The Time+Tide holiday gift guide: all the best gift ideas for watch enthusiasts

Jamie Weiss

The holiday season is upon us, which for the increasingly global Time+Tide team, means very different things. In the Melbourne office, it means time for sun, surf and barbeques. In the London office, it means breaking out the winter warmers and hoping for a white Christmas. But no matter where you are in the world, we can help answer a question you’re no doubt asking yourself: what do you get for the watch enthusiast who has everything? I mean, more watches, obviously, but which ones? And more importantly, what about things that aren’t watches? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. I’ve assembled a motley list of watch and watch-related gifts that will help you solve all your horological gifting conundrums regardless of your budget.

Casio CA53W-1

Watches are usually fairly lavish gifts to give during the holiday season, but this Casio calculator watch is a genuine stocking stuffer. An absolute 80s icon, famously worn by Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly in Back to the Future II, the Casio CA53W-1 is one of the most function-packed watches at any price point that also happens to be exceedingly affordable. On top of its calculator function, it also boasts a 1/100th of a second stopwatch and a second time zone function… And even the most well-heeled watch enthusiasts love Casios. Price: US$54 from the Time+Tide Shop

Bergeon 7812 Professional Grade Quick Service Watch Repair Kit

If you’re looking to step up and do a bit more work on your watches yourself – or know someone who would love to do so – this 18-piece quick service tool set is perfect for carrying out minor repairs on watches. Bergeon is the name in watch tools – they’re used by virtually all the Swiss luxury brands at both a manufacture and boutique level – so it’s proper stuff. Made in Switzerland, the tool kit is packaged in a hard plastic case that’s perfect for travel and has enough gear to help any watch aficionado easily change batteries, pop open casebacks, change or shorten bracelets or do even finer repair work. The coolest bit though? The specialised Swiss Army knife/case opener that comes with the kit. How much more Swiss can you get? Price: US$259 from Amazon

Molequin Smooth Calf Leather Straps

French watch strap maker Molequin has a deservedly glowing reputation among watch enthusiasts. They’ve also recently released a range of smooth calf leather straps which are the perfect partners to any watch enthusiast’s dress watch. Molequin’s smooth calf skin, sourced from France, has been double-tanned and soaked in a mixture of oils to produce a buttery smooth, soft and supple leather. Treat your wrist this holiday season (or treat someone else’s!) with one of these straps. Price: US$111 from Molequin

AIS Collective ChronoPen Watch Cleaning Kit

No-one likes wrist cheese, but you need to be careful with how clean your watch as to not scratch or damage it. That’s why Swiss firm AIS Collective’s ChronoPen Watch Cleaning Kit is such a great tool (as well as a great holiday gift for a watch lover): it’s a gentle yet effective product that’ll get your pride and joy looking box-fresh as we head into the new year. The kit contains a 30ml ‘cleaning pen’ which contains their specifically developed cleaning solution and features an extra fine brush head. It’s a clever design: the pen shape helps you be precise while cleaning, while the dense yet featherweight brush gets into all the hard-to-reach spots of your watch without damaging its case or bracelet. The kit also contains an extra-thick cotton polishing towel. The cleaning solution does not contain any aggressive chemicals or abrasives – it can be used on all case materials, including precious metals – and each ChronoPen is good for around 60 uses, which should last at least until next holiday season! Price: US$60 from the Time+Tide Shop

Tiffany & Co. Knot Single Row Bangle

A playful and contemporary take on an archival bow design from 1889, the Knot is one of Tiffany & Co’s most defining designs and an expression of love’s unwavering bonds. In time for the holiday season, Tiffany has launched a range of stylish “single row” Knot designs, and this bangle is the pick of the litter. Crafted from 18k rose gold and polished by hand for high shine, this unisex design features a hidden clasp that releases by pushing the knot motif downward. It looks great worn on its own or stacked with other bracelets (or watches) – and everyone loves opening a Tiffany blue box come gifting time. Price: US$4,800 from Tiffany & Co.

