. You don’t just consider comfort, practicality, and price, but you’re also looking for brand heritage, precious metals, craftsmanship, and exclusivity. There can be a range of factors in the decision-making process to guide the way. If you’re shopping for a new luxury watch to add to your collection, don’t forget to consider these points before making your purchase:

Once you find affordable and luxury watches online through a trusted retailer, it’s time to research the brands that hold the most prestige. After all, established names with a long watchmaking history tend to hold their values better and are often more respected by collectors.

Don’t look past leading names like Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer, and Hublot. These are all highly respected names in the watch collecting community that are also the epitome of fashion and style.

Just as materials matter in entry-level watches, they also matter in luxury watches. Albeit for different reasons. The more exclusive, unique, rare, or precious the material is, the more the watch is worth, and the more desirable it may be as a collector’s piece.

In terms of watch case materials, high-tech ceramics are often preferred, along with precious metals like titanium, gold, and platinum. If you want your watch to be scratch-resistant, sapphire crystal is an excellent option.

When searching for watches with these materials, it also doesn’t hurt to look for hand-finished dials and polished hands to complete the look.

The ability of a watch or timepiece to keep track of the time plays a pivotal role in luxury watch shopping. Automatic or manual mechanical movements are often preferred, mainly because of their craftsmanship. These watches have hundreds of small moving parts, rather than electronics, making you appreciate the watchmaker’s skill just a little more.

Technical skill is also shown in features like tourbillons, which are mechanical complications in high-end mechanical watches, as well as chronographs and moon phases. Even the finishing of the watch movement matters to watch collectors. A great deal of artistry can be shown in finishes like beveled edges and hand-finished stripes.

The sad reality is that not all luxury watches are legitimate. It’s not uncommon for businesses to copy luxury watchmakers’ designs and produce cheap watches designed to look like the real deal.

Knowing this, don’t underestimate the importance of buying luxury watches with certificates and documents to prove authenticity. In most cases, watches accompanied by these documents are worth much more than ones without.

Just as you might buy a necklace or another piece of jewelry to add to a personal collection because it’s rare, many people do the same with watches. In fact, rarity and exclusivity are among the most important factors when shopping for new luxury watches.

Limited edition watches and harder-to-get models tend to command greater demand and are, therefore, more desirable and expensive. In many cases, luxury watches with defects manufactured in short supply runs also attract buyers.

If you’re about to start shopping for a luxury watch to add to your collection, be sure to consider the points above. They may just help you make more informed purchasing decisions.