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A Piece of Your Time: What Does It Mean to Gift a Woman a Watch?

From as far back as the 16th-century, watches have been a luxury that holds far more sentimental value than merely telling the time. Today, giving a watch as a gift still contains a great deal of meaning. If that gift is from a man to a woman, it’s even more significant. 

If you’ve received one of our high-end, luxury timepieces as a gift from the special man in your life you might be wondering what it signifies. To offer some insight, we’ve outlined just some of the wonderful reasons men have bought their girlfriends, fiancées or wives a Backes & Strauss watch.

THE GIFT OF STYLE

Wristwatches have been a must-have fashion accessory since they became popular at the beginning of the 20th century. As small as they are, they say a lot about the wearer, and classic designs can complement even the most dedicated follower of fashion.

Our timepieces have been designed to be worn for decades, and tie into changing tastes in the world of what’s in vogue. When you’re given the perfect watch, you’re getting the result of careful thinking about your specific taste and lifestyle. You’ll hopefully receive an accessory that complements your overall style and makes you look that much more fabulous.

Whether it’s a streamlined chronograph or a frothy rose gold timepiece with a delicate strap, every Backes & Strauss watch has a character of its very own. Just like you do. The person who purchased your watch will have considered the essence of you, and your watch should express this.

THE GIFT OF PRACTICALITY

Even the sumptuous, diamond-encrusted, handcrafted masterpieces we create are utilitarian items. However advanced we may be technologically, people still need watches!

It’s good to stay organised, and this means keeping track of time throughout the day. But as many women can agree, it’s not always the most straight forward task to root around in your handbag to find your cellphone! A quick glance at a beautiful timepiece on your wrist is much easier and far more satisfying. Plus, it provides a subtle yet constant reminder of the special person who gifted you your watch too.

THE GIFT OF LUXURY

There’s nothing that can quite compare to unboxing a luxurious gift and Backes & Strauss makes this part of the process especially enjoyable. The sumptuousness of our designs extends into how our pieces are packaged, and we make sure every second you spend with one of our items counts!

Like jewellery, there is the exquisite suspense in sliding the box open to reveal what’s inside and then the pure joy at the thing of beauty you find. Whether it’s a birthday gift, a present for the holiday season or just because, when you gift a woman a watch, you’re also gifting her a symbol of opulence and splendour.

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

Another significant metaphor that comes into play with a watch gift is that of giving someone time. This is a commodity we all wish we had more of with the ones we love. Watches can even become treasured heirlooms, handed down to the next generation of powerful women in the family to mark important milestones. In that sense, the strong sentimental value of your watch has no time limit – it is to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Wearing your new gift may even help you be more on time! After all, it elevates you and makes you look more polished and professional. This goes a long way towards readying you for the challenges you face every day.

THE GIFT OF A DAILY REMINDER

There’s nothing throwaway about the gift of a watch. After all, they’ve been carefully designed to be worn, used, and enjoyed each day. They’re also one of the only things that can be worn all the time and giving someone a timepiece means they’ll think of you more often.

A wristwatch will remind a woman of the person who gave it to her every time she puts it on, each time she looks at it during your day or night. And then once more when she takes it off before a shower, bath, swim, or to get a good night’s rest.

For betrothed couples, watches can make a poetic, romantic gift symbolising the couple’s time together. Classic timepieces are ideal as an anniversary gift as they signify the past, present and future. A man who gives you this kind of present is communicating the depth of his commitment and his abiding affection for you.

If you’re not yet betrothed and have received something of this calibre from the man in your life, it almost always means that he’s committed to you. It signifies the depth of your relationship and cements the idea that he would like to share every second, minute and hour together.

A PERSONAL, UNIQUE GIFT

What makes the perfect wristwatch such an ideal gift for women is the fact that so much care and attention goes into choosing it. You’ll treasure not only the handcrafted excellence that defines our pieces but how personally meaningful it is too. It tells you that the giver values your wants and needs and deepens your relationship with recognition of your individuality.

The gift of wristwatch shows that a lot of thought has gone into the present and that the giver is interested in you and wants to know what you like. As complex a process as this is, it’s simplicity itself and is evidence of a deep and abiding connection between two people.

Giving something as personal and meaningful as a Backes & Strauss wristwatch requires the giver to make a calculated risk because he has to understand you to buy you something you’ll love. It’s a way to establish even more of an emotional tie between a couple and is about your beloved taking a more active role in your life.

Many literal and figurative meanings can be ascribed to the gift-giving of a watch. But at the end of the day, it’s up to you to decipher what the intention is behind it. However, it’s a pretty safe assumption that if someone has taken the time to try and figure out what kind of timepiece would suit you and your needs best; he’s been hit by Cupid’s arrow!

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Le Brassus, – Swiss Haute Horlogerie Manufacturer Audemars Piguet presents its Only Watch unique piece 2019: the two-tone Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Tourbillon Openworked.

CODE 11.59 BY AUDEMARS PIGUET – TOURBILLON OPENWORKED ONLY WATCH UNIQUE PIECE 2019

The unique model’s two-tone case emphasizes the architectural complexity of Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet. Its 18-carat pink gold octagonal middle case subtly contrasts with the 18-carat white gold extra-thin bezel, lugs and caseback. Satin-brushed, bevelled and polished, the bezel, lugs and case present refined finishing techniques usually found on calibres. The caseback is engraved with “Unique Piece.”