Studio Underd0g Series 03 Salm0n

It’s pretty normal for Aussies to have seafood for Christmas, and everyone’s a fan of salmon – so what about a salmon watch? Studio Underd0g’s latest watch collection represents one of the most affordable monopusher chronographs on the market, as well as an extremely modern (and playful) take on the formula. Its minimalist design is contrasted by its whimsical dial finish: a light punk tachymeter track and chronograph minutes subdial framing a mottled grey centre that resembles salmon skin. It’s the sort of characteristically cheeky touch we’ve come to expect from the brand, but the Series 03 Salm0n is also one of its most horologically credible watches yet, thanks to its use of a manual-winding, monopusher variant of the popular Sellita SW510 movement. Price: US$2,000, exclusively in-store at the Time+Tide Shop

Glen Moray Sherry Cask Finish Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Nothing tastes more Christmassy than a sherry-cask-finished Scotch, and it’s also nice to be able to toast the New Year in with a proper dram… Plus, whisky and watches go together like strawberries and cream. Enter Glen Moray’s Sherry Cask Finish, a classic ‘sherry bomb’ that’s a perfect gift idea. Aged in oak and finished in Oloroso, this whisky illustrates a perfect finish in both product and price: a rich, layered single malt known for its elegant interplay of flavours, highlighted by a burnished gold hue that hints at the depth of its character, this one will impress whisky lovers and novices alike without breaking the bank. Price: US$43 from Dan Murphy’s

Raymond Weil Millesime 35mm

The Raymond Weil Millesime has been a game changer for the Genevan brand: a contemporary take on a sector dial that’s received many plaudits from enthusiasts and even won the Challenge Prize at last year’s GPHG, the Millesime is easily the most exciting watch in RW’s current range and a perfect daily wearer. It’s become even more versatile as it now comes in a unisex and on-trend 35mm diameter, making it perfect for gifting to every sort of watch fan. The 35mm range encompasses a number of different looks, from silver dials with batons to blue dials with Arabic numerals; time-only models to moonphases and classic stainless steel cases paired with leather straps to gold PVD with full bracelets. Price: starting at US$1,650 from Raymond Weil

Bark & Jack Nylon Straps

Bark & Jack nylon straps, made by our friend (and YouTube phenomenon) Adrian Barker, are must-have accessories for any watch enthusiast. Indeed, putting one’s watch on a Bark & Jack has become somewhat of a rite of passage for many collectors – as well as a signal to other watch aficionados of your aficionado status. It helps that Bark & Jack straps are easily some of the most comfortable in the business while also being very competitively priced. These are a no-brainer for holiday gifting – they’re totally perfect for Secret Santa. Price: US$31 from the Time+Tide Shop

Leica Q3 43

From the extremely affordable to the “you’re definitely not on the naughty list” tier… One of the best gifts you can give a watch enthusiast is a decent camera to take photos of their watches with, and the Leica Q3 43 is a more than decent camera. A compact full-frame offering from the esteemed German brand (Leica often gets called “the Patek Philippe of cameras”), its 43mm standard focal length mirrors the natural perception of the human eye, making the Q3 43 perfect for street, travel and event photography as well as capturing expressive portraits. It’s also particularly good at taking photos of watches, as you can use its excellent digital crop feature to simulate different focal lengths. Design-wise, it’s a beautiful thing, and it’s easy to live with, too, thanks to the Leica FOTOS app. Price: US$6,895 from Leica

