How to Gift a Watch Without Royally Screwing It Up
It’s often said that the best gift you can give someone is your time. So, naturally, the second-best gift you can give is the embodiment of time, which is, of course, a watch. A well-made watch can be worn for life — only to be given a second life when passed down to the next generation, and the next, and the next. These objects, for all their time-telling capabilities, are timeless, making them at once wonderful presents but also nerve-wracking to present. There’s a lot of pressure around giving a gift designed to last, well, forever. Worst-case scenario? Your beloved is left with something they don’t like… Forever! But we’re here for the best-case scenario, so read on.
First of all: Why buy someone an expensive watch at all? The full answer to this question is long, but talk to most watch enthusiasts and they will have a deeply personal story to tell about their favorite piece and why it’s worth it. In 2021, Nikki Ogunnaike, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire magazine, bought herself her first luxury watch. “I like for my things to be significant, especially when those things are very expensive,” says Ogunnaike. “So I wanted to get my first watch as a ‘congrats you made it’ gift to myself” — for celebrating turning 35, making it through the pandemic in good health, and success in her career. This watch was a gift to herself (which we love), but her insight here conveys something essential: We all tend to inject watches with a sentimental value that far exceeds its cost, rendering them more than just inanimate objects.
Luxury watches are generally made with the utmost care, precision, and craftsmanship, but it is our collective, centuries-long habit of labeling them “significant” that makes them so, cementing them across cultures as objects well equipped to commemorate big promotions, life milestones, weddings, anniversaries, and so on. But for all of the philosophizing around what a timepiece represents, it is ultimately meant to be worn. Regardless of what a watch can come to symbolize, it has to look good enough to wear, ideally, every day. So if you plan on giving a watch, make sure it vibes with the recipient’s style. Not every watch is for everyone, and there are some practical elements to consider when choosing the right one.
METALS
Does your recipient wear jewelry? If so, do they wear silver or gold? If silver, choose a steel watch. If gold, go for the gold, baby! And if they mix metals, two-tone could be your answer. For the record, while I lean toward yellow gold, I do mix metals and wear a steel watch because I love it for its chic severity — but also simply because I don’t have a gold watch. Steel tends to be more affordable, so many, like me, will forgive the lack of a solid 18K gold timepiece as long as it goes with their overall look.
If your giftee doesn't wear jewelry at all, find out why by asking tactful questions. If their response is, “I don’t wear bracelets because I don’t like things on my wrists,” well, probably best not to invest in a watch. But maybe they’re waiting for something worth commanding that wrist real estate. For a lot of trad men, especially, a watch may be the only accessory they wear, so it has to be a good one. Use your best judgment in this case, aligning the watch’s metal with the future wearer’s personality. Full-gold watches tend to come off as flashier and are more comfortably worn by those unafraid of being a little loud with their fashion (and life). Steel, on the other hand, appears more minimal and utilitarian. The reason why most “sport” and “tool” watches come in steel is because it’s a more practical metal, built to withstand action in the field. That being said, steel can be fashion-forward, especially in our Y2K revival era — the right steel watch can stack seamlessly with that Chrome Hearts bracelet. Follow your sartorial intuition and treat a watch as you would a fashion accessory, doing your best to determine if it will be versatile enough to go with your recipient’s overall looque.
STRAPS
Once you’ve got the metal decision sorted, you then have to ask yourself if you want to choose an all-metal watch or something that lives on a strap, which is often made out of leather or rubber.
"A classic watch on a leather band is timeless for a reason — it’s a style endorsed by generations of discerning wearers,” says Will Kahn, contributing editor at Town & Country. “No matter one’s personal style, the right leather-strapped watch brings a touch of elegance to any look,” whether it’s complementing a tuxedo on a glamorous night out or a chic trip to the grocery store in jeans and a T-shirt.
A strapped watch, too, can be a chameleon. “Leather bands offer versatility, allowing the wearer to switch up colors easily for a personalized feel,” continues Kahn. For example, you can swap a classic black strap for a warm brown leather if your giftee is going for the glam “horse girl” look in her new cowboy boots. Or you can upgrade a single-strap for a double-tour band in a subtly edgy nod toward the genius of Martin Margiela.
“And if the watch is for someone sportier,” explains Kahn, “interchangeable rubber straps are a great alternative, combining style with durability.” Indeed, if your special someone adores the great outdoors (or just loves a good outing on the yacht), a rubber-strap watch could be the move. Keep in mind that, although a luxe leather is built to last, rubber is a utility-forward alternative that can withstand anything from a steamy day on the tennis court to a crisp dip in the ocean (just pay attention to the watch’s individual depth rating and advise the wearer to keep their crown screwed on tight to avoid drowning the watch’s insides).
