The Jacques Lemans Formula One is a classic, affordable watch. It looks-if you look at it hurriedly-like a Citizen Nighthawk. And while it is not, overall, in the class of the Nighthawk, it is a superior watch at a reasonable price. Most Formula One's are in the $250.00-$400.00 price range. The price alone compels a second (or third) look.
Most Formula One watches use a quartz (battery) movement; most are sold with a mineral (not sapphire) crystal. But they all possess two important characteristics: they are durable and stylish in an offhand way, meaning that the watch is casually-"let's do hip today"-attractive. Not Zoo York or Corum hip, but still.
Calling a watch reliable does not exactly set it apart from the competition. With quartz movements, Formula One watches are simply going to be accurate as long as the battery retains power. It is truly a myth that more expensive, mechanical watches keep better time than their quartz brethren. They do not. Quartz, here, is the composition of the watch's battery, and it will likely keep marginally better time than an automatic or a manual (self-wind) watch.
Reliability may not set the Formula One apart from similarly categorized watches but it is still important. And it's important in ways other than the precision of its minute-by-minute read out.
The Formula One-in fact, all Jacques Lemans watches-is reliable in its ability to withstand the daily punishments that most casual watches endure. Leman watches simply are hard to beat up. And they pull off their durability, so to speak, while at the same time delivering style-and in certain models a kind of hip, quirky style, notably in use of face colors-to spare.
Most, not all, Jacques Lemans watches are Swiss made. A Swiss made watch will almost always have a "Swiss Made" notation on its case. Again, being made in Switzerland (see Seiko) does not automatically confer superiority. But it helps.
In addition to the Formula One, Jacques Lemans' PowerChrono is also a compelling (if not as eye-catching) and an inexpensive watch.
Jacques Lemans makes both men's and women's watches. A cursory look through the Jacques Lemans catalogue suggests that the company spends at least slightly more design time on the former than on the latter.
Other models of Jacques Lemans are: Dublin, Haiti, Havana, and Palm Beach. They are all worth a second or third look, especially so in the men's line.
The author is an avid watch collector and dealer and runs the website Fine Quality Watches: [http://www.finequalitywatches.com/]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_N_Foster