10 Wristwatches to Please Everyone on Your Holiday Shopping List

You can’t go wrong by giving someone (even if that someone is yourself) the gift of time for the holiday.

Few gifts rival the significance of a fine timepiece. Not only is a wristwatch a functional and delightfully analog way to keep time, it also sends the perfect message to a loved one: This watch is both a thank you for time well spent, and a harbinger of the good times that lie ahead.

Whether the recipient prefers a watch that’s sporty or sophisticated, minimalist or diamond-set, masculine or feminine, the 10 timepieces highlighted below — all available on NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER — have you covered.

 

NET-A-PORTER

Cartier Tank Louis Hand-Wound

As horological icons go, the Tank is unrivalled. Beloved by both men and women for over a century, the timeless model welcomed a new handwound edition earlier this year named after Louis Cartier, one of the three brothers who built the firm into a global watch and jewelry powerhouse. Housed in a rectangular 18k yellow gold case measuring 34 mm long by 25 mm wide, the watch is noteworthy for its distinct art deco-esque detailing and fetching dial treatment.

Piaget Polo Date

The mania for steel sport watches from the waning decades of the 20^th century meets its match in this new 36 mm stainless steel Polo automatic wristwatch from Piaget. Once the “It” watch of the 1980s, the model has been updated yet remains faithful to the original. With its well-placed date window, 18k rose gold hour markers and diamond-set bezel (featuring no fewer than 60 brilliant-cut stones), the Polo Date is ready for its closeup.

Vacheron Constantin Egérie

While Egérie is Vacheron Constantin’s newest collection (the line made its official debut in spring 2020), the design codes that distinguish this quintessentially feminine watch — such as the off-centered display seen in this 35 mm 18k pink gold model, designed around two intertwined circles — trace their roots to watches made by the maison in the 19^th century.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Dazzling Moon

The moon phase display of this 18k rose gold Rendez-Vous model from Jaeger-LeCoultre sure lives up to its “Dazzling” moniker. The lapis lazuli dial serves as a striking backdrop for a cosmic scene framed by three rows of diamonds — a whopping 3.53 carats in total!

IWC Schaffhausen Portofino Automatic 37

Not only is this refined 37 mm stainless steel Portofino Automatic model from IWC Schaffhausen a perfect size for unisex tastes, it also boasts a genderless design that makes it the ideal gift for anyone and everyone on your holiday shopping list.

 

MR PORTER

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin

Few wristwatches combine sporty and sophisticated attributes as gracefully as this Overseas Perpetual Calendar model from Vacheron Constantin. Equipped with one of horology’s most prestigious complications, the 18k white gold model, seen here in a stealthy ultra-thin 41.55 mm case, nevertheless exudes a seductive vibe of casual elegance.

Hermès Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune

The openworked dial of this Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune model from Hermès — shown here in a 39.5 mm titanium case — is every bit as refined as one would expect from the beloved French luxury firm. From its thin profile to the custom typeface seen on the numerals around the dial (designed in 2015 by Philippe Apeloig), the details of this winning watch are extraordinary.

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Cobalt Blue Limited Edition Flying Tourbillon

The Swiss are fond of using the word audacious to describe their timepieces. In the case of the new Excalibur Cobalt Blue Limited Edition Flying Tourbillon from contemporary watchmaker Roger Dubuis, the term applies — and then some. The handwound model’s 42 mm case is fashioned from a metal, CarTech Micro-Melt BioDur CCMTM, that epitomizes the high-end watch industry’s embrace of experimental materials.

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition

From Montblanc’s high-end watchmaking facility in the Swiss village of Villeret comes this beguiling new 1858 Geosphere limited edition model. Distinguished by a complication that features two domed globes, one for the northern hemisphere and the other for the southern hemisphere, revolving in opposite directions, the automatic watch comes in a 42 mm case in “distressed” stainless steel.

H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Perpetual Calendar

The independent watchmaker H. Moser & Cie. proves that a complication as serious as the perpetual calendar benefits from a minimalist design aesthetic, as in its new Streamliner Perpetual Calendar on a trendy integrated bracelet. The model’s instantaneous date change function (at midnight on Feb. 28, the date automatically changes to March 1) and signature Fumé dial are H. Moser signatures.

One final note of advice for holiday shoppers: In this year of well-documented supply chain disruptions and shipping delays, don’t delay in buying your favorite watches. Time truly is of the essence!

 

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