Few gifts are more appreciated than time—which is what makes the giving or receiving of a wristwatch so meaningful. Not only is a fine timepiece an object of practicality and purpose, it’s also deeply symbolic (not to mention stylish). When words feel inadequate, you can count on a watch to convey the most important messages: Our time together has been well spent. Time flies (so savor every moment). Let the good times roll!

To get into the holiday spirit, we asked collectors to tell us about the best watches they’ve ever given or received. We expected many of the stories to be sentimental, but nothing prepared us for the rush of emotion that flowed through the anecdotes below, nor their nearly universal takeaway: The most important watches in our lives are the ones that connect generations.

The comments have been condensed and edited for clarity.

Laetitia Hirschy, founder of Kaaviar PR and cofounder of Watch Femme
“The most meaningful watch I’ve ever received is an Audemars Piguet two-tone square Royal Oak from the 1980s. It originally belonged to my paternal grandmother, and after she passed, my mother gave it to me as a Christmas gift. I often wear it together with my maternal grandmother’s vintage Bulgari ring. I was extremely close to both of my grandmothers, so having these pieces—each with its own history, but now part of mine—feels like carrying them with me. The watch stands out not only for its design, but also because it represents both sides of my family and the women who shaped me.”

Jonathan Zisblatt, enthusiast in Los Angeles
“Last March, my pregnant wife and I were browsing the watches at Larchmont Jewelers. We discussed the idea of a watch as a push present when the baby arrived. My wife identified models that she would be interested in.

“Having put my name on Rolex waitlists in the past, I wasn’t expecting anything to materialize. I figured I would probably follow up after the baby was born. Fast forward a bit, and, coincidentally, the day my wife went into labor, Larchmont Jewelers’s manager reached out to inform me that a pink Datejust 28 was available for purchase. I asked a relative to pick it up, and the watch’s receipt is dated with my daughter’s birthday. I got a personal engraving on the caseback before presenting it to my wife. The watch is now one of my wife’s favorite possessions and something she hopes to gift our daughter in the future.”

Gweys Soriano, founder @watchgirldubai 
“When I was a kid, I used to overhear my father say, almost off-handedly, ‘One day, I’d love to have a Rolex.’ He never said it with longing, never as a demand but more like a quiet wish from someone who’d long accepted that life didn’t always hand you the things you hoped for. I was a kid, but I started doing the math anyway, figuring out how much I’d have to earn to buy him one. The numbers didn’t make sense. Not then. Probably not anytime soon. I shelved the dream, but it stayed with me like an unresolved promise.

“Years went by. Life happened. But that moment never really left the back of my mind. Then, Christmas of 2020, those strange, blurred pandemic years, I finally reached a point where I could make it happen. It wasn’t effortless, but it was possible. I didn’t turn it into some grand reveal. I just wrapped the box the way I always wrap gifts and gave it to him like it was nothing special. When he opened it and saw the Rolex Day-Date, he didn’t say much. He didn’t have to. The look on his face said everything. Surprise, pride and the shock of realizing that a small wish he’d once tossed into the air had quietly become my mission. It wasn’t just about the watch. It was about giving something back to the man who had given me far more than he ever asked for.”

Perri Dash, co-host of Wrist Check Pod and founder of Super Niche
“Last December, we celebrated the birth of my second child, Mia Jordyn Dash. Later, in February of this year, while setting up for the launch party of Super Niche, I received a phone call from friend and watch dealer, Eric Wind.

“Eric mentioned he had something for me and needed my address to send. I supplied it and upon arrival of the package, I hurried to open it and was met with a letter

addressed to my daughter with another and yet smaller box included in the package. I opened the box and it was a 34 mm blue dial vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date with my daughter’s name inscribed on the back.

“An amazing surprise from a dear friend. It’s what I love about the watch world. Sure, the watches are great, but the friendships and the love are priceless. Shout out to Wind Vintage!”

Ram Reddy, a lawyer in Southern California
“My dad graduated from medical school in India in the early 1970s, and when he graduated his father gave him an Omega. My father was never much of a watch collector, but he wore that watch for the next three decades while working as a physician in three different countries before he lost it while scrubbing in for a surgery. When he found out I was into watches, he wanted to continue the tradition, so he got me an Omega Planet Ocean when I graduated from high school because I was so obsessed with the Daniel Craig Bond films. 

“Cut to almost a decade later and I ended up being a lawyer instead of going to medical school. I saved all the money from the first few months in my first job after grad school and bought my dad an Omega Speedmaster with a Pulse-o-meter to pay homage to his life’s work.”

Irina Ciobanu, founder of the World’s First Ladies Watch Club 
“The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Duetto in stainless steel with diamonds was a gift I chose for myself at a moment when I needed a reminder of my own strength. The Reverso Duetto, with its two faces, one understated and elegant, the other radiant with diamonds, felt like the perfect symbol of the duality women carry: resilience and softness, ambition and grace.

