We’re in countdown mode but there is still time to buy him a watch online. If you want to get a feel for what is out there and compare different brands and prices, both the Watch Gallery and Watches of Switzerland will help you navigate through a large selection of brands and offer next day delivery on UK orders, filters to refine your search and interest free credit. If however it’s a classic Cartier or a Jaeger-LeCoultre model you’ve set your heart on, both these high-end brands have online sales platforms.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Master Control Date
£4,900
As the creator of the timeless Reverso watch, Jaeger-LeCoultre has a knack for producing watches with enduring designs. The Master Control Date watch is a study in classic watch design with pure lines and a no-nonsense approach to legibility. Belying its retro appearance is a sophisticated automatic movement with ceramic ball bearings and a variable inertia balance wheel –which you can see through the sapphire caseback – for reliability and accuracy over the years.
Cartier
Santos de Cartier Galbée Watch XL
£4,650
Originally designed by Louis Cartier in 1904 for his friend, the pioneering Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos Dumont, who needed to tell the time while piloting his plane, the Santos watch is the stuff of legend and one of the world’s first wristwatches. This XL model, measuring 45.54 x 34.87mm comes in a steel case with the classic Roman numerals and screws on the bezel and bracelet and a convenient date aperture at 4:30 o’clock.
The Watch Gallery
Zenith Pilot Extra Special
£4,950
This Zenith Pilot Extra Special watch, limited to just 35 pieces, celebrates Zenith’s collaboration with the UK luxury watch retailer The Watch Gallery. An iconic pilot’s watch with its hallmark oversized onion crown and large vintage Arabic numerals, this model comes in a 45mm stainless steel case. Powered with an in-house automatic movement and a 50-hour power reserve, the watch is water-resistant to 100 metres and features a unique engraving of an early aeroplane on the caseback. The blue dial and blue stitching on the strap are a reference to the signature colour of The Watch Gallery.
Read more about pilots watches here
Watches of Switzerland
Bremont ALT1-WT World Timer
£4,195
The ALT1-WT World Timer by Bremont, the British watch brand inspired by aviation, is a great choice of watch for world travellers. Equipped with a 24-hour UTC hand and world time function, this rugged travel companion is housed in a 43mm hardened stainless steel case. In addition to the world time, the watch is fitted with a chronograph and a handy date window at 3 o’clock and is water-resistant to 100 metres. The movement, as with all Bremont watches, is a COSC-certified chronometer.
Nomos
Tangomat
£2,070
Men with an appreciation for cool German design, very in keeping with the Bauhaus school of form follows function, will enjoy watches by Nomos. Not only do they look great, all Nomos watches are equipped with in-house mechanical movements and very attractively priced. This 38.3 mm stainless steel Tangomat model – winner of the Goldene Unruh 2015 prize – relays essential information in a minimalist setting with subtle details like the contrasting blue steeled hands and the original font used for the numerals. Through the sapphire caseback you can see the automatic Nomos movement that transforms the movements of your wrist into hours, minutes and seconds.
