• Decide Which Type of Watch You Want

• Consider Watch Materials

• Evaluate Watch Features

• Select a Watch Warranty

• Maintain Your Watch

• Find Watches on eBay

• Buy Watches With Confidence

Decide Which Type of Watch You Want

Decide Which Type of Watch You Want

Whether you need a wristwatch or pocket watch, first decide whether you want a battery-powered quartz watch or a mechanical watch that requires winding.

Choose your quartz watch

Quartz watches, the most common type of watches, offer accuracy and stability. A small piece of quartz oscillates at more than 32,000 vibrations per second to ensure accurate timekeeping, which explains why quartz watches only lose about 10 seconds of time per month. Plus, quartz watches do not require winding and you only need to replace the battery once every one or two years. Quartz watch faces also come in several styles: analog, digital, and anidigi.

• Analog quartz watches: Analog watch faces have numbers, Roman numerals, or tick marks indicating intervals of time while digital faces provide an exact readout in hours and minutes.

• Digital quartz watches: Digital watches often have extra features such as depth sensors, Global Positioning System (GPS), altimeters, calculators, phone books, and compasses.    

• Anidigi quartz watches: Anidigi watch faces include the numeric elements of an analog watch face as well as a digital display.

The faceplates of quartz watches can have a simple look, or feature cartoon characters, animals, or sports themes.

Get ready to wind mechanical watches

Mechanical watches show off traditional craftsmanship and usually cost a little more than their quartz counterparts because they demonstrate the skill and cost of labor required to build a complex and valuable timepiece. They depend on a spring (the "mainspring") to provide energy to an oscillator (often a wheel called a "balance wheel") as it unwinds. The wheel oscillates at about 28,000 vibrations per hour, which means your watch can lose several minutes in a given month. Mechanical watches come in automatic or manual form.     

• Automatic mechanical watches: Automatic mechanical watches use a rotor swing which responds to motion, winding the mainspring running the watch. Automatic mechanical watches often come with a transparent or partially-transparent display so you can see the rotor in action. If you wear an automatic mechanical watch for more than 12 hours per day, your motion will keep the watch mechanism running. You'll need to wind your watch if you don't wear it for a few days.

• Manual mechanical watches: Manual mechanical watches, also called wind watches, require daily winding to tighten the spring.

Consider Watch Materials

Consider Watch Materials

When selecting a wristwatch, determine what type of band you want. Popular styles include:

• Precious metal wristwatches: Wristwatches made of precious metals have a classic look. If you wear a certain type of jewelry, find gold wristwatches, sterling silver wristwatches, or platinum wristwatches to match. Some fancier wristwatches even have diamond accents.

• Aluminum wristwatches: Durable aluminum wristwatches resist tarnish, rust, and corrosion.    

• Stainless steel wristwatches: Many manufacturers use stainless steel, a durable metal, for watch cases and bands.   

• Carbon fiber wristwatches: Tough carbon fiber wristwatches have a dark color (dark grey or black). The material is used on watch casing and dials.    

• Titanium wristwatches: Sports watches that require a sturdy material often use titanium, a strong, white metal. Titanium wristwatches are lightweight, 30-percent stronger than steel, and resist corrosion. They typically have a protective coating to make them scratch resistant.    

• Plastic/ rubber wristwatches: You'll frequently find sports watches and fashion watches with lightweight, colorful, and sturdy bands made of rubber or plastic.

If you find a wristwatch with a face you love, but with a leather band or plastic band you hate, know that you can always buy a replacement band and customize the watch to better fit your taste.

Evaluate Watch Features

Evaluate Watch Features

When you look at watches, find out if they come with extra features you may want.

• Watches with calendars: Day date watches display the date and day of the week. Full calendar watches display the date, day of the week, and month.

• Chronograph watches: Chronographs act as a stopwatch or use a meter to measure elapsed time. Chronographs can also come in split seconds format to measure two time segments simultaneously or consecutively.    

• Watches with a tachymeter: Tachymeter scales, located around the rim of a watch dial, measure average speed by calculating time and pre-measured distance. They are used along with a chronograph.    

• Watches with moonphase indicators: Watches with moonphase indicators have a display that indicates the phase of the moon with an image on a rotating disk.    

• Watches with tourbillons: Some mechanical watches have tourbillons, small but very costly mechanisms, which help eliminate potential time errors.    

