So, you want to give a watch as a gift? Good choice, watches are fantastic gifts – they are useful and they can be a unique way to add style to any outfit.
If you love wearing watches yourself then you’ll know that choosing the perfect watch can be difficult. There is so much choice available, not just in the style and design of the watch but in features too.
If it’s that difficult choosing a watch for yourself, how difficult is it going to be to buy a watch for someone else?
Would she like a stylish Citizen Drive Watch or would she prefer an Ice-Watch?
Would he prefer the Casio Edifice Smartwatch or a Mondaine Watch?
Even if you know what watch to buy, there are so many little things that could go wrong which might turn your “perfect gift” into a real disappointment for the recipient of the gift.
Thankfully, today I’m going to talk you through all of the things you can do to make your gift absolutely perfect. So, before you buy any watch read through the tips here and learn how you can make sure your choose the watch that makes the perfect gift.
Think About Who You Are Buying the Watch For
Who are you buying the watch for and why? It is a friend, family member or partner? Do you want to say thank you, I love you or just “hey, have this nice watch!”
You also need to ask yourself about the person you’re buying the gift for.
What sort of things do they wear?
Are they fun, casual or formal?
If they already wear a watch, what kind of watch do they wear?
Is it a cheap watch or is it an expensive luxury watch?
The answer to those questions will help you decide on which watch you want to buy for them. Make sure you keep your focus on the person you are buying the watch for, because the most expensive watch might not be the watch that suits them, and it might not to say what you want it to say to them.
Don’t Just Choose the Watch You Would Like
This adds to the last point; just because you like a watch, that doesn’t mean that the person you are buying the watch for will like it too. Think about it, do you like the same watch that your partner wears? What about your mum or dad, would you buy their watch? Sometimes you would, but most of the time you have your own list of wants and you don’t want someone else to impose their own wants on you.
By all means, if the person in question looks at your watch and says “I’d love one of those” then buy them one! Otherwise think carefully about what they want.
Think about what is important to the person you are buying the watch for, is style or functionality more important. For example, do they have a love for classic Swiss timepieces or do they need cutting edge technology?
Find out what they need, there’s nothing worse than buying someone a gift and seeing the look on their face when it doesn’t do the one thing that they need it to. Casually bring it up in conversation, if they have a watch on ask what they like about it or what things they would like it to do. It can’t hurt to look at watches with them too and get an idea of what things they like.
If you know that the one main thing they need from their watch is that it updates the the time wherever you are in the world – make sure the watch does that! If all they have ever wanted is a Swiss Railway Watch – make sure you get them a Swiss Railway Watch!
What Price Should You Look At?
The price you pay for the watch will impact what you will get out of the watch. Depending on what the person you’re buying for wants from the watch you may be forced into a certain price point.
Let’s have a look at the different price points and see what you will get for your money.
£0-£250
This price point includes very good, stylish and functional watches. They still include some stylish watches by Lipsy, Accurist and Citizen that are less than £100. There are also designer watches from DKNY, Hugo Boss and Calvin Klein available for under £250.
These will usually make good birthday or Christmas gifts as you can anything from the most basic to the most stylish and functional. Although you will find quality, stylish watches you won’t find luxury watches in this price range which is why they aren’t always great for special occasions.
£250-£500
At this price point you will find a number of great lower end luxury watches. You will find some amazing stylish watches from Victorinox, Seiko and Mondaine in this range, as well as Bluetooth watches like this on from Casio.
These will make brilliant gifts for special occasions like wedding anniversary gifts, 21st birthdays and graduation gifts. As you can see there are a lot of well respected brands in this price range. When you pay this kind of price, you will be able to choose watches that are impeccably designed and incredibly well built.
£500+
At this price you will find the top of the range watch technology. At the highest price range you will also find incredible build and design of the watch. The GPS watches by Seiko and Citizen are brilliant examples of cutting edge technology combined with the best build quality money can buy.
These watches will make the ultimate gift for people who want cutting edge watch technology combined with luxurious build quality.
Always Check the Recipients Wrist Size
How awful would it be to think you have found the perfect watch, but when you give it to them the size of the watch looks ridiculous on their tiny wrist!
Large, chunky watches are currently in fashion at the moment but they don’t suit people who have smaller wrists.
You need to make sure that you find a watch that will look good on their wrist, otherwise your gift is unlikely to be worn! If you can, look for watches of different dimensions to fit different wrists. If that isn’t possible, you’ll need to look for a different watch altogether to make sure that you get the best one for them.
Think About the Cultural Aspects of Giving a Watch
In our country buying a watch is a nice gift and there aren’t many cultural connotations associated with buying a watch. But if you are buying the watch for someone from an Asian background there could be some cultural aspects to think about before gifting the watch.
In many Asian cultures the gift of a watch signifies that “time is running out.” So by giving someone a watch you could be implying that either their life or your relationship with them is coming to an end – which I’m sure won’t be greeted with the gratitude that you would be hoping for!
The best way to overcome this negative feeling towards the gift is to ask for a token payment, for example £1. By asking for the token payment you are “selling” them the watch, this will take away any of the negative feeling towards the watch as a gift.
ALWAYS Buy From an Official Stockist
There are so many reasons why buying from an official stockist will give you a better experience when buying a watch, but one of the main reasons is security. You won’t run the risk of accidentally purchasing a replica, a second hand watch or a watch that doesn’t come with a guarantee.
A big problem if you buy from an unofficial stockist is that, even if you purchase a genuine, new watch, you may not be covered by a guarantee. Some watch manufacturers will deem your warranty to be invalid if you haven’t purchased it from an official stockist.
Think about the disappointment for the recipient of your thoughtful gift if they open it to find that it is a poor quality replica of the beautiful watch you brought them. Or, even worse, they get a real watch and something goes wrong within the first 2 months – but it can’t be fixed because it didn’t come with a valid guarantee!
Thankfully First Class Watches are an official dealer of all of the brands that we sell on our website. This means that when you buy from us you know you will be receiving the highest quality watches, which are protected by a full guarantee. You can also visit our retail store, James Moore Jewelers in Kenilworth, if you want to look at the watch in person or have any further questions.
Conclusion
As you’ve seen there are quite a few things you want to consider when you a purchasing a watch as a gift. If you make sure to put this extra effort in when you are deciding which one to buy then you can enjoy giving the perfect gift you dreamed of giving them.
If you’ve followed all of the steps and you’ve chosen your perfect watch then head over to the shop and purchase the perfect gift today!
Images: Cláudia*~Assad, Toshiyuki IMAI
