Buying a watch for my son

[Bob_Defly]

My son turns 18 this year and as much as he probably wants another VR headset, I'd prefer to get him something that will last.

He likes watches, as much as Gen Z do, but has shown a preference for a Hamilton Khaki Field watch like the one below, which is in budget (£600-£700)



The only thing I'm not sure about is if he wants to set the time every few days. I'd like to get him an automatic, as I much prefer a mechanical movement, but he'll need to keep on top of setting it. Personally I'd think he'd be happier with a quartz, but I'm not sure what would be good / long lasting for the same money.

Thoughts?

[Drooles]

I’d say, go for the very similar Hamilton Khaki Field but with a manual wind. They can be had online at the moment for less than £400. That sorts the sensible, enduring watch that he can keep forever. With the money you have spare, you could get a G Shock solar that has everything else covered…

[Super Sonic]

Hamilton khaki field quartz, £495.

[gregs656]

Not sure I understand the problem - if he is going to be wearing it regularly then it won't need winding anyway, and if he isn't wearing it regularly then he won't need to wind it every few days either?

[Jamescrs]

This kind of topic comes up fairly regularly on here it seems, all I’d say is make sure you are buying your son something he actually wants whether that is a watch or something else.

My parents bought me a watch for my 21st (I’m nearly 43 now), whilst I still have the watch I’ve never worn it once and probably never will. It’s a steel and gold dress watch and not my style whatsoever but I never wanted to upset my parents by telling them I don’t like it so it has sat in a drawer for the last 20+ years and will probably stay there.

[Bob_Defly]

Jamescrs said:

This kind of topic comes up fairly regularly on here it seems, all I’d say is make sure you are buying your son something he actually wants whether that is a watch or something else.

My parents bought me a watch for my 21st (I’m nearly 43 now), whilst I still have the watch I’ve never worn it once and probably never will. It’s a steel and gold dress watch and not my style whatsoever but I never wanted to upset my parents by telling them I don’t like it so it has sat in a drawer for the last 20+ years and will probably stay there.

LOL, I agree, I also have an 18th birthday bi-metal dress watch that is also never worn!

gregs656 said:

Not sure I understand the problem - if he is going to be wearing it regularly then it won't need winding anyway, and if he isn't wearing it regularly then he won't need to wind it every few days either?

An automatic won't need winding, but it will need adjusting each week. I'm worried he'll be annoyed that it's not accurate all the time, daily winding would probably annoy him more.

I was erring towards a Seiko Speedtimer (813/913) but wondering how these watches would fair after say 10 years. Are the batteries easily replaceable?

[popeyewhite]

Yep Seiko.

[gregs656]

He won’t need to adjust it weekly in my experience.

If he likes the Hamilton then I’d get it - no point getting him something he doesn’t want.

[SWoll]

Bob_Defly said:

Jamescrs said:

This kind of topic comes up fairly regularly on here it seems, all I’d say is make sure you are buying your son something he actually wants whether that is a watch or something else.

My parents bought me a watch for my 21st (I’m nearly 43 now), whilst I still have the watch I’ve never worn it once and probably never will. It’s a steel and gold dress watch and not my style whatsoever but I never wanted to upset my parents by telling them I don’t like it so it has sat in a drawer for the last 20+ years and will probably stay there.

LOL, I agree, I also have an 18th birthday bi-metal dress watch that is also never worn!

I imagine the fact that they've never seen you wearing the watch at any point is a bit of a giveaway?

Agree with the other comments above. I'd personally take him to a store carrying a few brands and have him try things on to ensure whatever you buy him is something he really wants and will continue to enjoy.

The auto v quartz thing is far less important I'd suggest. If setting the time on an auto every few days if not worn is really an issue then buy him a cheap watch winder for it?

[the-norseman]

Does he already wear watches? I didn't at all, until the day my dad died and I inherited one of his Rolex, have since worn one everyday.

The missus 11 year old has started wearing them daily since he was about 9, so he will probably get bought a semi decent one for his 18th if he carries it on. If the kid has no interest at all I'd say dont bother.

[Louis Balfour]

Bob_Defly said:

My son turns 18 this year and as much as he probably wants another VR headset, I'd prefer to get him something that will last.

