Finding a birth-year watch is a deeply personal and sentimental exercise for many collectors. To find something made at the time of one’s birth and reunite with it through space and time is no small feat. Traditionally selected by serial number or archival documentation, a birth-year watch isn’t picked for when it came out, but when a particular example was manufactured.
With Father’s Day approaching, we thought it would be fun to think of birth-year watches in a slightly different way. We asked ourselves which birth-year watches, introduced in each of the past 18 years, we’d want to give a kid on their 18th birthday. The idea was to give a watch that came out, but wasn’t necessarily manufactured,replika órák in their birth year. We then asked ourselves what we would tell them about these watches that were born at the same time they were.
Without further ado, here are 18 birth-year watches our editors selected to give to the next generation of watch lovers as they set out into adulthood.
2021: Rolex Explorer 36mm ref. 124270
A proper birth-year watch needs to be timeless. The last thing you want is your daughter or son giving you an exasperated, “that watch is sooooo 2021!” as you pass them their birthright. And few watches exist outside of time like the 36mm Rolex Explorer, a watch finally reintroduced to the brand’s main collection this year. Except for its part-time bump to 39mm, the Explorer has remained largely unchanged since 1959, and for good reason. It’s one perfect unit of watch, no matter what your kid’s personal style might be, and it feels at home basically anywhere, from mountaintops to dive bars to boardrooms. Plus, while you wait for your kid to come of age, you can wear it with abandon and know that it’s still going to be ticking by the time your progeny is ready. – Stephen Pulvirent
2020: Seiko SPB143
While it may be hard to guess what the watch scene will look like in 2038, I am willing to bet that dive watches will still be popular, especially among those getting into their first watches. For 2020, I picked the Seiko Prospex SPB143, a watch that I would have loved to receive when I graduated and one that I bought for my own wrist this time last year.
I’ve written a lot about this watch, and its appeal hasn’t diminished at all. I think it could make a perfect graduation or 18th-birthday watch for any young up-and-comer that can be peeled away from their Apple Watch. At 40.5mm wide, with plenty of water resistance and a subtle but storied aesthetic, this lovely Seiko diver could just as easily be your grad’s only watch as it could be the gateway to many many more. It’s what makes Seiko so great. – James Stacey
2019: Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 126710 BLNR Batman On A Jubilee Bracelet
The Rolex GMT-Master II Batman landed in 2013. But it wasn’t until 2019 that Rolex endowed its blue and black cerachrom bezeled travel watch with the souped-up Chronergy escapement – and long power reserve – that characterizes the current generation of modern Rolex watches. With the update came a Jubilee bracelet, as was seen on the steel cerachrom Pepsi, one year earlier. The GMT-Master II on a Jubilee bracelet strikes a pitch-perfect note. A Rolex GMT is a tool watch, yes, but it’s also a relic of the erstwhile glamor of commercial air travel. There’s a long history of GMTs on both Oysters and Jubilees, after all. And even more recently – as in this very year – Rolex made the current generation of steel Pepsi and Batman watches available on either bracelet, so take your pick. – Jon Bues
2018: Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight
I’ve never actually owned a Rolex Submariner, new or vintage. But for a long time, I seriously considered picking up one of the latter, probably a 5512 or 5513 from my own birth year of 1982. With vintage prices significantly higher than they were when I first started paying attention to watches, the feeling that I’d already missed the boat was enough to shift my attention to something new. When the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight came out, effectively repackaging a Big Crown Submariner in the form of a highly water resistant modern tool watch, I was sold; and when I had a chance to buy one, I jumped at it. To be clear, the original Black Bay Fifty-Eight isn’t meant to evoke an early ‘80s matte-dial Rolex, but its powerful combination of vintage looks and modern build hasn’t stopped winning me over, not for a single day. Some other big watches came out in 2018. Heck, Rolex brought back the Pepsi GMT-Master in steel, and Tudor added its own Pepsi GMT. But for me, the watch of 2018 will always be the Black Bay Fifty-Eight. – J.B.
