The choice of a watch as a gift is one that several organisations make time and time again and there are many reasons why this is so. In giving a watch, you need to understand that though you rarely go wrong with the choice of a watch, if proper consideration is not given to it, you can go wrong with the choice of the watch.

Organisations buy business gifts for several reasons, usually, however, the recipient of such gifts will either be:

·  Within the organisation – to colleagues/co-workers

·  Outside the organisation - to customers/clients

 This article will be looking at the giving of gifts within the organisation.

 Companies give gifts within the organisation for several reasons such as:

·   In celebration of milestones within the company e.g. long service

·   In celebration of milestones in the individual's life e,g. birthdays, attaining professional qualifications

·   Outstanding performance: this could be on the job or in the society at large.

·   End of year celebrations.

If the recipient of the gift is of any value to the organisation, then you would want the gift likewise to be of value to the recipient…something he/she would appreciate. Depending on the recipient all sorts of gifts could suffice.

The choice of watches however is one that several companies make time and time again and there are many reasons why this is so:

• Watches generally have a long life span—unlike TV sets or phones, they rarely go out of fashion.
• They are also very durable: a good-quality watch, even when worn every day, will last for years and years and will still be working and in good condition by the time the wearer has gotten tired of it.
• They require very little maintenance: So they don’t become liabilities over time to the recipient.
• ·Being that they are wants and not needs, you can never really have more than enough, also depending on the recipient the brand presented could be a brand that the recipient is presently only able to aspire to.

When giving a watch, it becomes important to consider who the recipient is and what the occasion being celebrated is.

1. The watch must be occasion-appropriate: A watch that is appropriate for a lady celebrating her 31st birthday might not be appropriate for a lady who is being rewarded for having put in 30 years of service into a company. Likewise, a watch that is appropriate for a guy as a wedding present might not be appropriate for someone celebrating his 50th birthday.
2. It must be personality-appropriate: Is the person flamboyant or conservative? Is she bold and daring or a conformist? What someone with a flamboyant personality would like… a conservative person would find unwearable.
3. It must be age/generation appropriate: A younger person will likely be trendy You don’t want to buy a grandma watch for a young and trendy lady.

Bottom line, you need to understand that though you rarely go wrong with the choice of a watch, if proper consideration is not given to it, you can go wrong with the choice of the watch.

Good as the choice of a wristwatch might be though, where budget is a serious constraint, it might sometimes be better to look elsewhere.

For instance, the head of a department in a blue-chip company is retiring after attaining the age of 60 and the department has a budget of $200.00

In this type of situation, it will be better to look to buy something else. This is because at this level (head of department at 60) the recipient would very likely have achieved a considerable level of financial liberty and most likely already have watches that are substantially more expensive.

So, though the thought might be appreciated, your gift will most likely end up on the wrist of someone else as your gift would very likely be below their level.

If you are yet to decide on what to buy, a watch is always a good choice but give the choice proper thought.