Have you ever liked watches being bought for you?

The only watch I've been gifted was HUGE on my wrist. Fashion brand quartz dress watch.

That sounds like the kind of watch that gets gifted (and maybe RE gifted) a lot!

I would love to have someone buy me an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra

The best gift I’ve ever received was my wife telling me I can pick a Rolex, Omega or equivalent for myself.

As enthusiasts we’re just too into watches for them to be a good gift for someone else to pick.

Now THAT'S the way to do it!

That’s a tough one. I love the idea, but I spend so much time looking at watches that I pretty much know what I want. I think it would be blind luck for somebody to buy me a watch I really love. And if it came from somebody I cared about, I’d feel bad if I didn’t love it.

If the person gets me and knows what I like, that's okay. If it's my mom, no.

Well, it's a fun question.

The watch that got me into all of this was a gift from my father that was way back in November 2019, he didn't gift me another one till in Christmas 2022 when he got me a Samsung Galaxy watch (Don't really like it but it's still a proud part of my collection)

On the other hand, my mom in Christmas 2021 got me a little square Casio that I wear all the time when I go the hospital, it's a fun story because she actually meant to get me a square G but she said she just remembered that it was a square Casio hahaha. She said she'd take it back and got me the G but I declined, absolutely love that little bastard. The story alone is worth way more than the G.

After all that, I wouldn't like it if they get me anything more expensive than maybe the square G, after that point I think it's a lot of money that we could spend together.

Looking at the half dozen that have been gifted over the years, all but the Rotary falls into the fashion category. Two are very poor, the other 3 have been worn on rotation as much as any others, the black Skagen is one of my grab n go stalwarts as a reliable understated quartz.

Overall I'm ok with it as I get variation in the collection, and I'm not that precious about the "purity" of my stock, it's not like they're used for breeding! And I've seen many collections that are all great brands but dull as can be.

I don’t like people spending any type of money on me for gifts. I feel like I’ve been blessed in various ways, I prefer they not spend their hard earned money on me.

I’ve been trying to convince my wife to buy me a Porsche 911. There’s levels to this. 😂😂

I've had some great experiences with this and some not so favourable ones.

My lady's an enabler and I love it! She got me a Movado TR90, quartz so...meh but it's a good looking watch and I've always loved movado's aesthetic. A beaut from Calvin Klein (a fashion watch but my go to dress watch for dinners and stuff like that.)

My mother got me an Invicta diver...heavy sucker! Ironically got damaged at the beach because the crown wasn't screwed down.

Outside of that, nobody's ever bought me a watch. My mentor gifted me one of his calatravas (yes, one of!) when I left college in 2008.

When I was a boy my father gifted me a Seiko, my first watch, my first automatic, my first Seiko... Still have it, needs to be serviced but still sits front and center in my box.

Mrs got me the green one 😄

....but I'd previously bought her a Cartier Ballon Bleu tho 🤣

My wife gave me my Speedy as a wedding day gift which I love and cherish. She wanted to get me a Bulova Luna Pilot for my 40th but it would have been just too big for me, so we agreed a get a watch for her to give me, my CW C65 Vintage skins diver. Plus we got a pair of his and hers Lorus watches from one of the guests at our wedding, which we have never really worn as my wife just wears her Apple watch, so I guess I should have voted that it depends on who and what the gift is

And indeed, whether you discussed it before. It's a heck of a lot different if someone says, "I want to buy you a watch, what would you like?" and then you tell them, and then they buy the watch... versus someone just buying a watch and basically dictating what it will be from square one. Chalk and cheese.

The poll is more about people just buying watches for others with no input at all.

My wife bought me a G-Shock, once. But it was a specific model I pointed out, not her choice. I have particular notions about what I want; gifting me a random watch (or shoes, or clothes, or I dunno, coffee) is highly likely to flop.

For Approachable Watch Money, we could have an excellent meal or a weekend trip, though!

I had people buying me all kind of clothes and I never ever liked any of the items they bought. If you think that watches could be an exception then no, not really. The only watch I got as a gift was a monstrosity from Cross that managed to combine a 38mm case diameter with a +60mm lug's distance, making it both a real oddity and completely unwearable.

But since it's a gift, I'm stuck with it.

Much has already been said, I'll add some .02¢, needed or not it's an enthusiast forum so there...🫣

I've been given many watches through the years. None of them have ever come as a real surprise. Most of the time, if a loved one or loved ones wish to give me a watch, they ask for the wife's or my list of watches I want. So the only real surprise is which one it is.

The few watches my wife has gifted me with zero input from me are right up my alley. She knows what I like, she will look through my collection and then read up on current brands out there.

The three times she has come out of left field have been smashing hits. My Casio A158WEA-9, Swatch, Armitron Rubik, and Timex Q GMT are really solid enthusiasts watches.

Here’s how it works: Someone gives you something trying to be thoughtful, you thank them for it and appreciate it because gifts are primarily about that social connection, not the thing itself. You can’t find room in a box or a drawer for a watch? A community of folks who created “beater” as if it’s a watch design category can’t find some moment in their self-important lives to wear it and enjoy that someone cared enough about them to try to give them something that might possibly be special to them? These are rhetorical questions. Don’t @ me acting put out and unappreciative because someone tried to do something nice for you and it didn’t meet your standards.

When it comes to watches I explain my likes, show images, etc. I generally get gifted the watch I want. That being said I'm always very appreciative of any gift.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a watch bought for me but I’d have nothing against it. In fact, I’d welcome it because as with many things, including watches, ties and other things, I tend to go repeatedly for a certain style and someone else will chose something I may not have done. Fresh eyes.

I love the sentiment. However I’m a picky bastard and inevitably the gift will be something I mentally nitpick to death. I will thank them graciously but the odds of them buying something I love is low.

I have yet to receive a watch as a gift that I don't like.

Would I have picked something else? Of course. But the thought is what counts.

My tastes are so specific that when my birthday comes around I ask for cash to either gamble away or buy a watch of my choice. Thanks but no thanks; I don't like breaking hearts.

Only a heirloom piece would be kept but any gift is received with humility.

Only if I gave them a list of watches to choose to buy.

My wife bought me the watch the got me hooked. A Raymond Weil Freelancer it a beautiful watch. I still wear it in fact I'm wearing it now. But that's the only watch I've been gifted. So for now yes I like it. But that could change very easily if I get something I won't wear.

My parents and sister bought this for me for my 50th. I was delighted 🙂

Only if they triple check with me before clicking buy or heading to an AD haha. Too much damn pressure otherwise for all parties concerned.

Accurate.