Make someone's milestone birthday special with one of these top watches.
1. Mido Baroncelli Heritage Gent - Stainless Steel with Rose Gold PVD - Black Leather Strap
A classic, no-nonsense three hander, the Baroncelli Heritage Gent is an heirloom in the making. That it's part of a range created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the product line seems fitting.
The case comes with modern sizing at 39mm, a stepped bezel, and an ultra slim profile. A clean, paper-like texture, thin hour markers, dotted minute markers, faux-faceted hands, and a discreet date window contribute to the refined look of the dial. We especially love the "Baroncelli Heritage" text in a dual font at 6 o'clock. A see-through caseback reveals the 80-hour ETA 2892A2 automatic movement.
You have a handful of colourways to choose from. Our pick here has a rose gold PVD-treated case and bezel on a black leather strap, which makes it suitably "gifty."
2. Baltic Prismic Salmon - Bracelet
Baltic did a great job reviving classic cocktail watches from the 1920s and the result is the Prismic, a silver radial-guilloche-dialled affair topped with a domed sapphire crystal. Supporting the guilloche pattern is a brushed sector with polished indices, brushed dauphine hands, and a seconds sub-register at 6 o'clock.
The Prismic's 36mm open-backed case made of titanium and stainless steel embeds a Peseux 7001 Swiss mechanical movement.
You can pick from four lovely colourways-green, purple, salmon, and blue-grey. We recommend the blue-grey dial for maximum sophistication. Pair it with an integrated Milanese bracelet or an Italian leather strap.
3. Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pioneer Mechanical Chrono
Know a history buff who's turning 40? Gift them a piece of history in the form of a Pioneer Mechanic Chrono, a solid watch in both form and function. It was issued to the British Royal Air Force (RAF) once upon a time.
This modern 40mm recreation is a ruggedly handsome piece with a textured black dial and a leather strap with an H-shaped pin buckle. It's backed by a 60-hour mechanical chronograph movement, Hamilton's H-51-Si.
The twin registers, beige markings, and white lacquered hands closely match their original counterparts, and the "Old Radium" Super-LumiNova treatment adds to the vintage look.
4. Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Compression Diver II Stainless Steel Watch
If your gift needs to be vivid and playful, you can count on the Super Sea Wolf to deliver.
We recommend the 200m "Sea Turtle" reference shown here. It has a teal green sunray dial with a matching sapphire bezel insert, lime green markings, a baton handset, and a black date window at 3 o'clock. Liberal application of Super-LumiNova ensures that the watch stays highly legible in the dark.
A sapphire crystal tops the dial and a screw-down caseback with the Zodiac logo protects it from below. Hidden inside is a 40-hour Swiss-made automatic movement, the STP 1-21M. Completing this fun picture is a Jubilee-style bracelet.
5. NORQAIN Independence Brown Gradient 40mm - Stainless Steel Bracelet
Want to gift something that encourages or inspires a life of adventure? Go with a timepiece from Norqain's Independence collection. It's a high-quality 40mm model with a fumé dial, running a COSC-certified calibre, NN08, that's on display through the glass caseback.
Our choice here is a brown-dialled version with a handmade "scratched" finish and an integrated bracelet, which you can swap for an animal cruelty-free leather strap. The blocky indices, semi-skeletonised rhodium-plated hour and minute hands, and a red-tipped seconds hand add some contrast to the dial. Plus, SuperLumiNova keeps the accents highly legible under low light.
6. Nivada Grenchen Chronoking Mecaquartz Salmon
Is "versatile and sporty" the configuration you're aiming for? Then consider this Nivada Grenchen Chronoking Mecaquartz with a beautiful salmon dial. It's a 38mm strap monster underpinned by the Valjoux 72 that combines a quartz movement with a mechanical chronograph.
The vintage Chronoking dial is straight out of the wild and wonderful seventies with Paul Newman subdials topped by a double-domed sapphire crystal.
Want to pick a stylish watch to say "Happy Birthday" on a loved one's fortieth? Drop by our Watch Discovery Studio on Collins Street and find the perfect watch to commemorate this special occasion.