Is Watch a Good Gift? [Are There Any Superstitions?]

There’s nothing more frustrating than being out of ideas when you want to get someone a gift. They deserve better than whatever present you can think of, mainly because nothing material can match their value. The thought counts more, and if you want to celebrate your time together, nothing symbolizes time better than a watch.

A watch is a good gift because it can signify your time together (past or future). But it should be given with caution as it is sometimes associated with retirement or parting ways. Clarify what the watch means when gifting it, and think about how it goes with their wardrobe and style.

This article will help you confirm whether a watch is the right gift for the occasion you’re thinking about, what you must consider before buying watch as a gift, and how you can give it without triggering any superstitious reaction. But first, let’s go over what makes a watch a great gift.

5 Reasons Why Watch is a Good Gift

While a tiny percentage of people, especially outside the US, might be superstitious about receiving a watch as a gift, there are significant advantages that warrant ignoring this improbable drawback.

Here are five reasons you should get a timepiece for someone you care about.

1. It is functional – If you get the right watch, the receiver will use it often and think about you. 
2. It is stylish – When you put thought into your selection, your gift isn’t just a timepiece. It is a style statement.
3. It is available at various price points – You can get a watch as a gift whether you’re a college student or a CEO.
4. It can be given multiple times – You can give someone a watch every year and still impress them with your selection and its consequent effect on their wardrobe.
5. It can symbolize many aspects of a connection – From an optimistic beginning to a satisfactory conclusion, a watch can signify a lot of things. It is a great gift to get in advance.

Other than that, if you are wealthy, then buying watches can also serve as a great investment over time!

What Does Watch Symbolize in a Relationship? 

Giving a watch to someone you’ve just started dating is a bad idea because it comes off as a generic item. The watch usually communicates a couple’s time together, which makes it the perfect gift for anniversaries.

On the first anniversary, it can be an acceptable gift to communicate your commitment to making it together for as long as time goes on. But before that, it can seem like a random purchase.

A watch can be a great gift in a relationship as it can symbolize different time-based milestones beyond the first anniversary as well. You can invest in a high-end watch for the 5th anniversary as well. All subsequent 5-year anniversaries create a great opportunity for watch gifting.

A high-end timepiece purchased by setting aside money from the first day of the relationship can be an awe-inspiring gift and a testament to your commitment. But if you do not position the gift properly, it might get an underwhelming response.

Is Watch a Good Gift for Boyfriend?

A watch is a good gift for a boyfriend who is stylish. If your partner wears suits or button-up shirts, the watch can pair elegantly with his wardrobe, but if he prefers comfort over style, the gift might not be as functional. That said, there are watches to go with different types of wardrobes.

You just need to be mindful of your boyfriend’s personal taste when getting him a gift. It is possible that a watch might pair perfectly with his daily wear, but he just doesn’t care for watches at all.

Related Article – Are Watches Obsolete? The Latest Trends Reveal This!

One way to test if your partner will appreciate the watch as a gift is to see whether he already owns a watch. If he has a watch, he’ll use the new one you get him. But if he doesn’t have a timepiece (or has too many), the gift might not get the best reaction.

The following table covers different types of watches you can get your boyfriend based on his style.

Your boyfriend…	Best Watch Type	Our Recommendation
has a hip-hop-inspired wardrobe featuring hoodies and sneakers.	The watch band should be the same color as his shoes or silver (to go with everything he wears). It has to be chunky, though.	Over-sized JBW watches with diamonds.
Wears suits, suit vests, or button-up shirts.	The watch band should match his belt color, which is likely brown or black. Keep the size and design simple/minimal.	MVMT Legacy Slim (brown) Watch Or MVMT Chrono Men’s (black) Watch
Wears T-shirts, polo shirts, or henleys.	Metal band watches work with this style. The color can either match his favorite shoes or contrast his favorite shirt.	MVMT Blacktop Watch or MVMT Classic Men’s Watch

Is Watch a Good Gift for Girlfriend?

A watch is a good gift for a girlfriend in almost every instance because wristwear is easier to adapt to a female wardrobe. The best way to make your gift more thoughtful is to get a watch that pairs specifically with your partner’s favorite dress or color.

Watches with slim bands and muted colors can pair with a broad range of dresses, crop tops, and shirts. They are ideal if you want to get her a watch she will use regularly. That would be a functional gift, but a more thoughtful one would pair with a specific dress. Taking the latter approach also allows you to get her multiple watches to pair with different outfits.

The table below can help you with that.

Her favorite clothing article	The perfect watch for her
Sky blue top or dress	Michael Kors Pyper Three-Hand Watch (brown)
Red dress	Fossil Women’s Carlie Watch (golden)
Black shirt or top	MVMT Rise Mini Analog Watch for Women (silver)
Pink or Peach print	Michael Kors Runway Mercer Three-Hand Watch (white)
Nude color shirt or top	Fossil Women’s Jacqueline (navy blue)

Are There Any Superstitions to Receiving watch as a Gift?

Certain cultures have superstitions associated with receiving a watch as a gift. It can be considered a sign of bad luck. However, they are not taken seriously today. Watches are now seen as a symbol celebrating your time together instead of the end or beginning of a countdown.

In the American Corporate world, watches became a popular retirement gift. Even college students started pooling their money to buy retiring professors a watch. This led to the watch being seen as a goodbye gift.

Consequently, the 90s was a bad time to gift a watch at the beginning of a business partnership or a relationship. However, as watches merged with fashion, this perception changed, making it okay to buy your partner or friend a watch.

According to some superstitions, getting a watch as a gift curses the receiver, and the only workaround is to pay the person giving the gift. This payment converts the present into a purchase, which side-steps the curse. If one does not pay the gifting party and accepts the watch as a gift, the superstition states that there will be an abrupt end to the relationship between the two parties.

Given that thousands of relationships continue with watches being gifted back and forth, it is safe to say that the superstition is nothing but a myth. However, your partner’s belief in said myth should not be dismissed.

If they truly believe getting a watch as a gift brings bad luck, let them pay you with an amount as small as a dollar. Otherwise, their expectation of the relationship falling apart can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Occasions to Gift a Watch 

A modern reinterpretation of watches has broken them out of their previous position as parting gifts. They are no longer exclusive for goodbye gifting but still make memorable parting presents. This makes them great for retirement, graduation, and even moving out. Here is a complete list of occasions on which you can gift a watch.

Today, watches are considered a great gift for most occasions. As a rule of thumb, you need to consider the monetary value of the watch when giving it as a gift to your colleagues, boss, professors, etc. However, consider the emotional value of the gift when you plan to give a watch as a gift to your loved one!

Is Watch a Good Graduation Gift?

A watch is a good graduation gift as it celebrates the conclusion of one’s formal education and signifies an optimistic beginning for their time ahead.

Is Watch a Good Anniversary Gift?

A watch is a good anniversary gift only on the first anniversary, and the tenth one as the first celebrates the beginning and the tenth celebrates significant time together. Even the 5th anniversary is an acceptable occasion but getting it on the second to third anniversary seems generic.