Men’s Watch Gift Guide

Are you looking to find a present for a watch lover in your life? Here’s our men’s watch gift guide to help you out!

I’ve always said that enthusiasts are difficult to buy presents for. It seems counterintuitive, right? 

If he loves shoes, then buy him shoes. If he loves telescopes buy him a telescope. If he loves photography buy him a camera. Right? 

Think again. 

Here’s the thing. Most enthusiasts are hyper-specific. I know that this is the case for watch lovers.

However, with some creativity, you can really impress your resident watch friend. And no, it doesn’t always involve just getting him the fanciest Rolex; besides, what if he’s a Patek guy?

Some qualities to look for when buying a gift for someone who loves watches include novelty, rarity, and quality. Try to think of things that would perhaps deter him from buying an item for himself, though he’d love it as a gift. No worries — this gift guide represents all price points.

Watch Gift Guide for Men (a Special Section for the Small-Wristed)

Of course, all of the cool gift ideas in this round-up are good for men of all wrist sizes. We don’t recommend giant monster watches here, after all! 

The watches in this particular section, however, are all 40 millimeters and under.

Rowing Blazers x Seiko 5 Sport Watch

Something that really brings novelty to watch models? Collabs. 

Rowing Blazers has quickly positioned itself as a truly collaborative brand, and its Seiko 5 Sport Watch is a combination of best collaboration practices.

When this dropped, I bought the blue colorway (because I love blue) and the black colorway (because I loved the colorful indices). 

They’ve since expanded with several more dial colors, so there’s really something there for everyone.

They’re designed by the it-guy of the vintage watch world, Eric Wind, giving them excellent pedigrees. 

They’re still standard and universally loved, Seiko 5, running on the hacking and winding 4R movement. But the lively colors, red-striped second-hand, wedge indices, and emblazoned exhibition caseback make them unique and gift-worthy.

• Dimensions: 40mm diameter, 11.5mm thickness
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Water resistance: 100m

These limited editions are mostly sold out on the primary market but are easy to find on the eBays Mercaris and Stock Xs of the world.

Timex Marlin Mechanical

This piece isn’t just unique on several levels but affordable and historical.

Check out our hands-on review here. It’s swanky and charming. At 34 millimeters, it flaunts a true dress watch proportion straight from a classier vintage era. 

• Dimensions: 34mm diameter, 10mm thickness
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Water resistance: 30m

The distinct font is reminiscent of the fanciful Art Nouveau style and pops against the silky dial. Between that and the tactile, highly engaging manual wind movement, you’re really giving him a memorable addition to his collection.

Timex Sports Team Watches

Sometimes, you just have to go for something he might not even buy for himself, but it really represents him. If your watch guy is a sports fan, Timex makes super fun team watches for both the NHL and the .

The former is just a classic Timex Easy Reader but with your choice of hockey team logo. The latter has a beautiful resin case and a straightforward, versatile dial with your choice of football team logo. Just choose his team.

• Dimensions: 40mm diameter, 10mm thickness (NFL watches). 38mm diameter, 9mm thickness (NHL)
• Case Material: Resin (NFL), Stainless steel (NHL)
• Water resistance: 50m (NFL), 30m (NHL)

Trust me. There’s a lot of overlap between sports enthusiasts and watch enthusiasts. 

Seiko Prospex Speedtimer

There are two big reasons why the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer makes an excellent gift.

First, it’s based on the original Speedtimer from 1969, giving it a historical factor that practically all watch lovers are into.

Second, it boasts the bang-for-buck specs we expect from Seiko, running on a reliable solar-powered movement that gets energy from both artificial and natural light.

Plus, who doesn’t love a chronograph? This one, in particular, is so robust that it almost looks like a cross between a diver and a chrono.

• Dimensions: 39mm diameter, 13mm thickness
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Water resistance: 100m

Call it a sum-of-all sports watch, if you will!

Bulova Hack

Field watches are generally good timepieces since they’re simple yet reliable. However, I think that the Bulova Hack is a particularly giftable model because it’s filled to the brim with uniqueness.

The under-developed cathedral hands give it a sense of ceremony that most field watches don’t have, without taking away from its traditional look. 

It’s also a historical model, as Bulova supplied the US Armed Forces with the Hack during the Second World War. 

It runs on a Miyota automatic movement.

• Dimensions: 38mm diameter, 13.45mm thickness
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Water resistance: 30m

It’s classic enough to, at the very least, be inoffensive but distinct and important enough to be gift-worthy.

Hamilton PSR

If you’re looking for a unique present, the Hamilton PSR has that category locked in.

It looks downright sci-fi but through a retro-cool lens. It also has a lowkey cultural cache. It’s a descendant of James Bond’s Live and Let Die watch, as well as the first digital watch in the world.

