Designer watches make an excellent gift for a wide variety of occasions. One of the reasons is that other than a wedding ring, a timepiece is one of the few pieces of jewelry that a man will actually wear on a regular basis, because it's not only an adornment, it's a practical tool as well. Fortunately, there is a virtually endless and even mind-boggling variety of from which to choose.

Selecting the Right

So...you're either a woman looking for the perfect gift for the man in your life or a man considering choosing one of the many on the market as a gift to a friend, relative, valued employee, etc. You're looking at diamond watches and other luxury timepieces, but are clueless as to just which one to choose.

This is an area in which it pays to know the recipient - what sort of person he is, his personality, likes and dislikes, interests, hobbies and such.

The 'Man's Man'

For example, a man who enjoys outdoors activities such as mountain climbing, off-road motorcycling, scuba diving or hang gliding would appreciate a timepiece such as a dive watch or 'navy' watch. These kinds of mens watches are exceptionally rugged and designed to stand up to hard use and extreme conditions. Similarly, 'sports watches' - designed for the athlete - are constructed to endure some measure of abuse. The difference is that navy watches generally have additional features and thus tend to be more expensive.

Some manufacturers of dive and sports watches include:

•    Chase-Durer

•    Fortis

•    Luminox

•    Dunhill

•    Longines

The 'Well-Dressed Man'

If the man in question prefers clothing from Savile Row or Beau Brummell, one of many designer watches from firms specializing in such products may be in order. These are watches that are designed to impress and look great adorning one's wrist. These may be diamond watches or timepieces that have exotic casings made from platinum or even titanium. Louis Cartier was the first to design a man's watch over 100 years ago, and today remains one of the foremost names in upscale, high-fashion men's watches.

Other brands you may wish to consider include:

•    Gucci

•    Geneve

•    Movado

Fun and Quirky

For the man who makes his living as an entertainer, there are mens watches available that are bold, colorful and even eccentric. Some of these include novelty watches with designs inspired by popular films such as Star Wars  or the Indiana Jones series. Others feature designs that one might find at a Hollywood studio party or on the wrists of celebrities. If this sound like your guy, consider a watch from any of the following:

•    Fossil

•    Geneva

•    Joe Rodeo

•    Jacob & Company

As you can see, shopping for designer watches can be a big project - but a lot of fun too as you look at all the different kinds of designer watches  available on today's market.