6 Best Gift Watches for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and it is common for lovers to show their love and appreciation for one another through various means, a fancy dinner, or a romantic day out, and especially, getting a nice gift for their partner.

For those of you who’s partner is a watch enthusiast, or for those of you who actually are watch enthusiasts. It is always a pleasure for the other party or yourself to receive a timepiece, especially if its from a loved one. On the other hand, if you, the watch enthusiast of the relationship are trying to get your partner into the wonderful, wallet wrecking and emotionally damaging rabbit hole of watch collecting. Then nothing will be a better gift for them than a nice timepiece.

Today, we’ll be looking at 6 of the best watches (in our opinion) that’ll make the perfect gifts this Valentine’s Day. These options will cover both genders, across different price points. Want to know what we’ve chosen? Let’s jump right in.

For her: SEIKO PRESAGE SSA439J1 BLUE DIAL STAINLESS STEEL WOMEN'S WATCH

No list of the finest women’s watches will be complete without Seiko, and for good reason too. Seiko makes really, really good watches and this Presage Cocktail time SSA439J1 is a testament to that. The Presage Cocktail time series is one of my favourite lines of dress watches from the brand, and the SSA439J1 is undoubtedly one of the most striking of the lot. I’m writing this while my personal icy-blue SSA343J1 Skydiving is on my wrist and it never fails to put a smile on my face whenever I look at it, it is exquisite. The SSA439J1 is a downsized, simpler version of the SSA343J1 and it sits perfectly on petite wrists thanks to its 34mm size, with its stunning blue radial dial making it incredibly versatile as well taking your outfit to the next level, both in the office and out.

The stunning blue dial alone will be more than enough to light up your wrist, but Seiko has added a neat little viewing window at 9 O’clock. Allowing you to peer into the mechanical heart of the watch and its truly a treat for the eyes. Powered by Seiko’s workhorse in-house 4r38 caliber with 41 hours of power reserve, hacking and hand-winding. The watch certainly punches above its weight especially at its price point, which is what makes this already sweet package, a lot sweeter, you’re receiving a Japanese made watch, finished to the exacting standards of one of the largest watchmakers in the world, with an in-house mechanical movement, exquisite detailing and finishing, all for under $500.

For her: COACH PRESTON 14503461 WOMEN'S WATCH

If we were to look at iconic women’s watches, and mind you there are quite a few of them. You wouldn’t have to go too far down the list to see the Chanel J12 sitting comfortably somewhere at the top. To put it another way, when it comes to fine luxury watches, men have the Rolex Submariner, and women, well they have the J12.But, if you’re unable to shell out the luxury watch money that the J12 commands, but still want something that bears the similar iconic design, then fret not. The Coach Preston 14503461 might just be the perfect gift for her.

Not everyone is capable of shelling out thousands of dollars on a luxury timepiece, let alone on a fashion icon. But with the Coach 14503461, you get a slice of that iconic design, similar form factor and wearing experience (albeit with the use of steel instead of ceramics), at a fraction of the price. Though, it does still have Coach’s signature design cues as well, with the gold toned C logo sitting atop the date-window for an added touch of flair from the brand. The watch is nicely finished and refined, with a fine brushing along the entire surface of the case and bracelet, a black bezel for a touch of light sportiness and a matching black dial with golden applied indexes as well. It is a nicely refined and sporty timepiece perfect for her everyday wear.

All in all, as a fashion statement, the Coach 14503461 is not the most ground breaking, but it was never meant to be. It’s the brand’s take on an iconic design in fashion with their own unique flair and at a much more accessible price.

For her: CITIZEN EM0654-88D L WOMEN'S WATCH

Aside from their innovative and technologically advanced watches, Citizen is also well known for its elegant, feminine offerings and what list of would be complete, without taking a look at one of their prettiest and daintiest women’s watches. The EM0654-88D L is a classic, svelte and elegant 3-hander, but the design is where things make a slightly more feminine turn.

Featuring a 2-tone gold and silver case and bracelet. The case is finished in high polish with soft curves defining the lugs and the bracelet design. And using a circle within circles design going from the dial to the bezel, to another gold bezel and then to the case. Then there is the dial too, finished in an equally elegant mother-of-pearl, a perfect fit with the rest of the watch’s elegantly sophisticated nature. Even the crown is neatly concealed at 8 O’clock sitting flush with the case, and a little crystal inlay sitting at 3.30 offering a touch of subtle flash as well.

It is a decidedly elegant and feminine timepiece that will look perfect paired with her best evening gown and stilettos, or with a pair of ripped jeans and sneakers.

For him: TISSOT PRX T1374071104100 POWERMATIC 80 BLUE DIAL STAINLESS STEEL MEN'S WATCH

The Tissot PRX 40 205 Powermatic 80 is unarguably one of the most anticipated and much more desirable release from the brand since the release of the quartz powered PRX40 205 earlier this year. Purists have been waiting for a mechanical version to be released and here it is. Oozing 1970s charm with its integrated bracelet design, harking back to the angular and industrial sports watches of the era popularized by watches like the Royal Oak and Nautilus.

