Almost On Time

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It is sometimes difficult to figure out what gift to buy an older relative. This is because you are from two very different generations. Nobody grew up in the same world as their grandparents since everything changes so quickly. Even from the time you were born up until now, a lot of things will be different.

It is also true that older people appreciate watches more than youngsters. Watches were a necessity even just 30 years ago. Nobody had a smartphone and if you planned to meet somebody, you needed to be on time. There was no way of sending a message at the last minute through WhatsApp – it didn’t exist.

The older generation is definitely more frugal and traditional. Many of them do not appreciate or care for oversized or garish wristwatches. Even something like a Casio G-shock which is just considered a fairly chunky standard watch is much too big for a grandfather. On the whole, people who were born in the ’30s-’50s much prefer a more classic, plain, and analog watch.

They will have grown up during the quartz crisis so are well aware of both mechanical and battery-powered watches. Whichever they prefer will be down to personal preference. A watch is both a personal and useful gift for someone of an older generation.

Best Watches For Your Grandfather

Budget Choices (Under $200)

Seiko 5

There aren’t many brands that can come even close to the level of a Seiko watch for such a cheap price. The Japanese watchmaker is world-renowned for its low cost and high-quality finishing. Its in-house movements are second to none and it is true that the Japanese really make their products last.

Modern Seiko 5 watches have an exhibition caseback which allows you to see the movement fully working. This is solid, scratch-resistant glass, so you won’t have to worry about it becoming damaged. The case of the watch is made from solid stainless steel. Overall the watch is made to last a very long time and is super reliable.

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Orient Bambino

Arguably one of the best mechanical watches on the market for the price. You are very unlikely (in fact it’s almost impossible) to find a watch under $150 for the same quality. Its only real rival in the low-price automatic segment are Seiko, Citizen and perhaps a handful of microbrands.

The movement is very accurate and is made in-house. This is really quite unbelievable considering the price of the watch. In modern-day almost everyone else outsources their production to 3rd party companies. But not Orient. It also has a nice dome-shaped mineral glass which is a feature still unutilized by many watchmakers.

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Citizen Eco-Drive

Citizen make high-quality budget watches. The movements are all made in-house and they use their own eco-drive technology. This is essentially a way of charging your watch by light and nothing else. There is a capacitor inside the watch which stores power during periods of light, which in turn keeps the watch running in darkness.

Due to the watch being an eco-drive, there are two benefits to this. Firstly the watch will keep very accurate time as it is a quartz-based movement. Secondly, you will never have to change the battery.

There are various modern and classic designs in the eco-drive. If this is meant to be a gift for your grandfather then it should be pretty obvious about which styles he will like or dislike.

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Fossil Townsman

The Fossil Townsman is a very smart but simple-looking watch with a chronograph feature. It should be noted that if you’re looking for a similar Fossil watch without the chronograph feature, the “Fossil minimalist” is another good choice.

Fossil is a large brand that has decades of watch manufacturing experience. So much that they make a lot of their income from making watches for other high-end brands.

As for their own watches, the cases are always very solid and they are generally overall reliable watches. They use a standard Japanese Miyota quartz movement which is industry standard and will be found in other brands such as Hugo Boss & Armani Exchange. Whilst this movement is nothing special at all, it is reliable and the watch is a very good price for what you’re getting.

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Hugo Boss

Hugo Boss is a classic German brand best known for its clothes – and specifically suits. However, they also design watches. Much like many of the other brands, Hugo Boss does make a lot of oversize, garish, and unsuitable watches for an older man.

With that being said, they have such a large range of watches, there will be a style to suit everybody. They have some particularly nice watches which are a simple plain white, blue or black dial with hour indicators. This will suit an older gentleman more than a 45mm sports chronograph.

If you do opt for the automatic (powermatic 80) you will not be disappointed by its claims. It truly does have a gigantic 80 hour power reserve which is truly crazy for a watch of this price.

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More Expensive Gifts (Over $300)

Tissot Le Locle Powermatic

The great thing about the Tissot Le Locle range is that whilst the design is a timeless classic. You are able to choose from either quartz or automatic movements. Whilst both movements are made in Switzerland, the automatic movement is obviously more expensive since it costs a lot more money to make. If you’re not a fan of mechanical watches then this is ideal, since you will save money and get a battery-powered watch.

An older gentleman will fully appreciate the Tissot brand, a company that has been watchmaking since 1853. Whilst the technology inside the watch has improved somewhat. The designs are still very vintage and classical in their own right.

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Movado Museum

Movado is a brand that also manufactures watches for other high-end brands. With that being said, their own collection has a very unique and individual design. The Movado Museum design in particular has been sold for a very long time and has not ever needed to change. There are not many other watch brands that can say that they are still using exactly the same dial layout since 1947.

Although the company is headquartered in USA and managers other brands. Movado watches are still made in Switzerland and still use high-end ETA movements. Their mechanical watches are of even higher quality, but mostly lack the classic design of the museum.

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Dreyfuss

Dreyfuss are very proud of the fact that they still assemble all of their watches in Switzerland and still use reliable Swiss movements. Most of the quartz movements you find in their watches are all made by ETA. This is quite a high-end quartz movement and nobody really makes anything better.

As for their mechanical watches, Dreyfuss uses a variety of different movements, which go up to the legendary Valjoux 7750 at the very high end.

Overall, Dreyfuss offers a very classic and vintage design. Their marketing is pretty much aimed at the over 40’s demographic, so this would greatly be appreciated by any older relative, especially a grandfather.

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Raymond Weil Parsifal

Raymond Weil has not been around as long as other Swiss watch brands. Founded in the late ’70s, RW’s designs have still not changed too much since they were first released. The parsifal is the jewel in their crown of classic watches, featuring a very classic style with large crown guards.

RW is still a family-owned business and is not a multi-national conglomerate. Their watches are certainly suitable for the older generation – specifically the parsifal collection. Whilst you may find newer models creeping into both their Tango & Freelancer ranges, this is not the case for the classic parsifal.

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Montblanc

Montblanc is a classic brand that will be a lot older than your grandfather. The company was founded in 1906 and is best known for its pens and notebooks. The German company only makes high-quality and luxury goods with high specifications.

Less well known for its watches, the Montblanc brand would be classified as entry-level luxury for timepieces. Almost all of its watches either contain Swiss ETA or Sellita movements, which are industry standard for the price. When buying an entry-level luxury watch, there aren’t too many options for classic pieces, most of the brands are either higher-priced or a new, more modern garish style.

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