Tradition holds powerful sway in the watch world, and during “bonus season,” watch experts are seeing heirloom watches as “the ultimate recruitment marketing tool,” said SwissWatchExpo CEO Eugene Tutunikov, a modern twist on a pastime when watches were regularly handed out to long-serving and high-performing employees.
The old custom of gifting a “gold watch” to mark a corporate milestone has gotten a bit more luxe over the years, though. The Atlanta-based watch expert and head of luxury resale site SwissWatchExpo has the anecdotal data to prove it: A fellow Atlanta-based company recently purchased a whopping six editions of the covetable green dial Rolex Submariner ‘Hulk’ model, a specific choice tied to the company’s logo color.
While a typical cash bonus gets spent, Tutunikov notes a luxury watch retains and even grows in value, among other reasons companies are shifting toward an heirloom timepiece as its own form of a bonus. “When your employee wears that watch to an industry conference, they become a walking billboard for your leadership.” Tutunikov told Maxim. ” It sparks a conversation—’Nice watch, where did you get that?’— and the answer, ‘My CEO gave it to me,’ creates immediate envy.”
The idea that a revered timepiece like the Rolex President Day Date 40 Platinum Blue Dial Watch can serve as a reward all its own is “a subtle flex,” Tutunikov said, and certain heritage models with iconic history are often a wise, giftable choice for employees who built a company from the ground up. “A watch honors the grit and the grind that happened behind the scenes,” Tutunikov added. “It acknowledges that while the company has grown up, we haven’t forgotten who raised it.”
Models with a sense of elegance and timeless refinement are also a hot commodity for companies looking to reward those who chase new business and close deals, Tutunikov added from experience. He points to a classic luxury model like the Patek Philippe Calatrava Yellow Gold Silver Dial Watch as a covetable reward for inking a long-term partnership, one that “represents timing, strategy, and precision,” qualities reflected in the very best heirloom watches.
And for milestone anniversaries of the 10-to-25-year variety, especially in leadership roles, iconic models abound, but the quiet of confidence of a piece of horological history is particularly appealing, Tutunikov added. The Rolex Daytona in a crisp white dial perfectly embodies the sort of legacy one can leave behind, and in physical form, he said. “We often see milestone gifts become heirlooms. A well-chosen timepiece does not just commemorate a date. It carries the story of that achievement forward for decades,” he said. “A watch can mark your time on earth and perpetuate your legacy.”
The right watch can even serve as a gift after recruiting a top performer from a competitor, and in that case, distinction and eye-catching appeal lead the way, Tutunikov said. An out-of-this world timepiece like the Rolex President Day-Date II White Gold Brown Dial might just serve as the perfect reward in that regard, and as Tutunikov says, an investment-level watch in any way, shape or form is the kind of gift that “doesn’t require a marketing budget.”
