Can you recommend a good, inexpensive watch for my husband?

I was around 20 years old, working the watch counter at Macys during the holidays when a woman asked me that question. Full disclosure, I was not a horologist (a watch expert). All I knew was that if you worked in the jewelry department, you got a commission for each sale.

I showed the woman a bevy of watches from Fossil to Movado, from automatic to mechanical, all at various price points. I stuttered, trying to convince the woman which watches were of the best quality and struggling to remember what my manager told me about the intricacies of watches. She balked at a few $1,000 watches I showed her, saying they were too expensive. She eventually chose one: a Citizen with a stainless steel case and a rotating bezel for around $300. A good watch, an associate told me after I sold the woman her gift. Still, the question stuck with me: Is it possible to buy a good watch without breaking the bank?

Buying a watch can be intimidating. There are more distinct types out there than there are face sheet masks , all at various prices. But what makes an expensive watch different from an inexpensive one? (And for this story, were excluding fitness watches from the conversation, because theyre a whole other beast.)

Watches vary from $50 to $500,000 for special collectors, limited edition or vintage watches. The trick is to figure out what youre intending to buy before you purchase it. Are you thinking about functionality, style, longevity or all the above? said Gary Girdvainis, publisher and editorial director of International Watch magazine . Though the devil is in the details. What does it cost to make the watch youre intending to buy?

We asked three watch experts and a watch enthusiast to explain the difference between a cheap watch and an expensive one, and whether youre getting the most bang for your buck when choosing an expensive one.

Engineering plays a huge part in a watchs value

When it comes to inexpensive timepieces, most use basic materials mostly mass-produced, said Sabir M. Peele, founder of Mens Style Pro and a watch enthusiast. There are several determining factors that set their value, brand legacy, materials, movement and man-hours to create the piece.

To put it simply, the materials used to make the watchs exterior , as well as the materials inside, can make or break a watch, literally. It has a lot to do with engineering. Inexpensive watches are often mass-produced and have fewer parts, thus not as easy to regulate for accuracy, said Edward Farber, one of two principals at the Aaron Faber Gallery in New York. Its not the exterior of the watch that counts; its the engineering inside.