Valentine's Day Watches: Top 5 Tips for Buying Your Significant Other a Watch for Valentine's Day.

A watch is an easy gift for Valentine's Day, right? But unless you want to end up in the doghouse, there are some things to consider, especially shape, size, silhouette and materials. Here, our resident watch expert, Sarah Jordan, shares her top five tips for buying a Valentine's Day gift to make the day special. If you follow these principles, you *should* end up with a watch your loved one will appreciate for many years to come, whether the special person is your girlfriend, boyfriend, or partner.

You might be surprised to hear that not a single one of my top tips for Valentine's Day has anything to do with price. Even a £100 watch can be sentimental and treasured if chosen for the right reasons. But presuming you've got a budget in mind for your Valentine's Day gift, here's what I recommend to help you spend wisely.

Don't home in on the size of a watch strap. A slightly too-large watch bracelet strap can be quickly adjusted, and almost all leather, fabric and rubber straps are flexible for different wrist sizes. The thing to think about when buying a Valentine's Day watch gift is the size of the watch itself – the dial dimensions – and how this will suit your significant other.

Some elegant evening watches for women can be very petite at just 20mm, although anything below 34mm is considered femininely proportioned. Watches in the 34-40mm range can sometimes be described as unisex because they fall in the mid-size category and can suit a variety of wrists. Men's watches can go up to hefty 59mm diameter.

You might be able to use your partner's jewellery as a reference point. Do they like petite styles or thicker chains? It's also worth considering a watch's depth too. Some sit high above the wrist, whereas others can look almost flat to the skin's surface. A chunkier watch might not be practical if they wear long sleeves or suits regularly. If in doubt, hit the average or most popular size for women (28mm for classic 'evening' styles and 32mm for daily wear) and for men (42-44mm) to play it safe.

In the photo below compare the Tissot Seastar 1000 (£675.00) case (left), which is 43mm, to the Tissot Lovely round watch (£280.00) which has a petite case size of just 20mm.

Don't read 'play it safe' as boring. Watches come in thousands of variations, some more adventurous than others. Unless your loved one has specifically highlighted a neon pink watch with orange hands, try and stick to classic design codes for the best chance of Valentine's Day success. Some watches are completely timeless, and for very good reason: they suit a wide variety of wardrobes, are suitable for work and play, and aren't ostentatious.

A stainless steel or bi-metal bracelet strap with a traditional round face and simple Roman numerals is a great place to start. If you want to inject personality, choose a coloured dial or filter your search by complications, stone-set bezels and crystal indices.

The Baume and Mercier Clifton watch - £4,160.00 (top) is an absolutely stunning example of a traditionally styled watch, as is the Jacques Du Manoir ladies' Inspiration - £179.10 (bottom) watch.

So, you're sticking to an average size and classic style, but what about case shape? This is where thinking outside the box can work wonders for Valentine's Day gifting. If the gift is for your boyfriend, octagonal-shaped cases are a big deal in men's watches… let's just call it the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak effect. For women or your girlfriend, swap a traditional round case for a square or rectangular watch with soft rounded edges for a more feminine aesthetic. Your gift will end up being reassuringly familiar but with a twist that shows you've done your research and put the right amount of effort in.

Remember to think about the shape of a watch in relation to its dial design. For example, a simple white dial with plain indices can be given a boost with a square case shape. On the flip side, a colourful dial with crystals or diamonds may benefit from the subtlety of a round case to create balance. The rest is about gut instinct and hoping you've done Saint Valentine proud.

Below watches, from left to right:

• Rotary Regent Men's Black Watch - £289.00
• Herbelin Ladies Art Deco Watch - £440.00
• Baume & Mercier Men's Blue Riviera Watch - £2,350.00

Let's return to the topic of jewellery for a second. Your significant other will either appreciate the art of clashing metal tones or prefer to stick to a single hue. It's the Marmite of watch and jewellery pairings. Purists prefer combining their silver, platinum and white gold with stainless steel watches. Similarly, anyone who wears exclusively yellow gold or rose gold will likely want the same colour in a watch. On the flip side, there's a whole contingent of men and women who like the idea of bi-metal finishes. We can see this in a surge of rose gold and stainless steel bracelet strap options for women. You'll want to do some sleuthing to figure out what's in your partner's wheelhouse.

• Top: Raymond Weil Tango Men's Two-Tone Watch - £995.00
• Bottom: Raymond Weil Tango Ladies Two-Tone Watch - £1,195.00

Should you buy a Valentine's Day watch gift to appease your partner's passions or stick to something classical? I suggest toeing the line between both and combining a deeply personal feature, colour or complication with a traditional shape and silhouette. That way, you acknowledge what makes your loved one special without risking a 'novelty' purchase that they'll only wear once a year.

There are some exceptions to the 'rule', though. If your partner loves running, golf, or yoga or just wants to track their sleep at night, there's a smartwatch for that. If they have a penchant for scuba diving, you can navigate straight to the diver's watches. Then there are pilot watches, army field styles and even moon phase complications for anyone who likes stargazing. You can still buy something personal and meaningful without resorting to the colours of their favourite football team… although if that's what they'll love, who am I to stop you!

Start searching for the perfect Valentine's Day watch gift today. Browse our ladies' watch collection and men's watch collection, or search by price.

• Below top: Garmin MARQ Aviator Gen 2 Smartwatch - £2,099.00
• Right: Certina DS Action Diver Automatic Men's Green Watch - £825.00
• Bottom: Frederique Constant Ladies Moonphase Two-Tone Watch - £1,150.00