subject: Gift-Wrap Those Watches [print this page] Gift-Wrap Those Watches Gift-Wrap Those Watches
The holiday season brings joy, peace and the reason to give. If until now you haven't figured out what to gift-wrap for your wife or husband or friend, here are some advice you might want to consider.
The first thing you should think of when you're buying a watch as a gift is your budget. Before choosing an item, set first a price range. If your budget is somewhere between $5,000 and $80,000, there are lots of brands to choose from since many watchmaking companies aim at clients who earn at this price range. The timepieces in this bracket are good, but not as good as the ones in the next price range.
A luxury watch that falls under the six-digit price range is way ahead of the pack. The unique movement in these watches, whether it's for men or women, must have been shining with jewels and precious stones. Patek Philippe, Girard-Perregaux and Vacheron Constantin are just some of the watchmaking companies in Switzerland that are known for turning out elite timepieces worth more than a hundred thousand dollars. These are tools that will take a big bite out of your pocket especially if you're not an authentic rich, and even if you are rich wouldn't you have a change of heart when you realize that's a $200,000 Girard-Perregaux watch you're wrapping up.
When did giving away of luxury wristwatches start? It all started in the latter half of the 19th century when wristwatches became an in-thing during World War I. Patek Philippe and Cartier took advantage of this and produced high quality timepieces in restricted quantities and sold them for a very high price. Soon, other watchmaking companies followed.
The reason why luxury watches are a smash is that they are status symbols. They stand for the economic and social prestige of the wearer. According to Matthew Morse, editor in chief of WatchTime magazine, the modern day elite timepieces -- those that are available for $100,000 and above -- will only have their appeal to the true blooded connoisseurs. Actually, the manufactures of these watches don't make a killing out of them. Just the same, they keep on producing expensive watches because they want their clients to have a sense of exclusivity. Whether it's worn or not, an elite watch priced at 200,000 will definitely bolster one's ego.
But what makes a watch so expensive? It all boils down to two reasons: complication and the materials used to make the watches. Of course, the design is important, but most often a good design comes when the first two are achieved. By complication, a luxury watch should have more parts. A typical chronograph -- meaning it has day/date displays, chronographs, and automatic winding mechanisms -- has around 250 components, but a grandes complications, a complex timepiece, has more than a thousand tiny pieces. This is why topnotch luxury watches are not mass-produced. And since luxury watches are limited, they are not available all the time even if you can afford to pay for it.
