The best Valentine’s Day watches from humble to extravagant

Buffy Acacia

Attitudes in watch communities can seem a little bit adversarial to partners sometimes, feeling the need to lie about new watch purchases or lamenting the lack of shared interest in the hobby. Valentine’s Day offers a chance to remedy that tension, or just to reinforce the existing love with whatever love language you’re fluent in. If your love language is gift-giving, here’s a list of  Valentine’s Day watches you can buy now.

Swatch x The Simpsons Sweet Embrace

Marge and Homer Simpson’s relationship since 1989 hasn’t always been the smoothest sailing – with the pair even getting a (very brief) divorce in Season 8 – but no matter what comes between them, they always end up back in each other’s arms. This Valentine’s Day special collaboration from Swatch and The Simpsons dropped recently, showing Homer and Marge in a wholesome hug and kiss. The picture continues from the dial to the case and even to the strap, where we see Marge’s lifted leg in the heat of passion. The 41mm case in bright red bio-sourced plastic is a great unisex size for any lovers of The Simpsons, or lovers in general. Price: A$110.

Baltic MR01

There is a certain trap around Valentine’s Day, and that’s the inevitability of all the red roses and love hearts seeming tacky on February 15th. If you’re choosing to mark your dedication to someone on Valentine’s Day, it will feel even more eternal if the watch’s style is timeless. The Baltic MR01 is a beautifully rendered impression of a 1930s or ‘40s wristwatch, but sufficiently modernised for daily wear. The 36mm case size is right in the zone of something that will always look good regardless of the current fashion, and the Hangzhou CAL5000a micro-rotor movement will set itself apart from anything else in their collection. If you’re interested, we have a few Baltic MR01 variants. Price: A$1,025.

Mr Jones Berry Late Again!

You really can’t force a hobby on someone if they’re not naturally drawn to it, which a lot of us may dread. You might think that if you could only just find the right watch, your partner would jump down into the rabbit hole with you! Well, it’s not likely. Thankfully, Mr Jones’ brand of eccentric animated dials is a perfect solution. This Berry Late Again! model is tongue-in-cheek enough to be enjoyed by even the most cynical people, and the ironic message only lines up once per hour thanks to the creative use of transparent disks. You can still tell the time on it too, with the whole strawberry marking the hours and the bitten strawberry marking the minutes. Price: £225.

Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moonphase Aventurine

If you haven’t spent a night gazing up at the stars with your lover, it’s a beautiful and natural way to connect. Let the majesty of the universe wash over you with all its romantic notions, whether they be drawn from religious or scientific roots. In honour of that feeling, I’ve nominated the Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moonphase Aventurine as a Valentine’s Day watch in the luxury bracket. Spending large sums of money on a gift doesn’t equal loving someone, but if you’ve got the wealth to flaunt, you might as well make it count. Price: US$13,600.

Louis Vuitton Tambour Fiery Heart Automata

This one’s definitely not for anyone with shallow pockets, but the Louis Vuitton Tambour Fiery Heart Automata is on point thematically for Valentine’s Day. Not only is the dial a true work of art in enamel, gold sculpture and guilloché, but it’s full to bursting with classical depictions of romance. The roses and flaming heart are symbolic not just of love’s beauty, but also its ferocity, as demonstrated when the animations are sent into action. Given the handmade nature of these watches you’ve probably missed the deadline for Feb 14th 2024, but maybe you could plan ahead for next year… Price: US$370,000.

Panerai Luminor Due PAM01424

Panerai has only just released this new reference of the Luminor Due, originally intended to pack all of that iconic Panerai flavour into a smaller, slimmer package. This PAM01424 version has a brushed burgundy dial with a gradient out to black at the edges, fuelling it with romantic undertones. Not every red-dialled watch is inherently going to be appropriate for Valentine’s Day, but this lusty Italian timepiece would make for a unique choice. Price: A$10,500.

Blancpain Ladybird Colors Valentine’s Day 2024

For this guide, I’ve tried to keep the Valentine’s theme relatively vague, so that the air of love could exist at any time of the year. That said, this Blancpain Ladybird Colors special edition for Valentine’s Day 2024 is just too cute to pass up. The white mother-of-pearl dial is a sumptuous backdrop for vivid red hour markers, a case fully set with diamonds, and a love-heart-shaped array of diamonds built into the sector at 6 o’clock. The seconds hand holds a pierced heart, which is driven around the dial by the automatic calibre 1153 at 3Hz. This ultra-slim movement also boasts a power reserve of 100 hours and allows the 35mm case of 18k white gold to remain a diminutive 8.2mm thick. Price: A$48,000.

Breguet Reine de Naples 8925

Egg-shaped cases certainly aren’t common and may be technically more appropriate for Easter, but Breguet decked out this Reine de Naples model in Valentine’s style all the way back in December 2023 (that’s thinking ahead!) It may have been made in anticipation of the holiday of love, but it’s actually surprisingly versatile, with love hearts only visible upon closer inspection of the dial’s hour and minute track. There are also rubies set around the case’s rehaut, adding an extra pop of colour between the diamonds of the white gold case and the mother-of-pearl dial with subtle undulations in tone. This in-house automatic movement is the Breguet calibre 586/1, with a 38-hour power reserve beating at 3Hz. It’s also a limited edition of just 28 pieces, so you’d better start enquiring quickly. Price: on request.