It’s Christmas time, the best time of the year and a time for giving. For those of you who are watch fans or know of one, we have curated a list of our top five watch-related gift categories with our suggestions for the horology-heads amongst us.
Watch
I suppose it’s an obvious suggestion, a watch.
Yes, this may seem like a very generous gift and will of course depend largely on budget and who you are giving the gift to. But rest assured, there are watches to suit all budgets, not just those with bottomless pockets.
Here are our three watches at three different budgets to give you an idea:
- Swatch Sigan: £58
- Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical: £395
- Nomos Tangente 101: £1,460
Book
A great way to find out more about watches is by reading a watch-related book.
There are many different types, hard-back books, magazines or even catalogues. Watch books are also available at many different price points meaning that it can be a great way to send a gift that doesn’t cost the earth but offers a lot of value to the recipient.
- A Man and his Watch £20 (Amazon)
- The Book of Rolex £30 (Amazon)
- The Watch, Thoroughly Revised (Amazon)
Watch Strap
Switch it up.
The most versatile watch on the market is undoubtedly the Apple Watch. Why is this? Well, it’s because you’re able to switch up the straps. So how can you make your mechanical watches more versatile? Straps!
As a gift, straps can be great. There are endless options at every single price point, from £20 to £300.
You can find a strap to suit every taste as well. Our advice is, for better quality, you should be looking at straps above the £50 mark, this will ensure that the materials are actually of good quality, often the raw material cost is near to this alone, certainly for quality leather.
However, you can find some very good NATO watch straps for under £30, which is certainly a bargain and can really transform any watch.
- Bond NATO from Bark and Jack – £24
- Molequin Chocolate Brown Leather Strap – €105 (ships from Europe so prices in euros)
- Jean Rousseau Alligator Vintage Brown Strap £230
Watch Box
Keep them protected.
There is one ultimate watch-related present. A watch box. I know that personally, I’m always on the lookout for a new watch box to house my collection.
Not only does a watch box serve a practical purpose, but it can also look fantastic. When you see watches housed in a luxury watch box it shows that the collector doesn’t solely think about the watches on the wrist but also how they are kept when not being worn.
Much like straps, watch boxes come in different materials and come in at different price points. It all depends on your budget and the size of the collection.
Some boxes, particularly from luxury companies, can set you back as much as a brand-new Rolex Oyster Perpetual. So, the world really is your oyster (not Oyster Perpetual!) when it comes to watching boxes.
- Mele & Co Jayden Glass Oak Finish 5 Watch Box – £40
- Wolf Savoy Burlwood 5 Watch Box – £155
- Rapport London Heritage Five Watch Box in Burr Walnut – £425
Watch Winder
Always on time.
If your watch gift recipient has more than one automatic watch, then it is likely that they find themselves winding one of the watches when putting it on after a while off the wrist.
When an automatic watch isn’t worn for longer than the power reserve allows, the watch will stop, meaning that the time shown is no longer correct. A great way to combat this is by putting it in a watch winder, keeping it constantly moving and always on time.
The watch winders start slightly higher than most watch-related gifts, but even the entry-level ones are good value for money. However, our advice on this one is to make sure they don’t already have enough watch winders. Although you can never have too many straps, you can, quite clearly, have too many watch winders.
- Benson Easy Watchwinder Z2 – £79
- Barrington Single Winder in Shadow Black – £149
- Rapport Perpetua Single Watch Winder – £395
Watch-related Art
It’s art time.
Perhaps a more obscure suggestion on our list is a piece of watch-related art. Now, this is not for everyone. It may look great in a home office but if the recipient isn’t a big ‘wall-art fan’ then you may be better with another option on our list.
Art is also very subjective, so try to play is safe with this one, unless you know their tastes inside out.
In terms of what type of art, you can go for, the possibilities are endless. You could get a drawing or painting of their favourite watch or their favourite movement or you could find a watch-related poster. It all depends on the individual. As it’s pretty personal, here are some of our favourite websites…
- Art of Horology £15-£100
- Uchi Artwork – £15-£100
So, whether you are buying for a family member or friend, or maybe even yourself, hopefully now you are inspired by some of our horological gifts. It’s the time that keeps on giving, so give them something time related that they’ll never forget. Happy Holidays!
