“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.” 

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Have you ever found yourself so overboard happy about giving a gift to someone close to you that your excitement overshadows one of the receivers?

Don’t worry, it is not because you are an energetic ball of emotions, or at least not entirely. Psychologists have concluded that most often the giver, rather than the receiver of the gift reaps the biggest psychological gains from the gift. During the act of giving, we reinforce our feelings for the person getting the gift and start feeling more effective, and even accomplished.

And if you master the art of gift giving, you will enjoy better emotional relationships and a stronger bond with the people who are close to you. According to researcher Dr. McGrath, “Who is on your gift list is telling you who is important in your life. It says who is more important and who is less important.”

When it comes to presenting someone with a watch, it is usually associated with rather special occasions and very special people, as the watch is a very personal gift, and in many cases, a pretty luxurious (read: expensive) gift.

Choosing a watch as a present may be a dreadful experience for some, since, just like with jewelry, you need to know that person well, if you are planning to see that watch being worn on their wrist at all.

And just like with the color of the rose you get to your loved one – whether it is red, white or yellow, or giving knives as a wedding gift, which is considered as bad luck in many cultures, giving a watch as a gift also has a symbolic meaning behind it.

In many cultures, it is believed that giving a clock/watch to someone is bad luck. The origin of this superstition comes from China where the phrase ‘giving a clock’ sounds the same as ‘attending a funeral’.

However, since in our language, giving a watch, means giving a watch and does not hold any hidden ‘death wishing’ and ‘ghost evoking’ meanings, let’s have a look at the positive symbolism hidden in the ritual of giving a watch as a present.

Depending on the giver and receiver, giving a watch may be interpreted in various ways:

 If a man gives a watch to a woman, he is:

●    Declaring his love for her ‘every second of the day’. In this way, he is also saving on his mobile bill, as he doesn’t have to call/text her that much, as the watch does it for him.

●    Reminding her of him every minute and hour of the day, whenever she checks the time on her watch.

●    Entrusting his time to the woman.

If a woman gives a watch to a man, she is:

●    Declaring that ‘Мy time is your time. Your time is my time’. Or, the Game of Thrones version may be: “You’re mine and I’m yours!”

●    Reminding you that she is thinking of you every minute of the day whenever you are apart.

●    Promising to be by his side, just like the watch.

If you give a watch to a friend, you are:

●    Showing that you treasure the time spent with them, and are looking forward to a lot of precious moments together.

●    Promising to be by their side and hope that they will be happy every second, every hour of the day.

If you give a watch to a child, you are:

●    Hoping to see the child enjoy and cherish every moment of their time.

●    Wishing to see the child use their time wisely and reach for the stars.

In our opinion, just like with beauty, the symbolism in gift giving is ‘in the eye of the beholder’. Regardless of the type of gift you wish to give, what matters most are your intent, positive vibes and good wishes to the receiver of the gift.

And remember, a watch does not go out of date, it only becomes more valuable with time and when presented for achievements and success, is always a good reminder for the milestones achieved by its owner.

Important hack: Make sure that the person getting the watch actually likes to wear those.

Would you gift a watch to a person, who is close to you and if so, what type of watch would you choose?