• Water resistant watches: Usually described on the dial or back of the case, a watch's water resistance is measured in feet, meters, or atmospheres (ATM). Watches that are water resistant up to 30 meters are splash-proof. Water resistance up to 50 meters indicates that you can wear the watch in the shower. A water resistance rating of 100 meters indicates that you can wear a watch swimming. Watches with a water resistance rating of 200 meters can be worn scuba diving.    

• Watches with repeaters: Watches with a repeater announce the time through a series of chimes when you press a button.    

• Telemeter scale watches: Telemeter scales measure the distance between a watch wearer and an object that generates a visible signal and a loud noise (such as a fired cannon or electrical storm).    

• World time watches: Watches with a world time feature indicate time in all time zones around the world. You can often choose the name of a major city in a certain time zone to see the time in that time zone.

Select a Watch Warranty

Select a Watch Warranty

Warranties generally come with new watches, but some eBay sellers will provide them for used watches as well. Once you’ve found the perfect watch, take a few moments to check out whether it comes with a warranty, and see what that warranty entails.

Good warranties ensure that if there are any defects in your watch, they will be repaired for free, subject to certain conditions. But not all warranties are created equal. Warranties cover different parts and situations, depending on the manufacturer and where you purchase the watch.

When shopping for a watch on eBay, be sure to check the listing to see who provides the warranty (or if one is provided at all). If there is no warranty information listed, contact the seller for more information. You may also have to pay additional shipping charges with some warranties.

Learn about the types of watch warranties

A watch warranty is not a guarantee, but rather a contract to repair the watch at no cost, as long as certain conditions are met. Warranties vary in terms of what they cover and under what conditions:

• Original manufacturer's warranty: The most extensive warranty is usually the original manufacturer’s warranty. Most manufacturer’s warranties only cover new watches sold to the original owners by authorized retailers, who are given permission directly by specific watch manufacturers (such as Omega, Timex, and Fossil), to sell their watches. Watches sold through other channels or used “vintage” watches usually will not be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.

• Warranties on used watches: Previously-owned watches generally do not come with warranties, however some retailers have pre-certified watch programs, and may provide warranties of their own to repair merchandise they sell to customers. Every retailer’s warranty is different, so be sure to check the item listing or ask the seller for details.

Get to know watch warranty basics

Here are the major components of most watch warranties:

• Coverage: Warranties usually only cover defects in materials or workmanship, such as if the watch suddenly stops for no apparent reason. Warranties do not cover normal wear and tear or abuse. The following parts and situations also are not usually covered by most warranties: bracelet or strap, case, glass, and sometimes crystal (when excessive wear has caused damage), any damage caused by mishandling (e.g. water damage if not water-resistant), and any repairs to the watch if it has been serviced by a non-authorized repair shop.

• Duration: There are large differences between the durations of various warranties. Many manufacturers, such as Seiko and Citizen, offer warranties that provide limited coverage for two to five years, while other manufacturers, like Kenneth Cole, will provide limited warranties for the lifetime of their watches. Be sure to read the terms under which the warranty applies. Some manufacturers require you to register with them as soon as you buy the watch from an authorized dealer for the full length of the warranty to apply.

• Location: Some warranties only cover the watch in the country where the watch was purchased. Also, if you need to have a watch repaired under warranty, most service warranties require you to send the watch to specific locations for repair. You may be required to pay to ship the watch in those situations.

Maintain Your Watch

Maintain Your Watch

Although nothing beats careful use, you can follow a few steps to make sure your watches live long and healthy lives.

• Watch the temperature: Never leave your watch in extreme hot or cold temperatures.

• Stay away from magnets: Do not expose quartz watches to magnets.    

• Keep your watch clean: Clean your watch regularly to remove sweat, dirt, and oil. Wipe the crystal, case, and band with a soft cloth. Leather bands benefit from skin oil, but you still want to remove excess dirt. Clean metal bands with soap, water, and a soft brush if needed.    

• Take your mechanical watch to the pros: Take your mechanical watch to a professional when gears need cleaning and for regular gear maintenance every three to five years.

Find Watches on eBay

Find Watches on eBay

Once you know what type of watch you want, go to the Jewelry & Watches portal, click Watches, and start searching for items on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Pocket Watches, Watch Accessories, Wristwatch Tools, Parts, and Wristwatches.

• Product Finder: Use the drop-down menus on the Wristwatches Finder to quickly narrow down item listings by gender, brand, condition, and age.     

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a wristwatch with a 14K gold band, type "14k gold" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Watches With Confidence

Buy Watches With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.