Gifting a timepiece is never an easy task, especially when watches can range from under $20 to the cost of home in the hills with a view. When choosing a watch, it’s important to take into account not only the recipient’s style, but also their hobbies. If they like to travel, then a travel-style watch would suit them best — while perhaps a dive watch would best suit someone who frequents the ocean. To help you narrow down your search, we’ve selected some of our favorites watches, from a modest $10 to a pricey yet attainable $1,430.
Lesser-Known Watch Brands
You may not have heard of these brands, but these watches still represent some of the best options that will last a lifetime and won’t break the bank.
Damasko DS30
If you haven’t heard of Damasko, that’s understandable, because this German brand flies below the radar with its in-house hardened steel cases that are ready to take all the abuse you throw at them without showing a scratch.
- Size: 39mm
- Movement: ETA 2824-2 Elabore
- Strap: Leather
Victorinox I.N.O.X. Mechanical
You really can’t hurt an I.N.O.X. watch, and Victorinox has proven that by running these things through such rigorous tests that the online videos of the abuse are as entertaining as they are ridiculous.
- Size: 41mm
- Movement: ETA 2824-2
- Strap: Stainless steel
Dive Watches
Whether you are diving deep into the ocean or simply doing a backflip off a diving board into your swimming pool, dive watches are, of course, for those who love being in the water.
Bulova Devil Diver Oceanographer
With a Satanic depth rating of 666 feet, the Oceanographer is one of Bulova’s vintage-inspired watches that continue to lure its wearers to the depths.
- Size: 44mm
- Movement: Sellita SW 220
- Strap: Steel
Travel Watches
Travel watches can tell you which time zone you are in while staying classy enough to go from a business meeting to a local bar, providing durability and style in equal measure.
Farer Oxley GMT
British styling and Swiss accuracy make for one serious automatic GMT that’s as versatile as it is useful when globetrotting.
- Size: 39mm
- Movement: ETA 2893-2 ‘Top Grade’
- Strap: Leather
Active Watches
The following watches are ready to provide your biometrics at a glance in real time and many will offer up intensive data plots for ultra-geeky post-workout analysis.
Casio G-SHOCK GBD800UC-3
No more excuses — the deep functions of this newly styled G-SHOCK will tell you everything you need to know about your workout, and when you’re done you can check out detailed graphs on your smartphone via the Bluetooth connection.
- Size: 54mm
- Movement: Quartz
- Strap: Polyresin
Montblanc Summit 2 Titanium Sports Edition
Giving the Apple Watch a run for its money, Montblanc’s Summit 2 smartwatch will release you from the herd mentality and set you free from grabbing your attention-hungry smartphone every two seconds.
- Size: 42mm
- Movement: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100
- Strap: Rubber
Suunto Traverse Sapphire Black
With GPS and GLONASS capabilities, these watches excel at keeping you on track when you’re off the grid, providing navigational data that’ll make sure you don’t get lost or lose track of your vertical achievements.
- Size: 50mm
- Movement: N/A
- Strap: Silicone
Inexpensive Watches
Not every watch needs to be overpriced. These inexpensive options make great gifts for the man who may not have a specific style or purpose for a watch outside of telling time.
Timex x Todd Snyder Military-Inspired Fabric Strap Watch
This classic field watch comes in a perfect size and a price that’ll make you want to grab a few in the different handsome colorways.
- Size: 40mm
- Movement: Quartz analog
- Strap: Textile NATO
Spinnaker Cahill SP-5033-01
Few folks will recognize that this design was inspired by a rare and lovely Breguet dive watch from the 1960s but the cues are all there, making for a fine vintage-inspired diver with fantastic specs.
- Size: 43mm
- Movement: Miyota 21 automatic
- Strap: Leather
Casio F-91W Digital Watch
This classically styled Casio at this price is flagrantly reminding us of the glory days of digital watches — price, size, style, and all.
- Size: 39.5mm
- Movement: Quartz movement
- Strap: Leather
Seiko Recraft Series Watch
Seiko brings heavy value with this mid-century inspired beauty that’ll cruise its way through all seven days of the week without flinching.
- Size: 39.5mm
- Movement: Seiko automatic
- Strap: Leather
Swatch System 51 Mechanical Watch
When Swatch released the System 51 auto-winding mechanical watches, the watch world took note under the pretense that it was an elegant and clever mechanical device, but the real reason watch nerds were so obviously psyched was that the System 51 made them smile.
- Size: 42mm
- Movement: Swatch Sistem 51
- Strap: Plastic
