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In partnership with Citizen
I’ve both given and received watches as gifts, so believe me when I tell you: it’s a wonderful feeling to be on either end of that equation. When I’m choosing which watch to buckle on in the morning, I always gravitate towards the ones my wife has given me over the years, as the handsome designs (she knows my taste better than anyone) are bolstered by that personal connection. And there’s something special about running into one of my brothers and seeing them wearing the watches I’ve given them — maybe they had that same thought process when getting dressed, too.
Now that I’ve convinced you to check off some of your holiday gift list with a few timepieces (I have, right?), there comes the question of choosing the right one. For that, I’d like to point you in the direction of Citizen, which is not only celebrating its 100th anniversary next year, meaning they’ve got decades of cred to lean on, but has also continued to introduce new designs that watch blogs drool over in the year 2024. No easy feat.
There is the minor complication that Citizen has hundreds of watches to choose from across a wide variety of collections. To help, we’ve done the hard part and narrowed it down to 10 timepieces worth gifting this holiday season. For each watch, we’ve noted who we’d give it to (from your Gen Z niece or nephew to your friend the finance bro), and there’s a price point for every gift giver (from $375 to $4,425, not including the various Black Friday/Cyber Monday discounts on offer from Citizen). Happy watch shopping.
For the adventurer with a desk job: This is a legitimate dive watch, with its screw-down crown and 200-meter water resistance, but with a fumé dial and imposing DLC-coated Super Titanium build, it’ll more likely go with them to the office.
For your Gen Z niece or nephew: Everything they need, nothing they don’t. The Tsuyosa Automatic is available in a variety of bold colors, and in a wearable 40mm size, so consider this their first lesson in mechanical watches.
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Whether they’re a collector or need one timepiece to do it all, we’ve got a pick for the people on your list
For the globetrotter…or the amateur pilot: A features-packed pilot’s watch — radio-controlled timekeeping via atomic clock, slide rule bezel, world time via a fun northern hemisphere disc at 6 o’clock) — that’s also actually legible.
For the finance bro in your life: Did you know that novelty watches are very much in? But they’re not all created equal. This one gets the details right: ivory dial to match the vintage Mickey piloting a prop plane. Oh, and that propeller? It’s actually a sub-second hand. Delightful.
For the gear obsessive: Citizen makes dive watches that have become legend, with nicknames to match (“Orca,” “Ecozilla”), but this is the best of the best with a ridiculous 1,000-meter rating. Will they ever go that deep? Probably not. But they could.
For the watch snob: Yes, this is a quartz model — specifically using Citizen’s Eco-Drive tech, which is powered by light, not batteries — but it’s taking what is normally a humble movement and pushing it to its absolute limits with hyper accurate time (±5 seconds per year), a perpetual calendar, power reserve indicator and more. This exquisite limited-edition variant also features an indigo-blue dial made from Japanese washi paper.
For the person who wants the best of both worlds: They love the nostalgia of a simple three-hand watch, but they crave the utility of a smartwatch. They want to cut pings and notifications out of their life, but they need extra functionality. That’s where this rugged analog-digital companion comes in.
For the accessory fiend: The Series8 890 has some real-deal watch cred with its caliber 9051 automatic movement. But that’s not what this is about. This is a head-turner watch, an “I couldn’t help but notice your watch” watch, with its textured dial inspired by Japanese cherry blossoms and octagonal case calling to mind watches that cost many times as much.
For the Peloton or CorePower devotee: It’s pink, it’s rose gold, it’s a diminutive 37mm — but it can also dive to 200 meters and run for years on nothing but light. Very cutesy, very mindful, not at all demure.
For the woman whose New Year’s resolution is to unplug: A sophisticated accessory with its rose gold-tone case, beige leather strap and subtly textured pink dial. Opting for two hands instead of three makes it even more of a relaxing option heading into 2025.
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