Norqain Wild One

The cutting-edge Norqain Wild One features high-tech construction in a bold, lightweight sports model, and is the perfect watch to gift to a particularly active watch enthusiast. Designed with Jean-Claude Biver on the board of advisors, the Wild One line begins with its innovative case construction. The multi-layered design features their proprietary Norteq carbon fibre composite for the 42mm outer cage, secured to an inner titanium and shock-absorbing rubber structure. The laser-cut black dial has a multi-level effect that must be seen, and upon closer inspection, consists of an intricate pattern that features the interlocking double “N” of the Norqain logo in three layers. The rest of the specs inspire the confidence of all Norqain timepieces, with the Kenissi-made NN20/1 chronometer movement, 200 metres of water resistance, screw-down crown, and sapphire crystals front and back. Price: US$5,290 from the Time+Tide Shop

A Man & His Watch by Matt Hranek

To paraphrase Tim Minchin, “like most gifts you get, it was a book” – but there’s no reason to get the watch lover in your life a boring tome this holiday season. Written by watch collector, photographer and NYC men’s style fixture Matt Hranek, A Man & His Watch catalogues 76 of the world’s most coveted and historically significant timepieces – such as Paul Newman’s Daytona and Churchill’s Tiffany watch – Hranek having travelled the world conducting first-hand interviews and diving into exclusive collections to gather their never-before-told stories, complete with stunning original photography of every single piece. Price: US$55 from the Time+Tide Shop

Doxa SUB Cufflinks

Ties, socks and cufflinks are classic gifts for men this time of year – but don’t get him boring cufflinks, get him these fun Doxa cufflinks instead! Modeled after the brand’s famous SUB range of dive watches, they come in multiple classic Doxa colours like Professional Orange and Sharkhunter Black; include the iconic decompression scale bezel, miniature painted hour markers and the Doxa logo at the centre; and you can even rotate them like you’d rotate a bezel, or interchange different coloured ‘dials’ for different outfits. These are a perfect gift for the die-hard Doxa fan, or the desk diver who’s required to be suited and booted for the office but wishes they were in the water instead. Price: US$330 (individually), US$1,280 (complete set of 7 colours) from Doxa

Blok 33

This holiday gift guide was mostly assembled with adults in mind, but I thought it might be nice to throw in a horological gift for kids, too. Designed to help young’uns tell the time, the Blok 33 might be made of plastic (a Swiss bio-polymer) but it’s distinctly less disposable than other children’s watches and is built to withstand the rigours of play. Indeed, its entire design revolves around ease of use, such as integrated lugs for toughness; a left-hand-mounted, screw-down crown that won’t dig into growing wrists and helps offer 100 metres of water resistance; sector-shaped numerals and bezel markings that make measuring time a cinch… Most of all, it just looks cool – adults wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear it either. Price: US$202 from the Time+Tide Shop

Wolf Earth Triple Watch Roll

Every watch lover needs a watch roll (or three), but not all are made equal (or ethically). This triple watch roll from Wolf’s Earth collection, which was inspired by Wolf CEO Simon Wolf’s passion for sustainability, has a vegan apple leather exterior combined with recycled satin jacquard lining in Wolf’s Signature pattern with coordinating matte metallic hardware. As the name implies, it offers storage for three watches but also boasts a hidden capsule with three compartments for other valuables. Perfect for travel. Price: US$330 from the Time+Tide Shop

Digital Calipers

I had to include these digital calipers as not only are they cheap and cheerful, but they’ve been extremely useful in the Time+Tide Discovery Studio, too. These digital calipers can easily measure depth, step, outside diameter and inside diameter through two sets of jaws which crucially for watch applications are made from plastic, meaning you won’t damage your watch (to quote Russell: “don’t get metal ones and scratch your watch like a mug!”) They’re a great stocking stuffer for fastidious watch nuts. Price: US$4.95 from Amazon

Yellowstone Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Whisk(e)y is always a popular gift option, but people tend to default to Scotch or Japanese. Why not expand your (or your dark spirits-loving loved one’s) horizons and try a decent bourbon? Yellowstone is a marriage of two high-rye Kentucky straight bourbon whiskies, one aged at 4 years and the other aged at 7 years. The resulting blend of liquid gold creates a palate filled with caramel, melted butter and leathered cherries. The finish has a slight tang, with added notes of burnt brown sugar and cloves – the perfect drop to accompany Christmas celebrations. Price: US$71 from Dan Murphy’s

