A slight tangent this time; If you’re looking for a good valentine’s day gift for men, specifically a watch, it can be a daunting task. Of course no one needs a watch into today’s world but that’s not the point.  The watch is the only piece of jewelry a man can legitimately wear so in my view it’s fairly important to put some thought into it. The worst thing you can do is walk into a jeweler’s not knowing what you want, you’ll end up $2,000 poorer with a boring Tag Heuer, yawn, no thanks.

What makes a watch special? Different things to different people I suppose but for it it’s the complexity of the movement, the history of the company, the engineering behind it or the overall uniqueness factor.

I’m offering a list of watches, off-the-beaten path which provide both a conversation piece as well as great engineering.

If you must own only one watch, make it an Omega Seamaster [LINK]. Omega had the first watch on the moon, the official timekeeper of the Olympics and of course the choice of James Bond. The James Bond Seamaster would not be my choice due to styling but there are plenty of Seamasters out there, most notable are the Aqua Terra, the Planet Ocean and the GMT, all gorgeous in my opinion and all work well as a dress watch too.

The next make I would add to the collection would be IWC. The International Watch Company. These tend to be more expensive (and more exclusive) than Omega but IWC makes a truly special watch.  You will rarely see someone wear an IWC.

A couple of models in the IWC line to take note of would be the Portofino Automatic, the Portuguese Automatic, or probably best known for their “Big Pilot” watch (worn by John Mayer) but that’s huge, I would look at the Mark XV or XVI.  Bear in mind these would not be a watch I would wear every day.

Crossing into Germany next pick would be the MeisterSinger (http://meistersinger.net/). MeisterSinger are a relatively new watch maker having been in business since 2001 but they make a really nice watch.  The majority of their models are single-handed, no second hand or minute hand. They do have a few complications but overall make a really clean watch and with only one hand folks will undoubtedly notice it.

Sinn is considered the quintessential German sports watch; they pack some ridiculous engineering into their watches including a custom method of hardening the case and making the steel scratch resistant, a movement that doesn’t need lubrication, they even fill some of their cases with a silicone oil that resists compression enabling the watch to descend to 12,000 meters without cracking.  I like the 656 or 756 or how about the klassik?

Lastly I came across Fred Dingemans. Fred is a unique watchmaker, turning out only 12 models a year, each a variation on a handful of designs he makes and for a very reasonable price. Fred makes as much of the watch as possible himself, including the crown, case, clasp, glass, hands and face. This is a watch that money doesn’t get (very similar to a Ferrari Dino). You have to earn this thing. I reached out to Fred who replied almost instantly and the current waiting list is 8 month. I am very tempted to place an order.

There are a lot of worthy watches out there, so enjoy your hunt. Just don’t pick one of those cookie cutter Rolex’s or Tags.