Best Watches to Give as Gifts

Video Transcription

The holidays are quickly approaching and giving the right gift can sometimes be tricky. Whether you’re giving a gift to a loved one or hoping to commemorate an important event, here are some of our recommendations for the best watches to give as gifts.

The New Watch Collector

Let’s say your child just graduated and you want to commemorate the achievement with a watch. It can be complicated to find something that fits in their stage of life, but also something that they will keep for years to come. Our pick is the Tudor Black Bay. The Black Bay Heritage is a great start to any collection. Tudor re-entered the US market less than a decade ago, and immediately made some big waves. One of which is the Black Bay. Now there are plenty of options, with varying sizes, designs and materials in the Black Bay Heritage line. One of our favorites, and a perfect first for a luxury watch is the Black Bay Black, and specifically the first iteration with the ETA movement. This is a great first watch because the cost isn’t outrageous, and the ETA movement is going to be more cost effective to maintain in years to come. And since it’s no longer in production it’s just that much more unique. The Rose Dial with the “Self-Winding” text gives the watch a nice vintage vibe with a clean look, and the Black Bay Heritage comes in at 41 millimeters which is a great contemporary size.

The Classic

For the person who, at any given moment, looks like they could be from any decade. They exude style, and it just seems effortless. Their watch has to be an extension of their style, and that’s why we think the IWC Pilot’s Watch is a no-brainer. IWC has been making Pilot watches for decades, and their styling has pretty much remained unchanged, and that’s just the beauty of a classic. The clean case design, Arabic numeral dial, the triangle with two dots at 12 o’clock, and the stark legible hands were characteristics of the IWC watches from World War II, and they’re still present on this Mark XVI here. The 39-millimeter case is sporty enough for any outfit and paired with the alligator strap the watch looks great under a suit jacket as well. This watch will never go out of style.

The Adventurer

Do adventure and thrill define your recipient? If yes, then they need a watch that can keep up with each and every new experience. The Breitling Aerospace is just the companion for any adventure. This watch can be easily overlooked because of its non-traditional mix of analog and digital and a use of a quartz movement, but the Aerospace can take whatever adventure you can throw at it and more. It has a 42-millimeter titanium case for added durability, and features like a chronograph, a perpetual calendar, a GMT complication, and an alarm, to name a few. And I have talked to more pilots that actually wear this watch than any other watch, and one pilot, in particular, told me this was the watch he was wearing during a high-speed ejection. I promise, if you are looking for the perfect watch for the thrill-seeker look no further than the Breitling Aerospace.

The Businessman

This watch is for someone who just made partner, landed a big account, or achieved a long-awaited career milestone. We think it’s important to celebrate the moments big and small, and this Vacheron does just that. The Vacheron Patrimony Traditionnelle World. There are GMT watches, there are world timers, and then there’s this Vacheron Patrimony. This is the first watch of its kind because it displays all time zones. Now most people would think there are only 24 time zones because you think in one-hour increments, but actually, at the time of publishing this, there are 38 separate time zones. That’s because some time zones are broken down into the half hour and even the quarter hour increment. Now the Patrimony Traditionnelle World represents 37 separate time zones, and it’s worth mentioning when this watch was released in 2015 there were only 37 not the 38 of today. So, on top of being able to track 37 time zones this Vacheron has a really novel feature. There is a thin tinted piece of sapphire that creates night on the globe. Seeing this transition from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. you can see how New York is now in the dark. This takes a rather busy watch and makes the information that much easier to read. And an all housed in a 42 millimeter rose gold case, this watch will definitely make a statement.

The Person Who Has Everything

This can be such a tough person to give a gift to, so we decided to use exclusivity as a driving motivation for our choice. Patek Philippe is a great place to start looking, and specifically at the venerable Nautilus. The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711. Now this is a watch with a price tag about as large as its wait list. It’s quirky 70s design has stood the test of time and the Nautilus has become the pinnacle of the stainless-steel sports watch. And for the person that has everything what better gift than a watch that’s almost impossible to get. This particular one with the blue, black gradient dial feels as though you’re staring into the depths of the ocean. And nothing feels more like you’re staring out the porthole have Captain Nemo’s namesake submarine than this watch.

By no means is this list exhaustive, but hopefully it’s provided that spark for picking out the right watch. Let us know if you have any questions about one of these particular models or if you think there’s a better watch for one of these categories, and thanks for watching.