‘Christmas time, mistletoe and wine; children singing Christian rhyme’, sings Sir Cliff Richard. All very well, Cliff, but what is the actual time? The children in my house are more likely to be singing K-pop Demon Hunters, but that’s by the by. We need authoritative sources of timekeeping this Christmas, not vague sentiment.
The oven timer that you’re planning on using for the turkey doesn’t count either because I bet you haven’t adjusted it since the clocks went back? There’s only one thing for it — a new watch, and just to be on the safe side, I’ve pulled together recommendations for the whole family, from teenagers to fashionistas.
For him
The Omega Seamaster 300M is 'prestigious enough to cut it in more professional settings.'
I suggest gifting the man in your life, be it your husband, father, brother or lonely neighbour upon whom you take pity (and are, presumably, extremely fond of), a solid and capable watch that will serve him well year-round.
First up, there’s Omega’s Seamaster 300M — newly released with bright orange details across the dial and a slightly dressy Milanese mesh strap. It’s a redoubtable tool watch but also prestigious enough to cut it in more professional settings.
For the frequent flyer, I recommend the Nomos Glashutte Club Sport World Timer. It’s available in a variety of colourful limited editions, or in a more straightforward silver or blue. I like the Glacier version. It’s rare to find such a well-made world time watch (one that displays the world’s time zones) at this price.
Lastly, if sporty and adventurous isn’t quite the thing, how about the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Calendar? It’s beautifully finished, with a multi-textured dial, but not too fancy for daily use.
For her
The Baignoire's distinctive oval shape is hard to beat.
A Joni Mitchell CD. Just kidding. Instead, guarantee a genuinely cheerful reaction with one of 2025’s most glamorous new watches — a category in which you are monumentally spoilt for choice.
Top of the list is the Bulgari Serpenti Aeterna, a scaling-back of the wrist-wrapping icon of the late 1940s. It has shed the typically bulbous snake’s head for a clean point and looks more like a bangle because of it. Thankfully, it hasn’t lost any of its viper-sharp personality in the process.
For something more decidedly 21st-century — and a little bit more multi-purpose — try Hermès’s Cut model in azure, a 36mm slice of stainless steel that’s equal parts contemporary, sporty (especially on the pale blue rubber strap) and, with its diamond-set bezel, dressy.
Last, but in no way least, what could be better than peeling back the Christmas wrapping to find one of Cartier’s red boxes? Or watching someone do so. You could opt for the Panthère — earlier this year, Cartier released gem-set varieties — or the real people-pleaser, the Baignore, which comes in a multitude of sizes and styles, on satin and leather straps or a solid gold bracelet. The latter — which was in fact new last year — gets my vote.
Hermès's offering is equal parts sporty, contemporary and dressy.
For the teenage son
Who can keep up with teenage trends? (Apparently they’re into water bottles, Jellycat cuddly toys and paper notebooks — which makes me think they’re also deeply into trolling older generations).
One watch that’s custom-made for rapidly-changing tastes is the Bamford London Mayfair 2.0 which comes with a swappable bioceramic case and a myriad different straps so that your teenager can mix up their look from one day to the next.
The chronographs from Split watches are equally as playful. They use ceramic-hybrid cases for durability and for each one sold, the company donates an hour’s worth of therapy to mental health charity Anna Freud.
For teens who might respond better to something a bit more traditional, try the Tudor Ranger. It has gap-year-proof build quality and boasts the kind of horological quality that’ll still be respected once they’ve made their final withdrawal from the Bank of Mum and Dad.
For the hardcore horology lover
Picking out the right watch for a super-geek is harder than making it through one of their diatribes about hand-finishing with your faculties intact. Try the A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Thin (above) — 40 millimetres of unbeatable German handicraft with a black onyx dial that they’re guaranteed to gaze at, slack-jawed (giving you precious seconds to make your escape before they launch into an enthusiastic explanation of the engraved balance cock).
Alternatively, look to Parisian brand Trilobe who recently launched the Trente-Deux, the first watch in its collection to feature its own movement, the Trente-Deux. You’ll get endless brownie points simply for knowing it exists.
If you’re really pushing the boat out, try and get your hands on Vacheron Constantin’s Traditionelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. Its arrival, a few weeks ago, had horolophiles hastily updating their letters to Father Christmas. Underneath the 1990s-style 36mm case, there’s a calendar that won’t need adjusting for the next 400 years. So no excuse to miss an anniversary ever again.
If the budget won’t stretch to a five-figure masterpiece, get them a heavyweight watch book instead — they’ll happily sink into something like The Rolex Legacy by James Dowling for hours on end.
For the fashionista
Fashion and watches are more closely entwined than ever, with collaborations across the divide now commonplace and some very serious watchmaking emerging from the likes of Gucci, Dior and Louis Vuitton. In that respect, it’s hard to look past something like the latter’s Art Deco-inspired Tambour Convergence.
However, perhaps fashion’s greatest influence on watchmaking has been to instill much greater levels of whimsy and stylistic experimentation. It’s given us new brands like Anoma, whose futuristic A1 Optical would have been unimaginable 10 years ago. It’s also the perfect watch for anyone who believes — correctly — that the green triangle is the best Quality Street chocolate.
If you’d rather give someone something a bit more conventional, but something that still informs those around you that you know your Amiri from your Aimé Leon Dore, what about the Noah x Timex Oval Moon Phase? The quartz watch costs a mere £220, but is still in more demand than timepieces fifty times the price.
If the prior paragraph means nothing to you it probably means you’re just not hipster enough for such things — but I bet I can move you with the Ralph Lauren Cowboy Polo Bear watch? (Surely everyone’s heard of Ralph Lauren — especially after the stellar year it’s had?) The watch is cuter than a mini mince pie and there are versions for men and for women.
