Shopping to find gifts for watch enthusiasts can be a tricky area to navigate, and so I thought that it might be helpful to put together a watch enthusiasts gift guide full of different ideas and links to gifts which won’t break the bank. These are the kinds of gifts that would work for birthdays, Christmases, Mother’s and Father’s Days, anniversaries… you name it!
Watch enthusiasts tend to enjoy any way in which they can indulge themselves in this wonderful rabbit-hole of a hobby, so I have tried to compile a list of ideas which span a wide variety of options across a broad spectrum of choices.
For clarity, none of the products below are paid advertisements, although some are affiliate links.
With that said, let’s get into the good stuff. If you have any other ideas of gifts, or any of the links I provided are no longer working – please let me know via the Contact page.
Watch Enthusiasts Gift Guide
Watch Affinity Shop on Amazon
First up is the Watch Affinity shop on Amazon. Here you will find several different lists full of ideas and for the watch enthusiasts in your life. Indeed many of the items below are ones you will find via the Watch Affinity shop, too!
Watch Themed Books
The easy place to start is watch related books, and there are plenty of excellent examples out there to choose from which are widely available online and probably for discounted prices too if you’re prepared to look for it!
A Man & His Watch, Matt Hranek – One of the most popular watch books is Matt Hranek’s ‘A Man and His Watch’, which tells the personal stories of a number of prominent individuals and their favourite watches. The photography is absolutely stunning, and hearing about the watches in the individuals’ own words is what makes this book resonate so well with watch enthusiasts. You can read my full review of this book here, and rest assured that a simple google search of this title will provide a multitude of outlets from which you can buy it. RRP £28.
Available here (affiliate links)
A Man & His Watch, by Matt Hranek
The Watch Thoroughly Revised, Gene Stone and Stephen Pulvirent – Another superb watch book is ‘The Watch Thoroughly Revised’ by Gene Stone and Hodinkee’s Stephen Pulvirent. This is an update on the original version released in 2006 (after all, the watch industry has changed massively since then!) and takes a look at 50 important brands that you should know about in more depth. This is more objective than punctuated with personal anecdotes, and serves perfectly as a useful reference guide come coffee-table book that will surely keep the recipient quiet for hours! You can read my full review of this book here, and again this is widely available online. RRP £40.
Available here (affiliate link)
The Watch Thoroughly Revised, by Gene Stone and Stephen Pulvirent
All in Good Time – Reflections of a Watchmaker, George Daniels – One final book, more aimed at watch enthusiasts who have an interest in the history of watchmaking and the people behind the watches, would be ‘All in Good Time – Reflections of a Watchmaker’ by Dr. George Daniels. Dr. Daniels is regarded as perhaps the most important watchmaker of the Twentieth Century, having invented the Co-Axial escapement, a tremendously important advancement in watchmaking. His story is really interesting, and this book really gives a sense of what he was like as a person. You can read my review of this book here. It is again widely available online in hardback, with an RRP of £25.
Available here (affiliate link)
All in Good Time - Reflections of a Watchmaker, by George Daniels
You can also check out the Watch Books page for more book ideas, or visit the Watch Affinity shop Watch Books list on Amazon!
Watch Art Gifts
For anyone who wants to represent their passion for watches in the everyday, be sure to visit the Watch Affinity RedBubble store here. You will find more than 15 artistic graphic designs based on my watch photography, which can be applied to anything from office stationery, t-shirts and hoodies, mugs, stickers, magnets, and even blank greetings cards for the watch enthusiast in your life!
Watch Photography Prints
Who doesn’t love a quality piece of wall art? A lot of watch enthusiasts appreciate watch photography – an opportunity to admire the details that can often only be fully admired via a loupe. Perfect for the man cave or the office, these prints are all A3 in size and professionally printed on glossy paper for that luxurious feel. You can read more about the specific prints which are available here. These are currently only available in the UK, and are priced £20 including delivery.
Update November 2023: the Etsy store is no longer available so in case of interest please reach out via the Contact page.
Vintage Watch Advertisements
Next up in this watch enthusiasts gift guide is something a little different. As an alternative to watch photographic prints, vintage watch advertisements are another great alternative for anyone who is particularly keen on vintage watches, or perhaps owns an heirloom piece from yesteryear. These can be a little tricky to acquire given their age, so if there is a particular advertisement you’re interested in it might take a while to find the right one. Given this is a particularly niche gift idea, I’ve listed a few well known options as links to help start your search:
- Ad Patina
- The Advert Emporium on Instagram (@theadvertemporium)
- You could also search this topic on Etsy to find suitable stores
Starting Them Young…
For the new parents, there’s nothing quite like planting the seeds of a passion for watch collecting early! Why not start by teaching the alphabet not with A is for Apple, but A is for Audemars! This great book is available here (affiliate link), and I think it is absolutely brilliant!
R is for Rolex, photo - DiaperBookClub.com
Watch Accessories
There are lots of ideas for accessories to a watch collection, which can vary greatly across a much wider range than you might initially have thought! The good news is that whilst some can be quite expensive, others can be found for a much more bank-account friendly price.
