4 answers
★ Best answer
The biggest factor is really how much you expose the watch to water and daily impacts - a cheap plastic one you only wear indoors can last for years, but the same model breaks in months if you take hard knocks or get it wet regularly. Nobody's talking about the acrylic crystal on these cheap watches: it scratches super easily, which forces you to replace it before the movement even fails. If you're gonna spend little, at least pick one with mineral glass instead of acrylic, that already makes a difference in durability.
A generic wristwatch usually lasts between 2 to 5 years depending on the quality of the movement and how well you take care of it. The battery lasts less time (around 1 to 2 years), but the problem is usually the mechanism starting to fail or the crystal getting scratched. If it's one of those really cheap ones from a street vendor, it might not even last a year. Now, if you don't want to keep buying watches all the time, it's worth investing a bit more in a known brand, which has much better durability.
It depends way more on how you use it than on the brand. A generic watch can last 2-3 years if it's one of those cheap plastic ones with questionable movement quality, but if it has mineral glass, a decent case, and a more robust mechanism, it'll easily go for 5-10 years or more.
What really kills it is the battery - it usually lasts 1 to 2 years and then you need to replace it. But before that, something else breaks: scratched glass, loose strap, water getting in... The question is whether it's worth fixing when it gets to that point. What kind of watch do you have? One of those super cheap ones with a flexible plastic strap, or is it better built?
Lobo asker
I have one of those really basic ones, with a flexible plastic band. But thanks for the tips, I'll try to take better care of it.
# Generic Watch Lifespan
People are basically right in general, but the thing is "generic" covers everything from 5-euro watches that come in multipacks to decent pieces. The ones made of plastic with dirt-cheap movements will break down in months if you knock them around. Now, if it's one of those with a metal case, decently resistant glass, and a decent automatic movement, you can easily get 4 to 6 years out of it, especially if you're not wearing it on your wrist 24/7 taking hits with everything.
What nobody mentions is the difference between a watch actually breaking and a watch just going out of style or you getting tired of it. Lots of people swap them out because they lost interest, not because it stopped working. If you want it to last longer, avoid wearing it while you're doing risky stuff (heavy cleaning, sports, manual work) - save it for calmer everyday wear.
And here's a trick: if the battery starts dying quick or the watch starts freezing up, before you give up on it, take it off and keep it away from moisture for a few days. Stick it in a drawer with a dry cloth or even in a jar with rice. Sometimes it's just accumulated moisture and half an hour drying things out fixes a lot. Then, if it really does die, getting it repaired at a local shop costs way less than you'd think.
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