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code-11-59-by-audemars-piguet-tourbillon-openworked-only-watch-unique-piece-2019

This watch houses a hand-wound tourbillon openworked movement, calibre 2948. Its rhodium-toned openworked plate, finished with vertical traits-tirés, is enhanced by pink gold-toned titanium tourbillon and barrel bridges with polished rhodium-toned angles. Echoing the two-tone colour of the case, the decoration of this movement amplifies the watch’s multi-tiered construction. With 70 hand-polished angles, the hand finishing on this movement pushes the openworking art to new heights.


The opaline silver-toned white gold inner bezel nicely frames the openworked movement and accentuates the extra-thinness of the watch’s bezel, barely visible around the dial. The long 18-carat pink gold hands add yet another subtle touch of colour.

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This unique model comes with a black alligator strap, which further highlights the refinement and artistry of the watch’s case and movement.
François-Henry Bennahmias, Audemars Piguet Chief Executive Officer, rejoices over Audemars Piguet’s participation in this event: “We are proud to contribute to this charity auction once more and help advance scientific and medical research.”

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Tourbillon Openworked // 41mm
26600CR.OO.D002CR.99
FUNCTIONS
Tourbillon, hours and minute.
CASE
18-carat pink gold case, 18-carat white gold bezel, lugs and caseback, glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback, water-resistant to 30m.
DIAL
Opaline silver-toned 18-carat white gold inner bezel, openworked, 18-carat pink gold hands.
STRAP
Hand-stitched “large square scale” black alligator strap with 18-carat white gold folding clasp.
MOVEMENT
Hand-wound Manufacture calibre 2948
Total diameter: 31.65 mm (14 lignes)
Total thickness: 4.97 mm
Number of parts: 196
Number of jewels: 19
Minimal guaranteed power reserve: 80 h
Frequency of balance wheel: 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour)
Join the #AudemarsPiguet & discussions @AudemarsPiguet

About Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet is the oldest fine watchmaking manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families (Audemars and Piguet). Since 1875, the company has written some of the finest chapters in the history of Haute Horlogerie, including a number of world firsts. In the Vallée de Joux, at the heart of the Swiss Jura, numerous masterpieces are created in limited series embodying a remarkable degree of horological perfection, including daring sporty models, classic and traditional timepieces, splendid ladies’ jewellery-watches, as well as one-of-a-kind creations. www.audemarspiguet.com
©Audemars Piguet 2019

SCARLET-SPLENDOUR-1animagic

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” Pushing the boundaries of shape and form, Matteo’s ANIMAGIC collection is a celebration of animal forms in andromorphous design. An odd mix of humour, luxury and utility, these pieces go beyond being furniture – they are magical, sculptural objects, almost life like, that make you smile every time you glance at them.

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SCARLET-SPLENDOUR-1animagic

Scarlet Splendour – Animagic

Wedged somewhere in fantasy land between Willy Wonka and Alice in Wonderland, these luxury designer pieces will blow your mind. Meet Scarlet Splendour.

Scarlet Splendour: the first time we’ve ever used the company name, which describes exactly who they are, as the title of an article. The hot colours of India, the hot stars of the silver screen and the splendour that all this evokes. Add a large dollop of humour, the extraordinary design skills of its founders, Indian craftsmanship and best of what Italy offers the world of international furniture design, and success is almost a given.

Almost, but not quite. Like a meal prepared by a top chef, all the ingredients must be measured and fall in exactly the right places, and of course, a key element is entrepreneurship. Siblings Ashish Bajoria and Suman Kanodia debuted their first collection of 15 pieces, titled Vanilla Noir, during the Milan Design Week in 2015, paying homage to the era of silent movies with their light-hearted irony and underlying depth in black and white, and they pulled it off with only three month’s preparation. Little wonder then that this Kolkata-based brand has expanded so rapidly.

More than 50 trips to various Italian cities and regions later, the founders realised that bringing European design and Indian craftsmanship together is what creates the kind of previously unseen synergy they were aiming for. Scarlet Splendour successfully transcends geographical borders while staying true to its mission: to preserve the artisan traditions of India and open them up to the rest of the world through top international design.

Above: The Ciuco Cabinet by Matteo Cibic is a decadent conversation piece.

The pieces, whose design link to India is mainly in the colours and certain design details of the whole, veer between surrealism, absurdism, Art Deco, the playful works of artists like Barry Flanagan and Jeff Koons, and not least, functionalism, although in time, perhaps, they themselves will become an “ism”.

Each piece is startling: “For us the drama is all about standing out and creating impact”, and each has been designed by the founders or their top-notch collaborators and made to the highest standards of Indian craftsmanship. Each also has an element of fun, from the rabbits’ heads and ears on otherwise fairly sober drinks cabinets to the outrageous shapes, doors and other details. To see their Madame Verdoux cabinet from the Vanilla Noir collection, for example, is to both have a laugh at the absurdity of a two-metre high water bottle and to look into the colonial past of India itself. To see the spidery legs on their Nika Zupanc pieces, which seem to float above the floor, is to realise the genius of 1950s furniture design, and to see the 88 Secrets Bar cabinet is to know that these people have a fine respect for the Art Deco period. Plainly put, they know their stuff.

Above: Siblings Ashish Bajoria and Suman Kanodia

UDesign talked to Ashish Bajoria shortly after the release of the brand’s latest collection, which brings together designers from Italy, Slovenia and Holland.

The motto of your company is “Craft, drama and luxury”. Where does the drama fit in?

Each product is hand-made, each is a luxury piece, and each is dramatic and maximalist as well. We know it creates a certain drama in the space around it, wherever it is. For us the drama is about standing out and creating impact. I don’t want to call them statement pieces, but they are indeed dramatic.