The story below is from our March/April 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Explore Roanoke’s standout jewelers for high-quality men’s watches — each with expertise and passion to guide you to the perfect timepiece.
Courtesy of Henebry's / Courtesy of Finks
A Selection of Men's Watches from Henebry's and Fink's
Men buy watches for many reasons, the least of which is to tell time. For some, it’s a beautiful piece of jewelry or a reminder of a milestone in their life. For others, it offers visible proof of their success. For many, it’s based in their appreciation of the fine work done by the makers of high-quality timepieces. Whatever your motivation, the Roanoke Valley houses several jewelry shops which include a great selection of men’s watches. Just as significantly, each one of the jewelers featured in this story is staffed by people who are knowledgeable and passionate about men’s watches.
“A watch is still a very personal thing for people to wear. Everyone has a different style and perception of quality. They’ve got to try things on and be comfortable with what they are choosing. Once they’ve given you some feedback, you can guide them from there,” says David Sensinger, watch buyer for Fink’s, whose flagship store is located at 3545 Electric Road in Roanoke. Fink’s specializes in luxury watches from the likes of TAG Heuer, Breitling and Tudor, most of which cost well over $2,000. Sensinger has more than 20 years in the jewelry business.
Courtesy of Henebry's
Bering Watch available at Henebry's
For the newcomer, the world of men’s watches can seem esoteric. Part of the experience of purchasing a watch is figuring out what appeals to you and what kind of watch fits your lifestyle.
“Is this something you’re going to wear every single day? Do you work with your hands? Is this something for dressing up?” says Brian Hurt of Henebry’s Diamond Jewelers, general manager of their Valley View Mall location. Hurt has worked in the jewelry business for 37 years, 34 of them with Henebry’s. Henebry’s sells primarily mid-priced watches from Citizens and Glock, which are typically in the $300 to $700 range.
“He needs to understand what kind of a style watch he’s looking for. Is he looking for a metal band? Is he looking for a leather strap? Is he looking for something smaller and sleeker or something larger and chunky?” says Tom Sells of AmRhein’s Fine Jewelry on Starkey Road. Sells has been in the jewelry industry since the early 1990s. AmRhein’s has been in business for 103 years and does a significant amount of repair work.
Some people are buying a watch as an investment, especially if it has a gold wristband (gold has jumped to $2,800 an ounce) or comes from a prestigious maker like Rolex, Tudor or Patek Phillippe.
“If you’re looking to yield something out of the watch when you’re done with it, you’re going to be looking for a higher-end brand. The one that obviously stands out for everybody is Rolex,” says Sells.
Many investors look to vintage watches as a potential investment. When purchasing a vintage timepiece, there are a few additional questions a customer should ask.
“Does it have original parts in it? Has it been serviced? Does it have any kind of warranty with it? And, if you do need any service, are you going to be able to get parts? How much is that going to be? And how long is that going to take?” Hurt suggests as questions that vintage watch buyers should consider.
Courtesy of Fink's
Tudor Watch available at Fink's
Luxury watches are typically made in Switzerland. They are usually mechanical watches, those which use a hand-wound clockwork mechanism to measure time, or automatic, which rely on a similar mechanism. Connoisseurs of watchmaking admire the precise movement of springs, gears and wheels in mechanical and automatic watches. A Rolex watch, for example, takes more than a year to make from initial assembly to the application of hour markers to the assessment of the watch’s ability to keep time properly.
Beginning in the 1970s, watches powered by quartz crystals offered a cheaper and more accurate timekeeping alternative. Quartz watches are typically cheaper than mechanical ones. During the 1970s, affordable quartz watches threatened to put the traditional Swiss-based watchmakers out of business. In the end, appreciation for fine workmanship and a taste for luxury persisted amid all the newfangled efficiency.
“From the late ’70s through the 1980s, quartz watches almost put mechanical watches to bed but people started to fall back in love with mechanical watches and the ideas behind them. The concept of someone having built that,” Sensinger says. “There’s not a lot of watch mechanics behind a quartz watch. Conversely, with a mechanical watch you’re talking about hundreds of individual little fabricated parts that are put together by a watchmaker.”
