— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.
Watches do more than just tell the time. They’re with the wearer throughout their daily experiences, from a humdrum Tuesday at work to the birth of their first child. They can be totems of important moments in one’s life because they’re always there, marking the passage of time.
Get on the nice list. Sign up for our newsletter to get all the best gift guides, deals and holiday planning advice.
That’s why a luxury watch can be the perfect gift. Just because he has a watch doesn’t mean he wouldn’t like another (and another!) In fact, their first luxury watch is just a gateway to a completely full watch box in their future.
There are so many different brands, styles and even internal engineering mechanics from which to choose, that it may feel overwhelming. Thankfully, we’re breaking down the basics for you here so you can make the right choice. Take a look at our list of the best luxury watch brands for gifting to men below, including our favorite models and the style the brand is best known for.
►Need more Christmas gift ideas? Here are the best Christmas gifts for anyone on your list
1. Citizen
Our favorite piece right now: Promaster Dive Automatic Super Titanium—$796
Popular for: Sports watches
Price: $
A high-quality Japanese watchmaker, Citizen is not necessarily one of the first brands mentioned in the discussion of luxury watches, but they should be. Their patented Eco-Drive movements use sun power to keep the watch going almost eternally, and they are rugged enough for daily use. You can find just about any style of watch you want from Citizen, so finding a gift that will suit your man’s needs shouldn’t be too difficult.
2. Bulova
Our favorite piece right now: Bulova Lunar Pilot—$620
Popular for: Sports and dress watches
Price: $
Bulova is an American watchmaker that has been around since 1875. Bulova watches have a storied history and have made some really important technological advancements in the world of watchmaking; chief among them the Bulova Accutron tuning fork quartz movement.
What’s more, their recent Lunar Pilot release is a reissue of an original watch designed for Astronaut David Scott, which was used on the surface of the moon in 1971 when Scott’s NASA-issued Omega watch had a crystal pop off. Now, you can give your special guy the gift of the moon on his wrist!
3. Tag Heuer
Our favorite piece right now: Formula 1 Quartz—$1,550
Popular for: Sports watches
Price: $$
Heuer has a 160-year-old history that’s closely tied to both auto racing and cinema. Hollywood gearhead Steve McQueen famously wore a Heuer Monaco in the film Le Mans. A Tag Heuer watch is the perfect gift for any man who loves racing, movies or both! Tag Heuer also has one of the widest price ranges on the market, so it’s one of the most popular luxury watch brands for men right now.
4. IWC
Our favorite piece right now: IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Spitfire—$8,000
Popular for: Sports watches
Price: $$$
IWC has been known for decades as one of the best makers of pilot watches in the world. Started in Switzerland in 1868 by an American engineer and his Swiss business partner, IWC quickly became a major player in the Swiss watch industry. While pilot style watches are their specialty, you don’t have to be enrolled in the Top Gun program to appreciate the amazing pieces created by this historic brand. With IWC, give a gift you know he’ll get some real-world use out of.
5. Grand Seiko
Our favorite piece right now: Elegance Automatic GMT—$4,600
Popular for: Dress watches
Price: $$$
Many people have owned a Seiko watch, known for their quality and accuracy. However, not as many have owned a Grand Seiko. Grand Seiko is the big brother to the original Seiko brand, and they aim to provide watches and movements on par with the biggest luxury watch brands in the world. They’re respected for the incredible technology and finishing that the Japanese brand has maintained for over a hundred years. Grand Seiko makes the perfect gift for any man that appreciates exquisite attention to detail and beautiful design.
5. Longines
Our favorite piece right now: Longines Conquest Quartz—$800
Popular for: Sports and dress watches
Price: $$
A mainstay of the luxury watch market, Longines has one of the most diverse style catalogs of any brand. You’d be well served to look for something from their heritage line, which has become popular over the past few years. The great thing about getting him a Longines is that they have watches to match any man’s personal style, and you won’t break the bank doing it.
5. Omega
Our favorite piece right now:Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Co-Axial Master Chronometer—$5,500
Popular for: Sports watches
Price: $$$
Omega is one of the most popular Swiss luxury watch brands, known for its variety of options and durable yet stylish designs. They’re also readily available through boutiques worldwide and their website. Making beautiful timepieces since 1848, Omega watches are sporty yet refined. Fun fact: It’s also the choice brand for a gentleman by the name of Bond…James Bond. What guy doesn’t want a gift that makes him feel like a spy?
6. Jaeger-LeCoultre
Our favorite piece right now:Polaris Date—$9,900
Popular for: Dress watches
Price: $$$$
Jaeger-LeCoultre is a Swiss luxury watch brand that has the respect of everyone in the know. Going all the way back to 1833, JLC is known all over the world as “The Watchmaker’s Watchmaker.” This reputation comes from the brand’s incredible attention to detail and their past as a movement maker and supplier to some of the world’s elite watch companies, such as Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Giving him a JLC watch is like giving him instant street cred in the watch world.
7. Tissot
Our favorite piece right now:Tissot PRX Powermatic 80—$650
Popular for: Sports and dress watches
Price: $
Tissot is perhaps known as the best entry into the world of luxury watches. A legacy Swiss watchmaker, Tissot has different styles and price ranges from which to choose. The PRX line with the Powermatic 80 automatic movement is an especially interesting place to start. Give the gift of entry into a hobby like watch-collecting for that special guy in your life.
8. Doxa
Our favorite piece right now: Doxa Sub 200 Professional—$990
Popular for: Sports watches
Price: $$
When it comes to a quality dive watch, you can’t miss with Doxa. Originally designed for serious diving and linked to famed ocean explorer Jacque Cousteau, Doxa is an iconic luxury dive watch brand that offers watches as beautiful as they are useful. It’s perfect as a gift on that tropical vacation.
9. Panerai
Our favorite piece right now:Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech—$19,900
Popular for: Sports watches
Price: $$$$
Panerai is an Italian watch brand that traces its roots back to 1860, Florence. Panerai made watches for the Italian Royal Navy for years, and that legacy of durable and legible dive-watches persists to this day. Panerai has one of the most distinct design languages of any luxury watch manufacturer, with their protruding crown lock system and large legible dials. These watches are sure to get attention wherever he goes.
12. Breitling
Our favorite piece right now:Chronomat Automatic GMT 40—$5,600
Popular for: Sports watches
Price: $$$
Breitling is yet another luxury watch brand that has made their name, in some part, by offering accurate timepieces for use in the cockpit of a plane. They also have a number of different models intended for diving, as dress pieces, or general daily use. Browse their site and you’re sure to find a model that suits the man in your life.
Shop Breitling
FAQ
What to look for in watches
The first thing to consider is the type of style. Most luxury watches fit into one of two style categories: Sports Watches (including dive watches and chronographs) and Dress Watches. Some models manage to straddle both lines, which is always a plus.
The second thing you’ll want to consider is the movement type. The movement is the mechanism that keeps time inside the watch. Most luxury watches today either use automatic movements, manual wind movements or quartz.
What are the different movement types?
The three movement types most luxury watches use are: Automatic movements, manual wind movements or quartz.
- Automatic movements have a small rotor that moves with the motion of your arm to constantly wind the watch when you’re wearing it. They usually have a relatively high beat rate, meaning that the seconds hand has more of a sweeping movement than a ticking.
- Manual wind movements must be wound by hand every day to keep the watch moving. They also have a sweeping look to the seconds hand, similar to automatic movements.
- Quartz movements are battery-powered and generally less expensive because they have fewer mechanical pieces. They have a one-second jump motion to the seconds hand rather than a smooth sweep.
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews and more.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
