The Sharp List: Our 2020 Watch Gift Guide for Every Enthusiast
This year made us look at time (and by extension our watches) differently. Here, our picks for watches that do more than just tell time — they add beauty to life.
Longines Heritage Classic Tuxedo
There are not a lot of occasions to wear a tuxedo these days, but you can wear this watch every day of the week. Based on a Longines model from the 1940s, its striking black and white dial and 38.5 mm case work just as well with your WFH wardrobe as with a penguin suit. $2,000
BVLGARI Gérald Genta Arena Bi-Retrograde Sport
While his designs for the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus get a lot of well-deserved respect, Gerald Genta’s catalogue is both extensive and innovative. This reboot, for example, showcases a novel way of tell- ing time: it displays hours in a window at 12 o’clock, and uses “retrograde” hands that sweep across the top and bottom of the dial for minutes and days. Another brilliant design from a brilliant designer. $19,300
Hamilton American Classic Intra-Matic Auto Chrono
This modern take on a Hamilton “panda dial” chronograph from the 1960s has all of the appeal of the original, plus a stylish stainless steel mesh bracelet and a sporty hit of blue. $2,900
Rolex Sky-Dweller
The Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller got a refresh this year thanks to the addition of an Oysterflex bracelet, but it’s been a hid- den gem in the Rolex catalogue for years. Indeed, the more time you spend with this watch, the more you find to appreciate about it, from its fluted bezel to its subtle red month indicator to its annual calendar movement that’s programmed to differ- entiate between 30 and 31-day months. $47,250
BWD × Black Badger “Fordite” TAG Heuer Carrera
This one-of-one Carrera has been customized by London’s Bamford Watch Department using one of the rarest materials on earth: Fordite. A term used for the collected overspray that accumulated in Ford’s Michigan paint shops over the decades, it makes for a beautiful and one-of-a-kind watch dial with a unique automotive heritage. £5,500 GBP