A similar dynamic has taken hold in the age of the Apple Watch.
“What we’re seeing now is a lot of guys who were into analog watches before got a smartwatch, but now they’re missing their collection of watches. They’re bringing them in to get new batteries or purchasing a new watch,” says Hurt.
Courtesy of Henebry's
Bering watch available at Henebry's
“With the introduction of smart watches, I think a lot of people saw this as the curtain call for Swiss timepieces,” Sensinger says. “What we found is that a lot of people certainly have smart watches and they’re very convenient. There remains a desire for people to treat themselves to a luxury watch.” The luxury timepiece business remains vibrant.
A trend towards smaller, less flashy timepieces has hit the world of men’s watches.
“We’re seeing guys go back to leather straps for more of that classic look. We’re also seeing the watch getting a little bit smaller in size,” Hurt says.
“There was a time when the trend was people wanting bigger and bigger and flashier and flashier watches. Then it kind of hit a peak. And people wanted a more traditional kind of size. People were buying watches in the high 40-mm diameter range; now that’s decreased to the low ’40s or even lower,” Sensinger says.
“What I’m seeing is guys looking for nice vintage watches,” Sells says. “That could be Rolex or that could be Tag (Heuer),” Sells says, noting that there is a lot of high-end product available on the secondary market.
“Men have become comfortable with different color schemes and brightly colored dials. Lots of teals, reds that people weren’t quite brave enough to wear,” Sensinger says.
Courtesy of Fink's
Breitling watch available at Fink's
Virtually every watch will require maintenance from time to time. R.M. Johnson and Sons in Salem has made a specialty of repairing men’s watches while selling mid-priced Citizens and Glock timepieces.
“We do a lot of repair work for the Valley and I think that’s how our name got out there,” says Mac Johnson of R.M. Johnson and Sons. Johnson is the son of the late Bob Johnson, who founded the family-run business 33 years ago. Mac Johnson notes that the number of places doing repair work has shrunk in recent years. Most of their repairs are of watch bands and replacement of watch batteries. Johnson says that many watch manufacturers expanded their mail-in service offerings during COVID, exaggerating an existing trend in the business. It can often take months for the return of your repaired watch.
Luxury watch repairs are typically done by authorized service centers with workers who have been certified by the watchmakers, or luxury watches are sent to a centralized service center. The more expensive the watch, the more expensive the upkeep.
“If you buy something new, you’re going to have the manufacturer’s warranty, which is typically five years and covers all the internal working parts,” Hurt says.
“Components are going to wear down. Lubricants will be needed to maintain the movement so the time can be kept accurately,” Sensinger says, noting that the watch itself will typically let you know it needs servicing. It will stop keeping time accurately or will stop overnight, for example.
Courtesy of Henebry's
Glock watch available at Henebry's
When purchasing a watch, the band or strap that holds the watch around your wrist will figure prominently in the maintenance of your timepiece.
“If you’re an active person and sweat a lot or you’re going to be in a wet environment, then leather bands are definitely not the way to go. They are going to absorb the oils and moisture,” Johnson says. “I prefer a leather band for more dress up events.”
“A metal band is going to last a lot longer. A pin is probably the first thing to go and it can be replaced easily,” Johnson says. Stainless steel and titanium (which is particularly lightweight) bands are particularly durable. Gold or gold-plated straps are significantly less forgiving among metal bands.
“Most watches have the ability to provide extra links. If your wrist does not fit that standard size, most vendors will give you the option to get three or four extra links,” Sells says, offering advice to men with larger wrists. He notes that finding extra links for vintage watches will likely take longer and be more expensive.
Clearly, there are many things to think about when purchasing a men’s watch. If you live in the Roanoke Valley, one of them need not be location. There are plenty of places to find the right timepiece close to home.
The story above is from our March/April 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!