<p>Sigh. I LOVE LOVE LOVE watches. When I’d hint about getting one for my daughter, she kept telling me she doesn’t need one. (Cell phone, etc.) Her friends didn’t wear them either. That was when she was 18. At 25, when she got her Master’s I ran out of ideas for a nice, symbolic gift. So I got her a $500 Wittenauer watch (which I found for $125 on Overstock.com!) It had a fairly small/thin face and very nice metal band so it looked like a bracelet. Mother-of-pearl face with flecks of diamonds so it sparkles a bit. Daughter was surprised - and discovered she really likes wearing it. </p>
<p>Now 20-year old son likes watches. His first was a Swiss Army watch I gave him for his 18th birthday, which he lost. His second was a Ukrainian replica of the watches that Soviet cosmonauts wore into space. Cool-looking, but broke very quickly. (Alas.) Now makes for a nice wall decoration, LOL. Son missed wearing a watch, so I found him an expensive-looking Timex for $20. He’s thrilled & wears it all the time. </p>
<p>That’s my watch story. Not instructive, perhaps, though the Wittenauer was a good choice, and a great buy. Here’s the link to it on Amazon, but look at sites such as Overstock.com or even Costco. Both have good prices on select models of many high-end watches.</p>
<p>PS: Those of you who have/have given Omegas, Patek, Baume & Mercier… lucky you! Lucky kids! And I say that wholeheartedly as a watch-lover and not in envy :)</p>
<p>I think this watch disdain is kind of strange. My kids are both very cutting edge. I didn’t recommend their watches because they both have men’s Rolexes and I think you have to have a certain style as a young woman to wear this.</p>
<p>All the guys around here wear watches and all of them are doing fine thankyouverymuch in whatever field, including tech. I think it’s strange that you would think what you are wearing has anything at all to do with your jewelry. Classics go with jeans and a t-shirt, frankly. And watches, diamonds, etc… these are classics.</p>
<p>What’s with that rant, bus driver? This isn’t about “judging other people by how they dress.” People who like nice watches (or pearls or diamonds or whatever) wear them because they like them, not because they care what other do or what other people think of them. </p>
<p>A classic watch can go anywhere, including with jeans and a t shirt if that is what one’s career calls for. I myself wear casual dress and jeans pretty much every day.</p>
<p>I wear my (Brighton) watch all the time. I do t have a fancier watch! But mine is very simple and nice. I don’t expect it to last as long as my husband’s Hamilton or my son’s Longine…both over 50 years old.</p>
<p>Any of these watches could absolutely be worn in a casual environment. Good grief. This always comes up on CC - people who mistake classic for “dressy” or “showy.”</p>
<p>I have an Omega DeVille that I received as a birthday gift about 25 years ago. I wear it almost every day and the only repairs I’ve ever had to make have been to the strap. Twice the pin that holds the metal strap on has failed. I love my watch. My Ds have not been watch people until just recently when one bought herself a big clunky Michael Kors watch. I think it is more fashion statement than time piece.</p>
<p>I tend to stay away from leather straps in my good watches because while I love how they look, I don’t think they last as long.</p>
<p>I love watches, too. Alternate a Rolex, a TAG, a Phillip Stein and some cute Swatch watches. OH- and a rose gold (not real) Coach watch that I got before Christmas for a great price that is man’s style and really cool.</p>
<p>I have a $125 Seiko super-thin watch I bought at Service Merchandise (stone age) I think in the late 80’s, 1989 think. 24 years later it still works, with a battery every few years. </p>
<p>I can’t see sinking $2+K in a watch for a young adult. For young ladies, I could see a few watches for matching attire (my daughters get a Swatch each when we go on cruises) but nothing expensive.</p>
<p>PG, there are areas in this greater metropolitan area where a fine watch would not normally be seen and might stand out. Much of the west coast is pretty casual. Not to say you shouldn’t get your children watches if you want.</p>
<p>I live on West Coast and we <em>are</em> casual out here for the most part. But wearing casual clothes doesn’t mean they are necessarily cheap or of poor quality. It just means they are not <em>formal</em> wear. Same with watches. I can’t think of a watch I’ve seen that would look inappropriately formal with a nice pair of jeans.</p>
<p>A watch is a signalling object. I don’t mean this as a negative, just a fact, and I am sure PG is aware of this fact. A watch, or a handbag, can be worn on a daily basis, even in an informal setting, to tell others (who understand these things) something about us. Sometimes I wear an inherited watch from the 40s. When I travel I wear a timex because I do not want to look mug-worthy. I wear a lot of very valuable jewelry on a daily basis (even when I travel), but only art historians will recognize it for what it is. When I think about investment jewelry, I think about antique or ancient because I do think it holds value and may possibly appreciate. All the watches sound like lovely gifts for your twins for the big birthday. IMO - a wonderful & very traditional gift.</p>
<p>I normally wear a cheap Fossil watch for everyday, but based on this thread I’ve now started wearing my Cartier Tank, which I got for my 20th birthday. There isn’t a casual event where it wouldn’t be perfectly appropriate. Right now I’m wearing it with shorts and a white tee and wedges. It’s perfect. Because it’s classic. A Rolex Lady Oyster would be just as classic. </p>
<p>Why this always devolves into “dressing fancy” is beyond me.</p>
<p>There are still plenty of 20 something’s that do wear watches. Both my sons like their watches. The son that just graduated from college got a Tissot for graduation and wears it all the time. Not too expensive. I wear a Timex so I have no expertise to add about expensive watches! But I did just want to say that some kids do indeed like watches. Of course, if you have a kid who you know is not into watches, no point spending thousands on a watch. But Pizzagirl seems to know her kids will both enjoy getting a nice watch, so sounds like a very nice gift.</p>
<p>I think the dressing appropriately is translated by some to be “fancy.” And for some “fancy” is a sign that someone is a snob or a hated member of the top 1%. Elegance is a negative. And elegance is NOT defined as overdressing or label wearing. I think that elegance is dressing for the occasion.</p>
<p>Deborah T: Some will not recognize an Omega, Rolex, etc. It will be essentially a meaningless object to them.</p>
<p>Maybe I should have written “those who are interested in such things” I am very interested in everything we wear. No one is more interested than I am.</p>
<p>Just got back from Costco where they had a nice men’s Cartier watch for just under $7K. If the person wanted to return or exchange, in sure the standard no hassle guarantee would apply. They had other attractive watches on display for men AND women.</p>
<p>Nah, not a rant, pizzagirl. Just a reaction to your first paragraph in post #58. I don’t think you intended it to come across as it did, as my reaction was, “Eww!” I understand the attachment that people have to their possessions, and I don’t begrudge anyone how they spend their money. A watch is a beautiful gift, as long as that person will truly appreciate it. I could spend 20K on a watch for my kids, and the oldest would immediately put it in a drawer and never use it. Many people in this generation really do not wear watches at all, that is not unusual, they just don’t have a need, with a cell phone.</p>
<p>But it does make me think that I would absolutely let my kids pick out the watch, especially girls. So much depends upon fit and personal preference. It really seems to be not useful to solicit opinions here, as opposed to going to ratings websites, talking to jewelers, and having the girls actually look themselves. You can’t judge what one person will like, when you want it to be a long lasting gift, it could be a huge difference whether they only wear it when they see you, or if they wear it for decades.</p>
I am very interested in everything we wear. No one is more interested than I am.</p>