Watches have been around for generations, and now so many varying styles exist. With each age we create brand new innovations for watches, and this generation has taken that to a whole new level with the invention of smart watches! But watches exist for every possible style, from the antiquated to the ultra-modern, and can be exquisitely detailed or completely plain faced.

But, before you get into the nitty gritty of watch styles, you have to make the absolutely vital but basic first decision of any watch purchase: digital or analogue?

Analogue watches are akin to standard clocks: they come with a round face with numbers or notches around the edge, and one to three hands representing hours, minutes, and seconds. Analogue watches can often come with secondary dials which record dates, seasons, or allow for an easy timer. Digital watches are, naturally, more like digital clocks. These will use an LCD or LED display to show the current time in hours and minutes, and usually seconds too.

The differences between digital and analogue watches are far less pronounced in modern days as they have been in the past. Both types of watch come with a huge range of styles and colours and can be made to match with any outfit! So, the decision is almost entirely on personal preference. However, the features available on digital watches do outnumber those that can be incorporated into an analogue. Many features, like a stopwatch, calendar, and trackers for seasons or moon phases, can be included in analogue watches. But it must be noted that each of these features tends to raise the price significantly, as each has to be meticulously designed and built in order to maintain function.

Digital watches, on the other hand, are far more flexible. Smart watches are the newest generation of digital watches, and these function more as tiny computers than simple LCD time displays. Digital watches can be kitted out with specific and incredibly helpful features like call handling or SMS display. The benefit with digital watches is that the display does not have a finite space, as it does with an analogue. So, you can fit an accelerometer, a hygrometer, an altimeter, and countless other features alongside your regular clock and calendar. Analogue watches simply do not have the same capacity for maximised features, and instead you need to carefully select which you most want.

At the end of the day, the decision between these two classes of watch is purely personal preference. If you opt for something digital like a smart watch, you can maximise your available features. But if you decide to take an analogue, like a Rolex watch, you’ll have to be a bit more selective about the features you need the most!