2017: Cartier Tank Américaine (Medium, Steel, Automatic)
“Iconic” is a word so overused in watch collecting circles that there’s barely any meaning left in its six simple letters. But if you’re going to describe a watch that way, you could do far worse than the Cartier Tank. The Tank has defined non-round watches for over a century and has adorned the wrists of more important people than any other (maybe save the Rolex Day-Date). Not a bad path to start your kid down, right? There are dozens of good Tank models to choose from, but the stainless steel Tank Américaine does a fantastic job, splitting the difference between 1930s elegance and a less buttoned-up modern look. Your kid will be able to wear it with a t-shirt and jeans to a family barbecue or toss it on with something more formal for that long-awaited graduation shindig. It won’t attract the wrong kind of attention – and will attract just the right amount of the good kind. – S.P.
2016: Seiko SRP777
The SRP777, released in 2016, is a re-interpretation of the Seiko 6306/9 dive watch from the late seventies. A birth-year watch works best when there’s an element of timelessness at work in the design; what was trendy in 2016 might not be welcome in 2034. The design of the SRP777 has been widely celebrated for over 40 years, and I don’t think that’s going to change over the next 14 years.
It’s not just the looks that define this watch (and Seiko SRP775 on a bracelet, also pictured), it’s the go-anywhere, do-anything nature of the watch. When you buy a watch and stash it away for your kid, you’ll have no idea who they’ll grow up to be, but one thing’s for sure, they’ll have a watch that can stand up to whoever they are and wherever they go. – Cole Pennington
2015: Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time 5524G
In an attempt to diversify the brands of my selections, let’s go with something decidedly more heirloom-spec than a simple steel dive watch – the Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time 5524G.
Launched in 2015 to mixed response, I think a *slightly* controversial but exceptionally cool Patek is a great choice for a long playout to 2033. By then, the initial impact will only be remembered by a select few and there is a decent chance that the model will have been discontinued somewhere between now and the eventual graduation day.
It’s a beautiful white gold pilot’s watch from one of the great watch brands of all time. If you want your 18-year-old to flex in a fashion most high-flying, this is one way to do it. You can rest assured that there isn’t a future where the 5524G is anything less than stylish, noteworthy, and endlessly distinctive. – J.S.
2014: Tudor Black Bay (Blue Bezel)
Two years after the release of the Black Bay, with its burgundy bezel and gilt accents, Tudor turned around and delivered a pretty surprising watch: A blue bezel option with the same textured, matte-black dial, with a more modern bent. No gold here, folks. This was the most contemporary evocation of the Black Bay line to date, and remained so up until the latest Black Bay 58 – also in blue. The blue bezel isn’t the most popular in the collection, but if we’re talking birth year watches, maybe that’s a good thing. Historically, a lack in popularity has translated into future collectability. This particular model also bears the now famous “smiley face” dial which was represented by the “Rotor Self-Winding Text” and has since been replaced on the newer models with in-house movements.
While the Tudor Heritage Black Bay collection is designed to evoke a certain vintage Tudor/Rolex diver aesthetic, I’d argue this is the most timeless of the bunch. – Danny Milton
2013: A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar
I recently spent A Week On The Wrist with the 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold, a limited-edition split-seconds chronograph from A. Lange & Söhne. I won’t spoil it for you – you can go ahead and give it a read – but I will say that I more than enjoyed my time with it. The only problem? Lange only made 100 of them. What’s a lover of German watchmaking and rattrapante chronographs to do? Head back in time to 2013 to snag an 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar (I’d opt for platinum), the more complicated predecessor to last year’s Honeygold release.
With a movement like the caliber L101.1 to show off, I have no doubt in my mind that I’d be able to thrill any child of mine with the wonders of watchmaking vertrauenswürdige replica uhren, setting them up with the ultimate gift on their 18th birthday. This whole exercise just made me wonder how difficult it would be for my future kid’s first word to be rattrapante – couldn’t be that tough, right? – Logan Baker
2012: Omega Speedmaster “First Omega In Space”
It feels impossible that 2012 was almost a decade ago, but time waits for no man. It was a pretty great year for watches, one that would help set the course for the rest of the decade to come. Tudor released the Pelagos and first-gen Black Bay. Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet traded stainless steel blows with new editions of the Nautilus 5711 and Royal Oak “Jumbo.” Rolex surprised everyone with the Sky-Dweller, its most complex release in decades. And anyone with a soft spot for indies will fondly recall the introduction of the Habring² Doppel 2.0.