He likes watches, as much as Gen Z do, but has shown a preference for a Hamilton Khaki Field watch like the one below, which is in budget (£600-£700)



The only thing I'm not sure about is if he wants to set the time every few days. I'd like to get him an automatic, as I much prefer a mechanical movement, but he'll need to keep on top of setting it. Personally I'd think he'd be happier with a quartz, but I'm not sure what would be good / long lasting for the same money.

Thoughts?

Your question isn't very clear.

If you're saying that as a Gen Z he isn't THAT interested in watches, buy him a quartz. I don't like them, but he will be more likely to wear it.

If he is a bit interested, and will wear it regularly, the auto would be my preference.

I would not buy him a manual wind. He won't wear it unless he is keen and "into" watches.

[Gastons_Revenge]

On his birthday you could take him for a day out to a shopping centre with a few jewellers and see if he shows any interest in various models once he has them on his wrist? Probably get a better result from that and avoid any disappointment like other users had with birthday watches they never wore.

[CrippsCorner]

Or just buy it, but hand it over and say, if you don't like it, we can change it for another model! This gives the option of not offending you... if you're spending money on it, you're going to want him to wear it right?

[Pedro25]

the-norseman said:

Does he already wear watches? I didn't at all, until the day my dad died and I inherited one of his Rolex, have since worn one everyday.

The missus 11 year old has started wearing them daily since he was about 9, so he will probably get bought a semi decent one for his 18th if he carries it on. If the kid has no interest at all I'd say dont bother.

My son was born 1991, I bought a Tag professional a few days after his birth, for his 18th I had it sent back to Tag, refurbished and cleaned up, handed it to him on his 18th with his other gifts, had the original box, papers receipt everything, he's 30 in April I've never seen him wear it but once a year he sends me a photo of it in it's box to prove he still has it, just he can't bring himself to wear it on a regular basis. He's definitely not getting a watch for his 30th!

[r1ch]

The Hamilton khaki quartz is a very good watch, been my daily watch for many years.

[Super Sonic]

r1ch said:

The Hamilton khaki quartz is a very good watch, been my daily watch for many years.

this.
Seems obvious. He likes the Hamilton khaki but you think he'd prefer quartz.

[anonymous-user]

If you opt for the Hamilton and he's not going to wear it every day why not get him a watch winder for it? I have a number of automatics and most have date or date / day and it's a pain to keep them going manually so I bought a couple of winder boxes and that solved the problem. I bought the Watch Winder Smith ones which are not terribly expensive and actually look pretty nice.

If you go for a quartz there are some great looking Citizen Eco-drives with the atomic movements. I have two and, while I don't wear them very often, I use them to set all my other watches by as they are always accurate to within a fraction of a second. I have this one and my son liked it so I got him one also and he wears it every day.

[dave123456]

unrepentant said:

If you opt for the Hamilton and he's not going to wear it every day why not get him a watch winder for it? I have a number of automatics and most have date or date / day and it's a pain to keep them going manually so I bought a couple of winder boxes and that solved the problem. I bought the Watch Winder Smith ones which are not terribly expensive and actually look pretty nice.

If you go for a quartz there are some great looking Citizen Eco-drives with the atomic movements. I have two and, while I don't wear them very often, I use them to set all my other watches by as they are always accurate to within a fraction of a second. I have this one and my son liked it so I got him one also and he wears it every day.

How do you know they are accurate to within a fraction of a second?

I just use an iPhone….

[Super Sonic]

dave123456 said:

How do you know they are accurate to within a fraction of a second?

I just use an iPhone….

They're radio controlled, as it says on the dial.
Difficult to strap an I phone to your wrist.

[anonymous-user]

dave123456 said:

unrepentant said:

If you opt for the Hamilton and he's not going to wear it every day why not get him a watch winder for it? I have a number of automatics and most have date or date / day and it's a pain to keep them going manually so I bought a couple of winder boxes and that solved the problem. I bought the Watch Winder Smith ones which are not terribly expensive and actually look pretty nice.

If you go for a quartz there are some great looking Citizen Eco-drives with the atomic movements. I have two and, while I don't wear them very often, I use them to set all my other watches by as they are always accurate to within a fraction of a second. I have this one and my son liked it so I got him one also and he wears it every day.

How do you know they are accurate to within a fraction of a second?

I just use an iPhone….

Because they are. If you compare to the time on the iphone they are exactly the same. They take a radio signal containing a time syncronization code from a satellite several times a day. That syncronizes the watch movement to UTC. They are incredibly accurate, way moreso than my Breitling or any of my other watches.