This is an edition of the newsletter Box + Papers, Cam Wolf’s weekly deep dive into the world of watches. Sign up here.
Today I’m taking on the role of Watch Santa, doling out carefully curated gift recommendations to readers in search of watches for their sweeties (or themselves).
Not only is this a great way for me to try on the jolly red suit (it looks great on me, tbh), but more importantly it’s a fun exercise in looking at the watch world as a whole and trying to navigate it using some very specific parameters. From modern stalwarts to deep dives on eBay, I’ve scoured the watch market to find the perfect gifts for just about everyone on your list.
The Dressed-Up Sportscaster
I was thinking of getting a watch for my husband for Christmas and I have no idea where to begin. He has a more casual Tag Heuer (silver/chrome chain link) that he wears on set (he does on-camera sports broadcasting) but he’s mentioned he needs a dress watch. I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars but want it to still seem luxury. Maybe under $1,000? But I have no idea where to start on brands or what to look for—I’ve sifted through some of your content but feel even more lost! Could you recommend any brands or where I can start? What’s in now for men? Larger faces or smaller? I think I would be open to looking for vintage, though a little intimidated to search for one—if I were to go new, what would you recommend? —Mindy Y.
Right now, when I hear $1,000-ish budget and a nice dress watch, my mind immediately goes to a Universal Genève Polerouter. Maybe it’s recency bias—given the brand just officially relaunched and unveiled some new Polerouters—but it’s hard to think of a prettier watch with more history that you can get at this price. Also, there are shades of sportiness with UG, which is also known for its awesome, but way pricier, Compax pieces.
Smaller watches are really big right now. People are going back to vintage sizing—cases that are roughly 36 mm in diameter or less. Enicar’s Sherpa is another nice option with sporting ties that can be reliably found for under $1,000. The brand got its start putting its watches on mountaineers and its pieces even went to the top of Everest with a team of climbers in the mid-’50s.
