The Best Watches for Father's Day 2024

We have reached the time when we traditionally celebrate our dear fathers on the day dedicated to them and all their sacrifices throughout the year to provide for us and the family's needs. Of course, today, families have changed dramatically, and many moms are also dads. Still, the deep meaning of this holiday has remained, especially as an occasion to celebrate something important: the relationship between parents and their children.

Gifting a watch in our tradition

The custom of giving watches for Father's Day is a purely male tradition and one well-rooted in time. On other important occasions, it was also customary to give a man a watch, for example, as a gift at the end of a course of study or to mark an equally significant occasion.

For example, the custom of journalists to give a watch to U.S. Presidents at the end of their five-year term in the White House gave rise to the phenomenon of the Vulcain Cricket, the "President's Watch," especially appreciated by Lyndon Johnson (who was a watch lover in general).

Etiquette also holds that in traditionally sealing an official engagement, the man gives the woman a solitaire, while she gives him a dress watch, possibly made of gold. And the superstition requires that he return her a coin because "love ends when the watch runs out." So, we suggest automatic watches and a nice time box to go with it!

The watch as a rite of passage

By their very nature, automatic watches for men are virtually eternal if well serviced. Thus, it has always been an object passed down through the generations, connecting us back to our roots. The famous advertisement of a company like Patek Philippe is very clear in this regard: you never own a Patek Philippe; you take care of it for the next generation.

Giving the watch that had been passed down to us by our parents and to them by their parents is an important rite of passage, leading to maturity.
It is a kind of handover to a son who has become a man and, therefore, responsible. In a way, the father is relenting part of his immaterial estate.

Similarly, on the contrary, we established an equal and opposite effect: that of giving our father something for him to wear.

So, often it was a tie, which explains the excessive number of never-worn ties in many men's wardrobes and other items and accessories, including cufflinks, belts, and the object-prince that stands out: of course, the watch. 

The Father's Day watches

With the incredible popularity of quartz and so-called fashion watches, the latter have multiplied like ties and often lie in the meanders of drawers at home. But this does not mean that they have not been used and, more importantly, appreciated. Because, as with any gift, it is the thought that really counts.

Sometimes it is just a thought, like certain pocket watches with quartz mechanism decorated on the back with a personalized inscription that is actually the most important element of the timepiece.

Other times it is about watches that have quality value, and it is these that we prefer to focus on. In recent years, despite the growth of smartwatches, there has been a return to mechanical watchmaking, where so many young people have rediscovered the pleasure of wearing such an obsolete and beautiful timepiece.

So much so that Maisons have reissued successful models from years past, bringing them under the generic name of Heritage. And these are, most likely, those same watches that our parents saw in their youth.

Finding them identical is like going through a drawer and finding a cherished object you thought was lost. You don't just find a thing; you reopen a window to the memories that this object evokes in us.

A few gift suggestions

Davosa has all the makings for the perfect watch for dad. Among the different collections of Davosa, you can find watches of great charm inspired by some famous models from the history of watchmaking and others that instead present a unique design. Still, all are accompanied by extreme attention to materials and details and an excellent price/performance ratio.

Davosa Classic Heritage Quartz 16246655

If there is a prototype of the ultimate dad's watch, this timepiece represents it well. Its size of 39 mm makes it perfectly wearable on the wrist, and the purity of its lines, with very prominent markers on the black dial, enhances its legibility. Powered by a sturdy Ronda quartz movement, this timepiece proves both elegant and sporty, as well as precise as all quartz watches. As a result, it is genuinely suitable for all occasions, and the price of only $229 will make it even more appealing to you.

Davosa Neoteric Pilot 42 mm 16156596

This pilot-style watch, precisely a Flieger B-Uhr, offers this type of timepiece even to lesser wrists, thanks to a diameter of 42 mm. The Neoteric Pilot combines sportiness with the suggestion of lines that echo military watches, softened by an unusual gray and orange color scheme and enhanced by the distressed leather strap. It mounts a DAV3021 automatic movement derived from the Sellita SW200 and is priced at $748. 

Davosa Ternos Professional GMT TT 42 mm 16157109

If you really want to spoil your dad, this is the perfect watch. GMT watches are wonderful, and this is a beautiful diver, with 200 meters of water resistance, equipped with an automatic caliber DAV 3032 and a GMT feature to mark the time in two zones of the world, thanks to the black and red "Coke" ceramic bezel. Its 42 mm size is well carried by the five-link bracelet. It can be yours for $1,399. 

Main Takeaways

The importance of Father's Day and of giving and getting a watch as a gift is all here: it serves to demonstrate, through a small gesture, a bond that unites us. However, the value is not essential. It matters little whether you wear it once or for a lifetime.

But what is important is the memory, magical and indissoluble, that is created on that occasion.

Update: This article was updated on the January 26th, 2024 and is now updated for 2024.