Farer Eddington

Named after influential English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician Sir Arthur Eddington, this hand-wound beauty with a massive moonphase display and a charming pink copper dial is a classy watch gift from a fan-favourite microbrand. Speaking from experience, I find watches with unusual-coloured dials (basically anything that’s not a blue, black, white or silver) make for great gifts as they’re the sorts of watches that people often don’t buy for themselves, but absolutely adore when they get one from a loved one. Price: US$1,795 from the Time+Tide Shop

Greubel Forsey: The Art of Invention by Michael Clerizo

A bit of a niche gift idea, this is one for the real WIS. Written by veteran watch journalist Michael Clerizo, this is the untold story of how two rebellious master watchmakers, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, learned their craft, met, established a brand, and in a few years created some of the most astonishingly beautiful and mechanically sophisticated timepieces ever made. Today they are recognized as the makers of the most uncompromising (and expensive) timepieces in the world. A great read for even those unfamiliar with the Greubel Forsey brand. Price: US$150 from Amazon

Tropic Straps

Often imitated but rarely replicated, Tropic was one of the first Swiss firms in the 1960s to manufacture rubber watch straps, with the brand becoming popular both as an aftermarket choice and as an OEM. Since the 60s, the design has been somewhat genericised, but genuine Tropic straps are a cut above your average ‘tropic’ or ‘tropical’ strap. These soft yet durable rubber straps come in a wide range of colours and are a great last-minute Christmas present for the watch lover in your life. The best bit? Because they’re made of natural rubber, they smell like vanilla. Put a watch with a Tropic strap in a draw and you’ll soon have all your wallets and keys smelling like vanilla. Nice. Price: US$97 from the Time+Tide Shop

Casillero Del Diablo Reserva Privada Carmenere

This time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere at least), mulled wine is often on the menu – but why not gift someone a classier drop? A delightful Carmenere from one of Chile’s most respected labels, enticing aromas of ripe plums and a hint of black pepper are gracefully balanced by a subtle whisper of cedar from the oak barrels. On the palate, it reveals a rich, structured body with layers of juicy plums and black currants. Silky, velvety tannins provide a smooth feel, leading to a long, refined finish. A versatile pairing, this wine complements red meats and aged cheeses beautifully, and is a great introduction to Chilean wine. Price: US$16 from Dan Murphy’s

Detrash Cali

I don’t know about you, but I always feel mildly guilty every holiday season about all the waste generated by gift wrapping – and let’s face it, a lot of gifts you get this time of year are often quite disposable. So, why not gift something that’s a bit more sustainable? Mechanical watches are an inherently sustainable product but the Detrash Cali, the eco-friendly microbrand’s first watch with a California dial, is a cut above the rest in this regard. It’s a case made from 80% recycled 316L stainless steel, a two-piece NATO strap made from recycled ocean plastic produced by award-winning Swiss firm #tide and comes shipped in a pouch made with offcuts from clothes manufacturing. Reuse some wrapping paper and pop this under the Christmas tree. Price: US$488 from Detrash

NOW Magazine Subscription

Shameless plug alert, but I waited until the end of this gift guide for it, so forgive me. Nothing beats the tactility and tranquillity of reading a nice, long magazine, and Time+Tide’s NOW Magazine is easily one of the best watch magazines in the world (yes, I’m biased, but sue me). It’s a labour of love – I’m almost glad we only do two editions a year – but always includes exclusive content as well as our comprehensive watch buying guide. If you don’t already have a subscription or you want to give someone a gift they’ll appreciate for a long time to come, consider supporting us and subscribing to NOW Magazine. Price: US$19.95 per issue, delivered every 6 months