If you’re feeling under pressure to find the perfect present, don’t overlook a timeless classic: a watch.

A watch is a thoughtful, practical gift for both men and women. Choose a luxury brand and invest in a present that lasts a lifetime; something the wearer will become more attached to with every passing year. It’s a gift with the potential to become a family heirloom, passed down through generations with increasing sentimental value.

If you’re on a tighter budget, there are still plenty of timepieces your family and friends will love. Consider their personal style: would they prefer casual or formal? Sporty or elegant? The perfect watch is used on a daily basis, so find the right timepiece and your gift will be cherished for many years to come.

Clothing may be out of fashion a year from now, and a gadget may be pushed aside in favour of new technologies. But a watch has a timeless quality that will not look dated by the time next Christmas is upon us. Few gifts are equally stylish and useful with the potential for lifelong wear… so here are a few suggestions to start your search.

MEN’S

Bell & Ross Vintage BR 126 £2,750.00 / Suunto Elementum Terra £499.00 / Citizen Eco Drive £251.00

LADIES’

Rado True White £1,020.00 / Tissot Couturier £195.00 / Seksy 4281 £59.00

Whilst it was first unveiled at Baselworld, 2011, Bell & Ross has now released a little more information about its Twelve O’Clock artwork. It describes the piece as “philosophical and creative” and “an artistic interpretation of the passage of time”.

The work is made from 12 Bell & Ross watches, with each watch representing an hour. As the watches move, abstract shapes are created but once an hour the numbers will be fully visible.

Unsurprisingly, the brand admits the piece will be “pricey” and says that it is aimed at art enthusiasts.

To really get a feel for Twelve O’Clock, the best thing to do is watch the video which Bell & Ross made about it.

What’s your verdict?

The design and engineering difficulties required to create this piece must have been astonishing. After all, the watch’s appearance goes against nearly every bit of inherited wisdom regarding watches. For example, the face is not circular but square. