Watch newbie...some questions.

[MrPeters]

Hi all.

I'm a bit of a newb to this area but watches have always interested me and I'm quite keen to improve (start) my knowledge of watches.

I only have one watch and it wasnt very expensive. So I'll expect some remarks about that lol.

So Are there any guides to movements? Makes? Pricing? Etc...

Many thanks!

[Disco You]

I'm a little confused as to what you want to know. You just want to "know about watches" that's a bit too much of an open-ended question, imagine asking the same about cars!

[MrPeters]

Sorry, I was rather vague. I know the basics of how watches work. I know about manually wound /automatic and battery operated watches. What are thought to be the best movements?

Also a little curiosity... Are battery operated watches frowned upon as opposed to manual watches?

[Disco You]

Manual and automatic watches are seen as much better than quartz (battery) driven watches. Quartz watches are just pieces of electronics whereas a mechanical watch is a piece of horology.

As for movements, most brands use movements which aren't "in house" i.e. they are made by someone else (usually ETA) then they are modified by the brand to their own specification. Brands such as Omega, Tag, Breitling, IWC, Panerai, as well as dozens more use ETA movements.

Some of the marques which use their own movements are: Rolex, Jaeger Lecoultre, Zenith, Patek Philippe and IWC (in the Portuguese) there are of course others that's just off the top of my head.

As for the "best" movements, that's very subjective, anything "in house" is seen as more special then more mass produced ETA movements (even in-house movements are mass produced) then it's down to complications (things like perpetual calendars, tourbillons etc.) longevity, reliability and accuracy.

[ShadownINja]

Best movement? Must be a Casio digital quartz movement.

Most impressive movement? Well, pick any crazy-arsed multi-complication, hand-built mechanical watch.

[Mr E Driver]

Try and join http://www.tz-uk.com which is best done during working hours. There are all sorts of watches on there and plenty of knowledgeable peeps who are keen to help others out.
Word of warning though, it could seriously damage your pocket/spending power