All that aside, it’s built beautifully, with a reliable quartz movement, 100 meters of water resistance, a sapphire crystal, and a stainless steel construction in either brushed steel or gold PVD-coated steel.

• Dimensions: 40mm x 34.7mm diameter, 13.5mm thickness
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Water resistance: 100m

So, this watch can satisfy pop culture fans, retro fans, and James Bond fans — take your pick.

Rolex Domino’s Air-King

This watch may be the weirdest flex of all time, but true watch collectors know that it is, in fact, a flex. It came about when Domino’s started gifting high-achieving employees with these very watches.

In the age of high-low style, this model has only gotten more important. 

The fact that, like the MilSub, this piece was never sold commercially really levels up its collectability. Even more, it’s an oddity. And just as misspelled embossings can up a vintage watch’s worth, so can its strange factor.

• Dimensions: 34mm diameter, 11.5mm thickness
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Water resistance: 100m

It ranges from $5,000 to even as high as $20,000 on the secondary market (the latter achieved on auction at Christie’s). 

Cool Watch Accessories

Small wrists or big wrists, watch accessories are also a great option. Here are some excellent non-watch gifts for watch lovers.

A Man & His Watch Book

One of the best men’s style books in general, A Man & His Watch explores timepieces through stories about men who loved watches — just like the guy you’ll be gifting this to. Some include FDR, Paul Newman, and Winston Churchill. 

Stories, lore, and identity are the biggest reasons we love watches, and this book uniquely understands that. It’s also beautifully bound, making it perfect for his library or his coffee table.

The Watch Book Rolex Coffee Table Book

The Watch Book Rolex is an exquisite coffee table book perfect for fans of the brand or fans of Swiss watchmaking in general. It’s a visual education on the innovations of the world’s most famous watch brand. 

Inside, there are over 400 high-quality images, while the outside features a luxurious, velvety, gold-stamped cover.

Horology Illustrated

Horology Illustrated is a book about watches and the watch industry. What makes it special is that it’s a science book, a history book, a philosophy book, and an art book combined. 

Any horologically inclined person would appreciate this, considering watchmaking is truly interdisciplinary.

Watch Rolls

Check out my round-up of the best watch rolls. Beautiful and informative books aside, watch rolls are one of the best accessories you can get a watch lover.

I’ve highlighted a range of options, from budget to luxury, one-capacity to eight.

Men’s Watch Gift Guide (Watches Over 40 Millimeters)

Of course, slender-wristed gents can still wear these watches. Nothing here is even over 

Bulova Lunar Pilot 96K111

Thank goodness that the originally 45-millimeter Lunar Pilot has shrunk down to a more reasonable 43.5 millimeters. It’s even much thinner at 12.5 millimeters down from the original 15. 

I’ve always loved the Lunar Pilot because of its historical importance as the Omega Speedy’s pinch-hitter. However, the original was just too big for me.

This model represents Bulova’s success as a space watch. During the Apollo 15 mission, Commander Dave Scott’s Omega broke, so he instead relied on his Bulova. 

• Dimensions: 43.5mm diameter, 12.5mm thickness
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Water resistance: 50m

It runs on the brand’s high-performance quartz movement, which boasts a frequency eight times greater than the average quartz.

Casio CA53W Calculator Watch

Even an analog purist understands the importance of the Casio CA53W.

It’s an icon in the calculator watch world as well as in nerd culture and cool dad culture (both of which have become mainstream cool in the past ten years).

It’s the kind of calc watch that makes you look like you’ve been wearing calculator watches your whole life, even if it’s your first. Casio is a go-to for relevant retro style. 

• Dimensions: 42mm x 33mm diameter, 7mm thickness
• Case Material: Resin
• Water resistance: 50m

Most collectors will add an F91W or an A158W to their rotations. And though they’ll often forget about the humble calculator watch, most love to be reminded.

Rolex Submariner

Okay, so this isn’t that unique or original. After all, the Submariner is the most recognizable watch in the world. However, there’s no denying that it is a true watch icon, perhaps the true watch icon. 

And, if you’re going to go the luxury present route (maybe the watch lover you’re trying to gift to is someone you’re really close to, perhaps your husband), the Sub is the safest choice.

It’s an instant heirloom, a great investment, and checks all of the boxes for good construction, versatility, and historic and pop culture street cred. 

• Dimensions: 41mm, 12mm thickness
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Water resistance: 300m

Let’s not forget that it’s the original Bond watch.

Conclusion: Play it Safe When Gifting

I hope this was helpful! 

It can be difficult to impress an enthusiast who has specific standards, but I wanted to make sure this guide ranged from calculatedly risky to super safe. 

I promise you that no watch lover will be disappointed in receiving a beautiful coffee table about watches!

What’s your favorite watch-related gift you’ve ever received?