Watch Straps – there are a wide range of watch straps available on the market, from a huge variety of vendors. Straps are available in different materials and different sizes, so I would always suggest speaking with the person before buying rather than getting a strap as a surprise gift (unless you are absolutely sure of what you’re getting). In the interest of impartiality, I won’t be providing any links here or recommending anywhere in particular, suffice it to say however that in this area it can be very much a “you get what you pay for” situation.
Watch Strap Changing Tools, and Watch Tool Kits – for changing watch straps, you of course need a strap changing tool! Whilst some straps these days are quick release, unfortunately not all of them are, and changing a strap requires a particular type of tool to release the spring bars holding the strap in place. Strap tools are available on their own, but you can also find a more comprehensive watch tool sets, too! Some strap tools are cheaper and may well end up breaking if you aren’t careful – if you were to ask watchmakers and technicians, the trusted industry standard brand would likely be Bergeon.
UV Torch – For something a little more simple, that will – I promise – give a watch enthusiast endless hours of entertainment… a UV torch will be very much enjoyed! These gadgets can again range in price depending on how extravagant a tool you want to get. However, a shining a UV torch at most watches will rapidly charge up the luminescent material on a watch dial ready for all those lume shots! A very quick and easy win!
Loupe Set – As I mentioned earlier, for luxury watches sometimes it is not possible to fully admire the craftsmanship on a piece with the naked eye. A tool called a loupe is a small magnifier that can be held over one eye, allowing the wearer to hold it close up to the watch and be able to see the finishing of a surface in macro detail. As you can imagine, loupes come in many different levels – from the free branded gifts handed out occasionally in a luxury watch boutique to a full on set worth hundreds of pounds. The good news is there is a plentiful lower end of the range to choose from!
Macro Photography Clip-On Lens – The crossover between a loupe and amateur watch photography is a clip-on macro lens. My fiancée bought me one of these for my birthday, and honestly, I love it. I am by no means whatsoever a capable photographer, but clipping this to my iPhone and snapping away with a bit of time spent editing, even I can produce some pretty decent photos! Some examples of photos I have taken are below, and I have managed these using this lens available here (affiliate link).
Watch Storage Ideas
As a watch collection grows, you need somewhere to store it! And, also from time to time, to carry it as you travel around, whether on holiday or to a watch get together. There a again a huge variety of options for where these items can be purchased, so in the spirit of impartiality I won’t list any brands here. If you were to check with the watch lover in your life beforehand, I am positive they would be able to point you to one they would like before jumping in with the purchase.
Watch Boxes – Watch boxes come in all shapes and sizes, with space for anywhere from two or three watches to an entire case for 20 or maybe more! It is normal to expect a watch box to come with a small cushion in each space to wrap the watch around, but be sure to check that the little walls separating each space are sufficiently high as to stop the watches knocking into one another, as this could end up leaving little hairline scratches over time.
Watch Rolls and Watch Travel Pods – Watch rolls are slightly more mobile than watch boxes, but the concept is essentially the same. They do however tend to be for a smaller number of watches, ranging form a single piece up to perhaps 4 or 5. The good thing with a watch roll is it is becoming more common to have a much bigger separator wall between each piece so whilst this is something to still look out for, it should be a far less prevalent issue to contend with. Watch rolls are also great options for a watch travel case or travel pod, designed to contain only one or two watches and keep them safe as you travel around.
Other Watch Related Gift Ideas
Away from the more ‘direct’ watch gifts, there are also other great ideas I have found which are equally fun, but more watch ‘themed’ than watch ‘centric’ so in this watch enthusiasts gift guide I have compiled them into their own section:
Iconic Watches Puzzle – A spin-off gift from the ‘A Man and His Watch’ book mentioned earlier, which I was gifted last Christmas myself, and we had a great time doing, is a puzzle of the watches featured in the book! It can be a little tricky to find as it isn’t actually named to match the book, and is available here (affiliate link).
Build Your Own Clock – For those who like to get hands on, there is a fantastic set available whereby you can make your own working clock! I was gifted this a couple of years ago as I particularly enjoy this type of thing, and it kept me quiet for an entire day – it now sits pride of place on our bookshelves, too. In short, a shoe-in for this watch enthusiasts gift guide!! The set is available here (affiliate link).
My assembled ROKR build you own clock
Fine Watchmaking Trivial Pursuit – Trivial Pursuit of course is a hugely popular game, and whilst this might be a little lost on most people, it would make a great gift for a group of watch enthusiasts to enjoy with each other. I haven’t seen this available in many places, and so I have provided the link here. The price is in Swiss Francs at 29CHF, so keep in mind delivery costs, foreign exchange rates and possible taxes when purchasing!
Watch Movement Cufflinks – One final idea that I remember seeing on an ex-colleague of mine was a set of little watch movement cufflinks! They make for a super little talking point, and I can well imagine would put a smile on the face of any watch lover! A simple search online and you will find a plethora of them readily available.
In Summary
I hope this watch enthusiasts gift guide has helped you with some ideas to help in that frustratingly difficult search for gifts for the watch lovers in your lives. If you come across any other great ideas, please do reach out and let me know as I would love for this page to be a great reference that I can continue to build on over time!
Most of these (and more!) are available via the Watch Affinity shop on Amazon
If you have any questions, please get in touch via our Contact page, or via our Instagram.
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