SIZE
As with most things in life, size isn’t everything when it comes to a nice watch. We’re living in exciting times where timepieces are no longer determined strictly for men or women based on their size or any other factor — so anything goes! If the person you’re buying for is super femme and loves the dainty, bow-accented, fashion girly vibe, a smaller, jewelry-forward piece could be the cherry on top. But if they’re sportier or love the statement of a chunkier hunk of metal, go big (and tell them to wear it extra loose for that nonchalant, slouchy look). Then there’s the middle-of-the-road sweet spot around 36mm (we measure watches using the metric system), which looks good on just about anyone, regardless of their gender, size, or sense of style. Per our advice on metals, go with your instinct and choose something that would effortlessly mesh with your beloved’s style.
QUARTZ VS. MECHANICAL
When buying a watch, for yourself or anyone else, you’re typically faced with a decision to choose something that is powered by a quartz movement (battery) or one that is mechanical, relying on an internal machine that is either “automatic” or “manual-wound” to keep the time. This, really, comes down to personal preference. Is your giftee someone who takes it easy and would rather not have to pay attention to whether or not the watch is keeping correct time? Quartz may be the best choice — you set it and it’ll reliably keep the time without any extra effort for years to come. But if your special someone wouldn’t mind the challenge of winding a watch and wearing it so often that it stays ticking, opt for the mechanical option!
GOOD TIMING
If you’ve made it this far, odds are that you’ve long meditated on gifting a watch and are prepared to tackle all of the above considerations regarding metal, straps, and size. But ask yourself, really, if a watch is the right gift. “You want to make someone cry a little, but not feel bad,” says Chris Chang, LA-based producer (and the best gift giver I know). “A watch is a big statement, typically. Make sure it isn’t bigger than the occasion or a misrepresentation of your relationship to this person.” Here is a good reminder to perform a gut-check: If you’re overcome with love for a person you just started dating, you may feel inclined to say it with a luxury watch — because, how romantic! But it may be best to put this generous impulse on ice and save the watch until a year (or more) into the relationship. After all, timing is everything!
GOOD TASTE
If you’re confident that a watch is THE gift, “be thoughtful. Pay attention to details about the person, and choose accordingly,” continues Chang. Also, “buy something you would want. Regardless of who the watch is for, if you yourself don’t see it as a beautiful item you would use or want regularly in your life, forget it.” Not to say that you should run out and buy your personal grail watch for another person — individual taste certainly comes into play. “But, if someone’s taste is so different from yours, assess if they are close enough to you to warrant getting them a watch.” Your sense of style, for example, may drastically differ from your partner’s — but in this case, you presumably know them well enough to understand what they’d love and wear.
Alejandro Rhett, chief product officer at Todd Snyder, just gifted his boyfriend a classic gold, leather-strapped watch. “I tried my best to capture his personality in this watch,” says Rhett, urging others to do the same. If they’re quirkier, go with a design that’s left-of-center. If they’re outdoorsy and adventurous, go with a cool sports watch. But, at the end of the day, “don’t mess with a classic.” If a watch is broadly considered tried-and-true across years and trends, chosen by great watch wearers before you (Ina Garten and her double-strapped leather watch just popped into my head), it’s likely a good bet. Echoing Chang, Rhett also advises you to “choose something you wouldn’t mind borrowing.”
PUSH THE ENVELOPE
“Never buy someone a watch that they’ve been planning to buy themselves,” says Thom Bettridge, editor-in-chief of i-D Magazine. “That’s like the high-budget version of getting someone a three-pack of undies for Christmas. A good watch gift should be something the giftee would’ve never dared buy themselves.” Sure, you can spend hours upon hours trying to decide if you’re choosing the perfect watch that your person will unconditionally adore, but sometimes a gift as big as this is a good chance to push them out of their comfort zone.
When Mojdeh Cutter, the director of partnerships and the TimeForArt watch auction at the Swiss Institute, received a watch from her father as a wedding gift, she was initially put-off. It was a teeny-tiny steel watch with a pink dial. “When I received it, I was like, why are you giving me this? You know I don’t wear watches… What am I going to do with this?” she laughs. “And also, at the time, I exclusively wore yellow gold jewelry — and I don’t wear a lot of pink. So, it just felt like an odd choice to give me a steel watch with a baby pink dial.” But, the more she wore the watch, the more she started to like it. “It has really grown on me — not only because of the story behind it and its meaning, but also because it was the first ‘real’ watch anyone ever bought me. And somehow it is my style! I love the ‘baby girl’ vibes the pink dial gives off. Now it’s my favorite watch.” Cutter’s anecdote is a case in point for Bettridge’s anti-three-pack philosophy.
“Unless you know exactly what the giftee wants because they told you, there is always a level of risk because the gift may not be exactly what they wanted,” continues Cutter, who understands wholeheartedly this feeling. But, don’t let this pressure deter you. Give with your whole heart. “The most important aspect of gifting is that the physical object is, at the core, simply a symbol or representation of what you feel for the giftee.”
