Why did you decide it had to be a watch? What makes a gift good is its appropriateness.
A man who never leaves the house doesn’t need a watch.
This is especially true for self-winding mechanical watches: the watch must be in motion for the hands to move. Hand-wound watches must be wound by hand. And quartz watches require a battery change.
Watches require maintenance. If it’s a sports watch, for example, you should rinse it off after workouts to remove sweat. If it’s a watch with basic water resistance, you should make sure it doesn’t get caught in heavy rain. If you think the man will take care of it, let’s move on.
1. Rhythm and Objectives
Now that you’ve made up your mind, think broadly about what his life is like. Is it an office environment? Is it business meetings? Is it a bit of everything? This will narrow down your options a bit.
Maybe it will be a watch designed for specific tasks. For example, a watch with a pedometer and distance tracking for running. Or perhaps one with a moon phase display and tide charts for fishing, or multiple time zones if he’s in touch with colleagues in other countries, and so on.
Try to figure out what need a watch can fulfill.
2. Style
Take a look at his style. How does he dress? I mean his clothing style and the colors he wears. What accessories does he already wear?
Maybe he wears rings or bracelets. Giving him a gold watch to go with silver rings might not be the best idea—you’ll be putting him in a tough spot.
3. Wrist size and body type
People often forget this when they only look at pretty pictures online. The watch needs to be proportionate.
- Narrow wrist: Bulky ones will look ridiculous, catch on your jacket, and be uncomfortable. Opt for sleek, classic styles or slim vintage designs.
- Wide wrists and a large build: A small watch would simply get lost on these. Large, rugged models — such as the shock-resistant G-Shock or chunky steel chronographs — are a perfect fit.
4. Attitude toward possessions
How neat is he? If a man does manual labor, frequently goes out into nature, tinkers with his car, or simply isn’t in the habit of dusting off his belongings, giving him a delicate classic watch with a leather strap is like giving him a problem.
In that case, it’s best to choose durable polymer models with mineral or sapphire crystal. Let the watch adapt to his lifestyle, rather than him having to adapt to it.
Summary
The perfect watch to give is one that a man will put on in the morning and forget about until evening, because it fits perfectly with his daily routine, style, and habits. Consider these four points, and you’re sure to make the right choice.