So. Now who’s done with their holiday shopping? I’ve made progress, so I won’t make you leave this time if you’re already done. Just don’t brag about it. Nobody likes a braggart. Unless you have reason to brag because you’re truly awesome, like me. What? That’s not bragging. I’m just being honest. I can’t help it if I’m awesome. But back to the shopping. A friend of mine recently got a big promotion at work, so I’ve been looking for a gift for him that would raise his profile a little and make him look a little more professional at the office. A briefcase is passé—no one carries papers anymore—and he already has a good laptop case. I’m not going to buy him clothes. That’s something significant others are supposed to do, and I’m not encroaching on that territory. We’re just good friends, as I said. No, really. Why do so many people still think a guy and a girl can’t be just friends? That there has to be something else going on? Whatever. Anyway, I had a thought. My friend is one of those guys who still wears a watch. I know, he’s a little old fashioned that way. I quit wearing one a while back because I just check the time on my BlackBerry, but he likes his watch. He wears it so often, in fact, that the leather band is a little worn now. That just won’t do in his new bossy position at work. So I decided to get him a watch as a combination Christmas/promotion present. The one I love most so far is this Bulova Men’s Diamond 96E04 watch.
This is a gorgeous watch, but it couldn’t be anything else coming from Bulova. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ugly watch with that brand name on it. The 96E04 has a stainless steel band, and is water resistant to 100 feet. Notice that says “water resistant” and not “waterproof.” There’s a difference. Your man can’t put this watch on and go snorkeling for four hours and expect it to keep on ticking. In addition to the time dial, the watch features subdials for date, day, and an alternate time. The clasp is hidden when the watch is fastened, so it won’t catch on anything and ruin a good suit. Best of all, the bezel is accented with 32 teeny diamonds. Even with all these features, it only weighs 5.10 ounces. Wait, I take it back. Best of all is, it’s on sale! This watch usually costs $510.25, but it’s on sale for $364.50 right now at Zappos.com.
Budget Saving Alternatives
As much as I love that watch, and think it would look great on my friend, I don’t want to go too far with the gift and piss off his girlfriend. I know I wouldn’t be thrilled if another girl bought my man an expensive, diamond encrusted watch. And though I know I could take her with one hand tied behind my back, it’s just not the season to engage in a catfight. Maybe after the holidays, if she returns another borrowed pair of my pumps with a mark on them. Then it’s on. But for now, I’m trying to be nice. There’s only one person’s naughty list I want to be on, and it’s not Santa’s. Anyway, if I’m going to get my friend a watch, I need to tone it down a little, so I’m also looking at this DKNY 1421 watch. It also has a stainless steel case and band, and those same three subdials. But it also has a date display window as a little added bonus. It’s also water resistant, but doesn’t have the diamonds around the bezel. Not as fancy, but still just as nice. And less expensive! It’s just $199 at Zappos.com.
While the Bulova and the DKNY watches are more to my taste—and more professional, I think—my friend seems to prefer the leather band. I figure, if he’s going to go that way, he can at least have some options. I’m probably going to end up getting him this Kenneth Cole New York KC5152 watch. It has a stainless steel case, but interchangeable bands! One is a croc-embossed black, one is luggage brown, and the third is a reptile-embossed dark brown. He’ll be able to match his watch band to whatever he’s wearing, no matter what color his suit is. It will also work as a casual watch, though. I also like the two-tone bezel. Yeah, I think this is the one. The case is water resistant, but I’d say the leather isn’t, so he’d better not even think about taking this into the pool! And hey, it’s on sale! Just don’t tell him I got it at a discount. It was $99, but now it’s just $82.50 at Zappos.com.
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