“A Boy once asked a Girl: What Could You Give me
The Girl Took off her watch and gave it to him
The Boy Asked: What’s this for?
The Girl smiled and said: It shows you can have all my time!”
Sounds Romantic? ….. Well, gifting your significant other is always romantic. Just put a little care into what you gift him. With that said, why don’t you gift him a watch on this occasion?
Don’t worry, you don’t need to break your bank, just spend a couple of bucks, and you will be fine. In case you don’t have an idea where to start from, don’t worry we are going to help you out. We are giving you a brief guide that will tell you everything about how to buy a watch for your man!
Styles
Following, we will describe the five main watch styles available today:
Dress Watches
These are designed for the Dapper. If your man is well-dressed, he would appreciate this novelty. Though these watches are designed for formal occasions and are excellent for business suits and tuxedos, you can always pair them with sharp casual as well as a t-shirt and jeans.
Features
Something for the simple and sophisticated dude. If he prefers to be sleek instead of encumbered with flashy stuff that will draw attention, then get him this. Dress watches stand for classy dudes.
These watches are thin and can slip in or out of a dress shirt cuff. The case can be anything between circular, rectangular, or square. The case is usually made from precious materials like gold and silver.
The Dial shows simple hour indexes with numbers or symbols. These watches mostly have saber-style indexes, Roman Numerals, and even Arabic numerals. Almost every time, the band is leather, but some companies do offer a metal variant. These watches have no complications. They last for a long time, but the date or moon display can have some issues.
These watches first broke the scene in the 20th century when men who had only wanted to show their timepiece to everyone.
Racing Watches
These are flashier thanks to their bold look and suit men who like casual wear more than formal. Car. Racing and wristwatches go back decades. These watches are functional instead of stylish.
Race car drivers needed precise timekeeping to measure the outcome of the race. Therefore, watchmakers took this opportunity by outfitting the drivers with these watches. Later on, the Chronograph and tachymeter were added. These are the two defining features of a diving watch. These helped the racer to measure their speed and distance.
Features
If you want to gift these to your man, then look for medium to large watches with a large dial and Arabic numerals. Most of these watches have bright, contrasting colors. They are designed to last the abuse of auto racing. The case is made from stainless steel. The bad can be anything, leather or metal. The only issue is that its chronograph or date breaks up from time to time.
Field Watches
These are made for the versatile, who is a bit careless with his things. The field watches are designed for outdoor use, but they implement a style. So yes, you can wear these with casual to business casual wear. These watches are ideal for young guys who don’t dress in a suit very often. The field watch is a match for their rugged style and personality.
These watches gained critical acclaim after WW1. These were made for the officer who had to coordinate the attack, tell the time at night, and wear something that would last the rigors of battle while keeping its aesthetics. This is the reason why field watches have a military vibe. They are rugged, functional, and stylish.
Features
These watches are small to medium. They are functional and have easy-to-read numerical indexes with a white dial and back numbering or a black dial with white numbers. The hands of these watches illuminate at night. The case is usually stainless steel or titanium. These watches have a unique feature called hacking seconds, where you can stop the second hand if you pull the crown out. This helps to make a reference signal or to synchronize the time with someone else.
These watches never have a metal band. There are only two options: leather or canvas. As said, field watches are designed for military use so that they can survive abuse. The only complications can be with a date.
Pilot Watches
These watches have a casual look. The size and overall vibe make them ideal for someone who is casual. These watches are not for the formal guys. The pilot watches are as old as aviation. It is believed that the first wristwatch was made for a pilot in 1904. The pilot was a friend of Louis Cartier.
Years after, watchmakers were inspired by the original design to help pilots with timekeeping. They added a chronograph to help pilot determine their speed, distance traveled, and fuel consumed. These went on to become the aviator watches.
Features
To tell the truth, these watches don’t have a unique feature or style that makes them stand out. However, there are some fine touches if you know where to look.
These watches are medium or large. They are easy to read, even during the night. The dial is black and features white numbering. The band is mostly leather. These watches are not as tough as field watches, but they also last through abuse. But the chronograph needs some repair after some time.
Dive Watches
These are meant for underwater use thanks to their metal casing and bands. But let’s address the elephant. They have an iconic heritage, which makes them ideal for everyday use. You can wear these watches with everything, casual and formal.
Yes, you can pair them with anything from rough jeans to a sleek tuxedo. So, if you don’t know what to gift your guy, you can never go wrong with a dive watch. These watches were first designed in the 1930s and were meant for underwater use. But they were adopted into fashion and hence became a style statement.
Features
These watches are medium-sized; the face is bold and easy to read. It has Arabic numbering with 12-hour numerals. These numerals are replaced with hash marks. The seconds are shown in a 15-second increment. The dial has a sapphire or mineral glass for added strength.
The case is perhaps their most distinctive feature. Dive watches have a unidirectional bezel that rotates counterclockwise. This rotating bezel lets the diver know how long they have been underwater with just a glance
These watches only come with metal bands. These are sealed and tough so that they can handle any abuse. If anything breaks, it’s the date system.
Movement
If he is a watch guy, he will probably care about the movement. We will help you by explaining the three watch movements.
Mechanical
This is a clockwork mechanism that measures the passage of time. It is driven by a mainspring that is hand-wound from time to time. The energy is transmitted to a series of gears, which powers the balance wheel that oscillates back and forth at a constant rate. This makes the escapement release the watch’s wheel to move forward with every swing of the balance wheel, thus moving the watch’s hand forward at a constant rate.
The tickling sound is a trait of every mechanical watch. This technology is borrowed from clocks and was transferred to wrist watches. Every watch guy would love a mechanical watch.
Pros
- No Batteries
- Smooth Hand Movement
- Sophistication and Finesse
Cons
- Needs Regular Winding to Work
- Can be Sensitive to dust, wind, and rain
- Expensive
- Not very accurate
Automatic
If he likes wearing watches but doesn’t want the intricate details of mechanical watches, then save your money with an Automatic Watch. It’s a mechanical watch that features natural motion. The natural motion of the ear provides it with the energy to run; it doesn’t need manual winding. The mechanical watch that is not self-winding or electrical is called a manual watch.
These are ideal for everyone. It doesn’t matter if your guy is into watches or not; he will appreciate the novelty.
Pros
- No Batteries
- Smooth-Hand Movement
- Don’t have to Wind
- Sophisticated, but not like Mechanical
Cons
- Can be Sensitive to dust, wind, and rain
- Needs a watcher winder
- Expensive
- Not very Accurate
Quartz
If you don’t know what you should do, a Quartz watch for men is a safe option. These run on electricity, a battery. They are inexpensive, but the toughest of all. These are accurate and need minimal care.
Pros
- Accurate
- Almost No Maintenance
- Durable
- Affordable
Cons
- Battery
- Not Very Romantic
Final Tip
If you still need some help, then consider these:
- Always buy a Swiss Brand
- Check the Lugs and make sure there are no Sharp Edges
- See if it can last underwater or not
- Find something with scratch-resistant glass