Even with all those great options, my sentimental side means I’ve got one choice for 2012: the Speedmaster “First Omega In Space,” which became an instant smash hit among Speedy fans that year. This sub-40mm Speedmaster reproduces the legendary ref. CK2988 worn by astronaut Wally Schirra in space during 1962’s Mercury-Atlas 8 mission. When Omega launched the “First OMEGA in Space” to commemorate 50 years since the Speedmaster’s inaugural space flight, it became the first Speedmaster Moonwatch since the 1960s to be produced with the straight lugs and symmetrical caseband of the “pre-Professional” series (which ended with the discontinuation of the ref. 105.003 in 1969). Released as a numbered, unlimited edition – and quietly discontinued at some point in the last 18 months – this much-beloved modern Speedy is a timeless choice through and through. – L.B.
2011: MB&F Legacy Machine 1
The MB&F Legacy Machine 1 is the first of its kind, and in 2011, no one could have known just how successful it would be. Max’s creations are anything but predictable, even within the relatively tame Legacy Machine series.
First executions are always collectable, and that’s usually because they represent the raw, unrefined version of an idea. There’s nothing to build from, it goes straight from a concept to reality, and in the case of MB&F, it wasn’t just the watch that was groundbreaking, it was Max Büsser’s vision of bringing together powerhouses in the watch industry to collaborate on a watch, hence the “& Friends” in MB&F.
As MB&F matures, the watch will come to represent an important moment in modern watchmaking, with Max Büsser shaking up the indie watchmaking scene. Again, it’s not just the complexity and the craftsmanship, but the philosophy and the execution. To grasp the value of a watch, beyond its looks, certainly takes the better part of 18 years, and I can’t think of a better watch to inspire the next generation of watch appreciators. – C.P.
2010: Tudor Heritage Chronograph
Twenty-ten is a great opportunity to revisit a lovely and under-appreciated sports chronograph – the Tudor Heritage Chrono. While the past decade for Tudor has largely been characterized by the success of the Black Bay line, don’t sleep on the Heritage Chrono, as the line has a lot to offer in classic Tudor form.
Catching eyes with a grey/orange color scheme and a bi-directional 12-hour bezel, the Heritage Chrono is an absolute sleeper built around a classic 42mm steel case and 150 meters of water resistance. Matched with a steel bracelet or one of Tudor’s excellent fabric straps, the Heritage Chrono is flexible enough for everyday wear while not sacrificing that “race day in Monaco” vibe.
The Black Bay may get most of the love these days, but the Heritage Chrono would make for an excellent grad gift and a great watch for any of life’s grand adventures. – J.S.
2009: Breitling Chronomat B01
The year 2009 marked the end of the 2000s and the beginning of Breitling’s in-house movements. The watch movement is like a car engine – it contains all the moving parts that make the watch tick, and, as you might guess, it’s pretty complex to build from the ground up. That’s precisely why many watchmakers opt against reinventing the wheel. Instead, they source movements from movement makers and modify them to fit their particular watches. So, when a watch brand takes the plunge into designing its own movement from scratch, it’s a pretty big deal, and that’s what Breitling did in 2009. This watch, housing Breitling’s own B01 movement, is about as classic as a chronograph can get. It features a casual cool stainless steel build and arrangement of three black sub registers that allow you to measure different intervals of time. A chronograph is just watch-speak for a stopwatch that you can operate via the two pushers on the three o’clock side, flanking the traditional time setting crown. All of this is to say, this watch is a double threat: It looks great, and it’s useful for brewing that perfect cup of tea. – Cait Bazemore
2008: Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller
One of the best things about the idea of birth-year watches, especially if the birth year lines up with the year of production, is how the watches become a time-capsule for the era. In this case, it marks the beginning of Rolex tapping into the big watch craze. The Deep Sea Sea-Dweller is a textbook tool watch. You’ll never be able to subject it to what it’s capable of, but you can at least tell your friends about it. At 44mm it still holds the title of largest Rolex ever made. It also takes the cake for most text under a crystal. In addition to the usual suspects on the dial, you have “Original Gas Escape Valve, and Ring Lock System” on the flange.
Rolex doesn’t often make big changes, so to have a watch like this align with the year of your birth is significant. You’ll never wear this with a tux to a wedding, but I dare you to. – D.M.
