Recently, I decided to treat myself to a new watch. My Timex Indiglo Ironman was just not stylish enough to take me from the office to the gym to dinner at Asia de Cuba. Not being a horology expert, I took to the shops and the Internet for advice on the perfect watch to suit my needs. I had no idea the can of worms I was opening up.

My first step was to sashay into Tourneau, the store for watches. Their location on Madison Avenue and 57th Street has two floors of time pieces in every price range. And now would be an opportune time to stress the importance of having a price range in mind before setting out to buy a watch. Purchasing a new watch can be a hefty investment. Just remember that you shouldn't have to mortgage your house as a result of a little shopping expedition. Thus armed with a price point in mind, I asked a salesperson to show me everything they had in that range.

Fortunately, I had a very specific style in mind. For my purposes, I needed a watch that could take a hefty beating at the office or the gym, but look stylish enough for an evening soiree. My best bet would be a watch with a sapphire crystal (sapphire does not scratch); a metal band (won't absorb water or sweat and will hold up a lot longer than a leather band); some level of water resistance (to at least 100 meters); and a simple, elegant design. If you are hoping to use your watch for diving, swimming, or any intense sport, you may want to look at a piece that has a rotating bezel and chronograph to track time and speed.

After trying on every watch that fit my budget and my needs, I parked myself in front of my laptop and started the exhausting job of research. After losing precious days of my life in pursuit of knowledge, I have learned that buying a time piece comes down to only one thing: the choice between buying a quartz electronic movement or a mechanical movement. Although a quartz movement is more accurate and less complicated than its counterpart, the mechanical movement is "a masterpiece of human ingenuity and craftsmanship" (attributed to one of the many sites committed to exalting the art of gears, clicks, levers, ratchets, beveled toothing, etc.). As I am neither a connoisseur nor a trust-fund baby, my choice was clear and simple: give me something with a quartz movement and a 3-year battery and I'll be quite content. But, please don't share that information with the guys over at timezone.com.

Halfway through the research stage, I came across the TimeZone website: recommended as a good place to start when gathering opinions on watch brands. By then, I had already found three finalists and needed some more information on their reputations - something you can't get from a manufacturer's website. My innocent posting on their message board sparked quite a fury. Who knew that men could be so, hmmm, what's the word? Competitive?

We were just starting to have fun when the moderator stepped in. But, I did get some decent advice and learned that two of my three choices have excellent reputations.

And now, let the games begin: purchasing a watch is much like buying a car. There's a lot of whispering involved, and conferences between salesperson and store manager. Who knew there was bargaining to be done on sophisticated Madison Avenue! Even if you are content with the sticker price, that won't do. You are suddenly thrust into "Let's Make A Deal". Don't let that overwhelm you. Shop around. Get prices from as many stores as you can. Then, when you're ready to separate yourself from a huge pile of cash, go back to your authorized dealer and see if you can get that watch for 20-30% off the retail price. I strongly recommend purchasing your watch from an authorized dealer because if you don't, the manufacturer's warranty is null and void.

Of course, you could take all the information I just gave you, file it under "G" for garbage, and get yourself a nice $20 Rolex on Canal Street!