Round-UpHoliday Special: ‘The Watch Guide’-Approved Santa Wish-List

Ethos Watch Boutiques has transformed into the North Pole, as wristwatches make it to the top of the gifting list this season. Though there is a tradition of naughty and nice, we’re broadening our horizon because you could have even been a badass or extremely wise.

The 12th and the last month of the year, December has an unconventional connotation for us at The Watch Guide. It is evidently holiday season, but this Christmas, we’ll play the elves and aid you with the process of choosing a list that defines you along with the wristwatch you deserve. Baffled? Read on.

Gingerbread, pumpkin spice, bonfires, mufflers and snowmen all define winter and our favourite festival, Christmas. So while you’re still musing at how the whole year passed by in a jiffy, it isn’t over yet. It’s time to make our wish-lists and cover up your bare wrists, so you can flaunt it while you jazz up for all the festivities!

The ‘Naughty’ List

Don’t be shy! You know you feature in this list if you played a few harmless pranks or had run-ins with cops on a wild night. Validating the perception that boys are more likely to feature on this list, we have chosen watches that complement your sneaky, mischievous side. Needless to say that the devilish persona requires an extremely good partner in crime, his constant wristwatch. The ‘naughty’ in men and boys deserves the most unique looking timepieces and giving them just that are…

Omega Seamaster Bullhead

The striking timepiece has a wicked outlook and a never-seen-before design. Omega re-issued a limited variant of the popular Seamaster Bullhead. The case captures the strength of the mischievous clan in its 43mm stainless steel case which has pushers on the top of the case rather than on the sides. The silvery ‘rallye’ dial has a bold inner bezel and an edgy ‘stippling’ pattern. With black-rimmed sub dials, a date window at three o’clock, striped grey and white indices, and matching timekeeping hands, the dial is a thrilling experience for any watch enthusiast.

The black perforated calfskin leather strap with red stitching has a devilish appeal. Even on the technical front, the watch is a forerunner as it boasts of a column-wheel mechanism, bi-directional rotating bezel and a chronograph. The Bullhead is powered by an automatic co-axial calibre 3113.

Favre-Leuba Raider Sea-Sky

The naughty in guys doesn’t strike every day, even though that aspect of theirs has weighed in heavier all year long. Similarly, here’s a good looking watch that doesn’t grace the watch world very often. Favre-Leuba has given the naughty guys major wristwatch goals with the introduction of the Raider Sea-Sky. This watch is capable of ruling both, the seas and the skies, considering its mammoth 44m case.

The dial of the Sea-Sky draws inspiration from the original Raider, though with a modern twist. A zesty orange with grey numerals and an inner minute ring in silver keeps the dial clutter free and allows more space for the sub-dials. The orange hue transcends onto the chronograph hand too, which stands out thanks to a greyish-black dial. It’s a perfect escape watch, it can evade water up to 200m safely due to a screw-down crown with the Favre-Leuba ‘hourglass’ logo, and has the protection of the sapphire crystal glass. At the heart of the watch is the Valjoux calibre 7200.

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The ‘Nice’ List

Well to the ‘nice’ men, you ought to be on the priority list for Santa because he has seen your good side and should fast-track your wish. Being on the nice list does not mean you’d be palmed off boring watches. Rather for your good deeds – whether it was being chivalrous, or saving up not for yourself but for a worthy cause – we have extremely good looking, youthful timepieces.

Oris BC3

Oris is known for their sophisticated watches like the Aquis Date or the Big Crown ProPilot series. This perfectly nice watch comes from the Oris Aviation series, the Oris BC3 – an earthy looking watch, courtesy the beige-brown textile strap and a grey stainless steel buckle. It’s on the nice list for a reason, ie its mechanical prowess that will prove rewarding for any watch aficionado. It has a 42mm, grey PVD-plated, stainless steel case, which is protected by a flat, antireflective coating inside.

The grey dial encapsulates an eye-catching display with SuperLuminova indices and hands that look dapper. But what really accentuates the sophisticated vibe of the watch is the simple, yet smart portrayal of the date and day window at six o’clock.

Nomos Glashütte Campus Club 38 Campus Nacht 736

The second watch on the list is tailor-made for the ‘nice’ list. Everything about the watch has a benevolent touch to it, with a very quirky dial. The German watchmakers, Nomos Glashütte, exemplify simplicity but not by compromising on aesthetic appeal, and Club 38 Campus Nacht is a visionary example of that.