“It stands out because it became more than a watch; it became a milestone. Every time I flip the case, it reminds me to honor both sides of myself and the journey that got me here.”

David Crabtree, Southern California enthusiast
“I sourced and provided each of our sons—Colin and Cooper—a vintage Rolex Air King upon their graduation from college. Colin graduated from the University of Vermont in 2018 and his younger brother, Cooper, graduated from CalPoly in 2023. While both watches were in pretty good shape when I found and purchased them, I had my local watchmaker do a complete service on them and also had them engraved with each of their initials, university reference, and year of their respective degrees.  

“As you can imagine, these were really special watches for me to gift and that resonated with both my sons. They hold these pieces pretty dear, appreciating the tradition of such gifts as well as me taking the time to find just the right examples for them, oversee some restoration, and mark them for, hopefully, generations to come.”

Sumei Shum, Singapore watch collector
“I gifted the Chopard L.U.C Strike One to my partner for her birthday in 2024. I thought the sound of the sapphire gong was glorious when I first heard it at the Chopard booth at Dubai Watch Week in 2023. Of course I heard the Full Strike (minute repeater) then, so the experience was even more incredible. Unfortunately (or maybe luckily for my budget), the Full Strike was much too big, and it was also a lot more expensive than the Strike One.

“I kept thinking about it and when it came out in 2024, I decided to buy it and surprise my partner with it for her birthday. We took the attached photos in Oman last month before heading to Dubai Watch Week—full circle. The chime is spectacular, so crisp and clear. I smile every time I hear it.”

Bryan Fernandez, senior creative strategist at Wiideman Consulting Group, La Mirada, Calif.
“During high school, I had a bit of a difficult time with my mom nearly passing and receiving a liver transplant. For my high school graduation, she took me to the Rolex store and got us matching Rolex Datejusts (Ref. 126234) as a physical reminder of her. Thankfully she’s doing well! It’s the one watch in my collection that I will never sell. It represents my mom’s resilience and everything we’ve been through together.”

Ning Wong, Southern California photographer
“I proposed to my girlfriend (now my wife) on a cruise ship. You know how one of the dinner nights is a formal night? Well, I had planned on proposing to her on the formal night, which was about two nights into our cruise.  

“Before that time, we would spend time on the cruise ship, taking in the activities and walking around. Every day we would walk by the duty-free luxury shop, and I would see the watches in the display. What caught my eye was this steel TAG Heuer Aquaracer Chronograph (Ref. CAF1111). The watch just stood out to me—the color, the design, and how it felt. I tried it on a few times, but I always gave it back to the salesperson. I had just bought the ring and paid for the cruise, so I could not afford it. 

“Fast forward to our proposal, and she says yes! The next morning, she goes to the shop, buys the watch, and gives it to me. Needless to say, I was speechless. I will always cherish this watch, I will always love it, and I will always have it in my collection. It’s one of my most prized possessions.”

Dr. Albert A. Coombs III, cofounder of CP Time
“In February 2024, during a CP Time watch event I was co-hosting at Cartier in San Francisco, I found myself captivated by a watch I hadn’t seen before—a Cartier Tank Louis with a mosaic dial that shimmered with alternating blocks of rose, yellow, and white gold. Its elegance stood in sharp contrast to the mostly sport-oriented watches in my collection, but something about it felt timeless. I casually admired it aloud, not knowing who was listening.

“What I didn’t realize was that my father had been paying close attention. For months, he’d been on a mission to find a legacy watch—one for me, and one for my brother. My brother doesn’t collect watches, so the choice was simpler. I, on the other hand, have gifted him every watch he currently wears, which made the search more challenging. He wanted something different. Something I didn’t already have. Something I would never expect. As the evening wrapped up, my sister pulled me aside into a back room. Standing there was my father—holding the Cartier box.

“In a few words, he shared how difficult it had been to find a gift for someone who never asks for anything. I was stunned. The mosaic-dial Tank Louis, the very one I had been admiring moments earlier, was now mine. Caught on film by our friend Perri Dash, it’s one of the most meaningful memories I’ve ever experienced—and to this day, it’s the only formal watch in my collection. I wear it anytime I want to feel a little extra connected, a little extra grounded.

“Months later, that connection deepened even further. As a birthday surprise, my sister arranged for a custom strap from Alex Crown—a brand I had mentioned just once in passing. The strap was beautifully designed: gray suede to highlight the case, blue stitching to echo the crown, and a pink rubber lining for a playful pop when I take the watch off. But it was what was etched beneath the strap that made me pause: ‘My dream for your kids is that my ceiling will be your floor.’ A quote from my father. Etched into the rubber lining. Etched into memory.

“In that one watch, and that one strap, lives the story of three generations: a father’s intention, a sister’s care, and a son’s promise to carry it all forward.”