Gift giving guide: The most useful watch accessories for any budget

Ricardo Sime

Last year, you gave the one you loved a beautiful watch. Or maybe you received a watch as a gift. For months that watch has been worn and, with the holiday season fast approaching, you’re looking to use that for further gift-giving inspiration. How do you do that you might ask? Well, you dive head first into the expansive world of watch accessories. Here are five such items that will take that watch from last year to a whole other level.

Spring-bar Pliers

One of the first things someone with a new watch will probably want to do is change out the strap or bracelet. It’s one of the simplest ways to bring a bit of personalisation to the watch.

Usually, this would mean using a simple spring-bar tool. The problem with that is, chances are, you’ll scratch your watch with this  tool. So I would suggest getting spring-bar pliers instead. It makes the process of taking out a strap that much easier, lowering your chances of scratching the watch.

These Horofix Watch Bracelet Spring-bar Pliers can be bought for US$89 and are well worth the investment. Trust me, you’ll be using this tool for years to come.

Delugs – Light Grey Nubuck Slim Strap

Now that you have a great strap-changing tool, it’s time for a great strap. And right now, one brand making some of the best straps has to be Delugs. They make some of the most supple and well built straps out there.

One of my favourites from Delugs has to be their light grey Nubuck Slim Strap. The grey colour is neutral enough to work with almost any dial. Furthermore, Delugs offers an array of sizes, so you should be able to find something that fits your watch perfectly.

This strap, in all it’s different sizes, is offered in the Time+Tide shop for AU$161.50.

Billstone Voyager Watch Roll

The Billstone Voyager is a lightweight watch roll designed for individuals constantly on the move. The shape of the watch roll allows for it to fit in a hand-carry suitcase, especially if you use the cube packing technique or roll your clothes packing the suitcase. The structure of the watch roll is made of thick and strong material to protect your watch, should your suitcase be slammed or piled under suitcases.

The Billstone Voyager is uniquely designed: each watch pad is individually fastened to the watch roll, thus preventing your watch from accidentally falling upon opening the watch roll. Each section of the watch roll is reinforced with a soft surfaced yet strong partition to protect your individual watches preventing scratches. The inner part of the watch case is covered with soft velvet, perfectly safe for various watch straps: leather, rubber, metal, and gold. With the Billstone Voyager, you’ll feel free and secure travelling with your favourite watches!

Buy one  in the Time+Tide shop for AU$170.

Watch Demagnetizer

If you have an automatic watch, there may come a day when its timing seems all out of whack. Suddenly, it starts running way too fast.

Before you send your watch off to the manufacture, you should pick up a demagnetizer like the one above. It’s one of those watch accessories that’ll you’ll rarely use, but when you do, it will fix a simple issue that would have cost you much more had you sent the watch in. The device is also easy to handle, with tons of YouTube tutorials online ready to guide you.

But the best part? When purchased through Amazon, it’s only US$12.99.

Wolf Cub Winder

Now this is a bit of a splurge purchase.

A watch winder isn’t needed for mechanical watch. Yet, if you have multiple watches, keeping one wound throughout the week doesn’t hurt. Wolf, a brand that has been making jewellery and watch accessories for decades, has these vegan leather winders that turn 900 times a day and have a pause function. They come in multiple colours and, should you like the design, this winder can become the centrepiece of your watch desk.

If you’re interested, the Wolf Cub Winder can be found in the Time+Tide Shop for AU$565.