Even pleasantly charming guys need a wild night and this watch is for the rare occasions they decide to be a night owl. The hour indices and timekeeping hands are a visual spectacle. In the day they appear grey, but get illuminated in blue during the night, against a black dial. Even the presentation of hour indicators is upbeat with a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals and batons. The dial is housed in a solid 38.5mm steel case, with lugs of the same material, onto which the anthracite leather strap is secured.

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IWC Aquatimer Automatic

The ‘Badass’ List

Ho, ho, ho! This list is not naughty, nice, or everything fine. It’s rather dark and broody, for the men who are beyond conventional and have put up a tough side this year – the bad-to-the-bone kinds. Well, we aren’t referring to the malicious ones, but the men who define badass cover a spectrum, from those who ran a handicap marathon to those who turned into a heroic bystander and saved the day, or simply those men who go the extra mile and bust a muscle, pledging to a healthier lifestyle. If you are expecting heavy-duty watches with jaw dropping looks, this list will live up to your expectations.

Breitling Superocean Heritage 42

It’s Breitling so it’s bound to be badass! Like their Avenger and Colt collection, the Breitling Superocean Heritage 42 is a renegade timepiece with an athletic outlook. The watch is all-black, with a black rubber strap, a black unidirectional bezel and a black dial.

This Breitling, like the badass men on the list, is not all dark, and shines out courtesy the SuperLuminova hands, silver indices, white markings on the bezel and the white date window. Fastened onto the 42mm steel case is the über-sporty rubber strap with big perforated holes, which lives up to the aquatic reputation the watch.

Carl F. Bucherer Patravi TravelTec FourX Limited Edition

This version of the Carl F. Bucherer Patravi TravelTec makes most other watches look dull in comparison, and the men on the badass list have no reason to complain. The FourX Limited Edition is in a large, 46.6mm palladium case, yet it sits comfortably on the wrist due to the short lugs. This piece is certainly not a case of ‘all look, no character’.

Its name comes from the fact that four different materials are incorporated to form the case, namely palladium, ceramic, titanium and rubber. You see why it’s such a badass timepiece? Powered by a CFB 1901.1 calibre, the watch is a fortress of complications, including the 24-hour indicator, chronograph, GMT, three time zones, small seconds, and a date window – all beneath sapphire crystal glass. The dial might come across as a little cluttered due to excessive features, but we can trust the badass guys to decode this one.

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The ‘Wise’ List

Contrary to the badass guys and their rebel attitude are these ‘wise’ men. Do not confuse the wise list for uninteresting guys. They’re the clever ones who’ve played by the book all year round, made sound decisions, stayed in check when it came to notoriety, and had a generous take on life in 2017. The result? A ten-on-ten on Santa’s list, and a selection of exquisite watches on this list. These watches have outstanding complications, a sophisticated outlook, and are meant for gentlemen.

Corum Admiral’s Cup Legend 42

It’s all in the name. The wise list deserves a legendary watch and brand, hence the Corum Admiral’s Cup. Corum does not stop innovating, banking solely on its own laurels, be it the Corum Golden Bridge, the Coin collection, or their flagship Admiral’s Cup collection. This particular timepiece is a simple and elegant edition, with a 42mm dodecagonal steel case and white dial.

The watch dial has 11 baton indices to indicate hours and Arabic numeral ‘60’ placed at the 12 o’clock position. Each hour marking is backed by the patent Corum nautical flags, which add a spurt of colour to the elegant dial, which features a spectacular small seconds sub-dial right above the six o’clock index and a date window at three o’clock. The Corum Legend 42 emphasises all that which differentiates between boring and wise. It sits on the wrist gracefully due to the gorgeous, brown leather strap chosen for the watch by the prodigious Swiss watchmakers.

Raymond Weil Maestro

A master stroke from the house of Raymond Weil is this gorgeous two-tone watch for the thoroughbred gentleman. It’s the best reward for being perfect, as the dressy watch has a nice classical touch to it. The 39.5mm steel case is slim and sits well under any formal or semi-formal cuff. The versatility is reflected on the dial, in terms of look and complications.

The black guilloche textured dial has a calendar sub-dial at 6 o’clock and a beautiful moon phase display between 10 and 11 o’clock. The timepiece runs on the Caliber RW4500, an automatic movement that’s extremely reliable, just like the men who’d feature on this list. Lending the final touch of class to this watch is the black leather strap, which is simply regal.

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The list is diverse and so are the watches on it, and it’s up to you now to decide which list you belong on and tell us in the comments section below.