2007: Longines Legend Diver
The year 2007 was a big one – the first-ever iPhone debuted, Prince performed at the Super Bowl, and Longines introduced this Legend Diver. The Legend Diver is a modern reinterpretation of a model from the 1960s, the heyday of recreational diving. What differentiated the watch then and now is something called a twin crown Super Compressor. You’ll notice how this watch has two crowns on the three o’clock side. One is for standard time-setting, like you’ll see on almost every watch. But the other allows you to operate an internal bezel – the area around the periphery of the dial with the 15, 30, and 45 markings – that’s housed under the crystal or sapphire glass that covers the dial. On most dive watches, this bezel is outside the crystal on the watch case rolex replika, so this one is pretty unique and fun to use. As a dive watch, the overall style is casual and sporty. Yet, with the all-black design, you could easily wear it out on a date as well. – C.B.
2006: Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5711
In 2006, to mark its 30th anniversary of one of its most famous and important watches, the Gerald Genta-designed Nautilus, Patek Philippe introduced the then-new ref. 5711. The Nautilus is as close to an iconic design object as you would expect to find in haute horlogerie. Just this year, we learned that production of the 5711 is coming to an end. Still, the 5711’s rising popularity and collectors’ frenzied coveting of this reference is equally interesting from a human behavioral point of view. The lengths to which people went to own this watch, especially toward the end of its production, are fascinating, and its impact on the high-end watch industry overall really can’t be overstated. But at the end of the day, it’s a beautiful design that has ultimately proven itself to be a classic. In an age when virtually every high-end watchmaker makes a steel sport watch, the Nautilus is an OG. – J.B.
2005: Patek Philippe Ref. 5959P
For science and astronomy fans, 2005 was a big year – the dwarf planet Eris (which is more massive than Pluto) was discovered, and the Huygens lander touched down on another remote world: Titan, mightiest of the moons of the ringed gas giant, Saturn. More prosaically but perhaps more immediately relevant to daily life, it was also the year that the very first YouTube video was uploaded: Me At The Zoo.
If your little Jack or Jill was born that year, and you happened to be feeling flush, I can’t think of a more memorable birthday watch than an unassuming gem from Patek Philippe: The ref. 5959P, like the Double Split, was a first, but a rather more dramatic one as it featured the split-seconds chronograph caliber CHR 27-525 PS – nothing less than the first in-house chronograph movement ever produced by Patek Philippe. The 5959P was released in a case small enough for it to seem a deliberate provocation on the part of Patek. At just 33mm in diameter, it felt to a lot of collectors more like a ladies’ timepiece than one designed for a general audience (albeit a very well-heeled general audience). The 5959P was actually based on Patek’s very first split-seconds chronograph wristwatch, no. 124824, which was completed and sold in 1923. That watch, however, used a movement by Victorin Piguet; the diminutive size of the 5959P has kept it from zooming as viciously it might have in a different case (Patek would later release the movement in the 5950A, in 2014). Purely from an investment standpoint, Jack or Jill might give you grief for not waiting a year and getting them a 5711, to which I say, “that’s what you get for being born in 2005, kiddo, and guess what, I didn’t get you shares in YouTube, either.” Besides, the 5959P is a much more interesting watch. – Jack Forster
2004: Lange & Sohne Double Split
The Double Split came out in a year rich in invention for watchmaking. Both Baselworld and the SIHH were still in ascendancy and while forums like ThePuristS.com and Timezone.com had begun to dominate the daily lives of many watch enthusiasts, the idea that physical trade shows might become a thing of the past would have seemed completely absurd, had it even occurred to anyone to suggest it. New introductions that year included the Gyrotourbillon from Jaeger-LeCoultre, a spectacular openworked Omega Central Tourbillon, and, at the SIHH, a new version of Cartier’s Tank Chinoise, to pick just a few examples. But the watch that really stood out for me during this particular trip down memory lane was the A. Lange & Sohne Double Split. There are a couple of reasons I think this is not just a special watch but also a special anniversary watch – it was released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the re-establishment of the company, by Walter Lange and Gunter Blumlein, in 1994.
In ten years, Lange had become one of the most respected luxury watch brands in the world, spoken of in the same breath as Patek, Vacheron, and Audemars Piguet, and the Datograph, which debuted in 1999, with an unbelievably beautiful in-house hand-wound movement, had become an instant classic. The Double Split was built on the remarkable success of both the brand and the Datograph, and it also presented a technical breakthrough: the first double rattrapante chronograph in the history of watchmaking, with both a flyback seconds and a flyback minute counter. A milestone anniversary, a technical first, and another instant classic – I can’t think of a better birthday watch. – J.F.
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