With only 3 hands and the date, packed in a nicely svelte 40mm tonneau shaped case, paired with a neatly designed angular integrated bracelet, it is an iconic and timeless design that looked ahead of its time in the 70s and still is timeless today even after half a century.

It may look and sound the part of a luxury Swiss-made sports watch but it certainly isn’t priced like one. At under $1000 ($950 in-fact), yes let that sink in, it’s possibly the best affordable integrated bracelet sports watches around.

With a stunning waffle patterned dial, paying homage to the Royal Oak, the PRX offers would-be owners a stunning and affordable take on what owning a luxurious Swiss-made sports watch with an integrated bracelet would be like. Neatly brushed surfaces on the case, accentuated by sharp angles and bevelled edges, all linked to a very pretty and well executed integrated bracelet. The PRX Powermatic 80 is as good as it gets for the price.

Powered by an ETA based Powermatic 80 automatic caliber, it offers a neat 80 hours of power reserve, a respectable 3Hz frequency and that good old fashioned Swiss dependability as well. So, a reliable and nicely finished movement, iconic yet somewhat different design, Swiss-made and a sub $1000 price tag, the Tissot PRX 40 205 Powermatic 80 is easily one of the best watches you can gift your man this Valentine’s Day.

For him: CITIZEN KUROSHIO '64 NK0008-85L MEN'S LIMITED-EDITION WATCH

When I first saw the watches from the Kuroshio 64 line that rolled into our office, it was love at first sight. In fact, I liked them so much, I immediately bought one the following day; the cream dialed NK0001-17X. But today, we’ll be taking a look at the much scarcer limited edition NK0008-85L. The Kuroshio 64 line is named after a collaboration project between Citizen, the Japanese Maritime Defence Force, and the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology to study the flow of the currents along the sea surrounding Japan.

Citizen created Japan’s first water resistant watch; the Parawater, and saw this project as a great way to test as well as market their brand-new watch. It’s a rather endearing tale that I shan’t get too much into, but what we’ve ended up with in today’s reissue is a faithful representation of the original but with modern touches; such as a 41mm case, automatic caliber and of course a beautifully patterned dial meant to mimic the patterns of the sea.

But despite all of these updates, the Kuroshio 64 NK0008-85L is still a very nicely vintage styled timepiece, with applied arrow shaped indexes, dauphine hands, a box shaped crystal and a slim brushed case. It gives an incredibly traditional wearing experience of a three-handed dress watch. The stainless-steel bracelet certainly adds more versatility to the otherwise dressy piece, and the inclusion of lume pips along the markers and hands harks back nicely to the watch’s rather nautical origins.

Overall, if you’re looking to get him something traditionally designed with a little bit more history and heritage, with excellent finishing, attention to detail and pedigree, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something better than the Kuroshio 64, especially at this price point.

For him: SEVENFRIDAY M-SERIES SPACESHIP AUTOMATIC SF-M3/01 BLACK LEATHER MEN'S WATCH

I don’t think there’s any enthusiast out there who hasn’t heard of Sevenfriday. Founded in 2012, the brand started off creating industrially styled watches with unique ways of displaying the time. While their watches may not be for everybody, I can see the appeal that their watches can have. While their watches may run on Miyota automatic movements, they are heavily modified to offer a relatively radical time telling experience to consumers.

The 47mm TV style case is an iconic silhouette of Sevenfriday, a squarish frame with soft rounded edges and integrated lugs for a perfectly symmetrical look. Though this one is finished in a sleek black PVD coating, matching the entirely black and red aesthetic of the watch.

The M-series spaceship keeps things simple (relatively) with rotating discs on the left side of the dial, showing the hours, minutes and seconds. It’s a rather ingenious and much more straightforward way of telling the time as compared to reading them off hands. The center mass of the dial is where the watch gets its ‘spaceship’ element from. With a triangular rocket-fin like bridge set against a sandblasted plate with layers of applied metalwork forming a spaceship-esque silhouette.

In my opinion, it reminds me a lot about another rocket ship themed timepiece (albeit on an astronomically different price bracket); the DeBethune DB28 Skybridge. Seeing the pictures will be enough to illustrate what I mean.

The Sevenfriday M-series Spaceship offers an iconic and distinctive look that most enthusiast will either love or hate. But if they do love it, then this SF-M3/01 Spaceship will certainly make the perfect gift for them.

That’s a Wrap

We hope you’ve enjoyed our little article today, and our take on these rather stunning watches. We know that it’s always nice to gift your special someone, something special on a special occasion, and a nice watch is always a welcome surprise – whether your partner is an enthusiast or not. We’d like to wish everyone a happy Valentine’s Day, and good luck looking for your gift for your S/O. If you want to discover more great watches that’ll make wonderful gifts, click here to find out more.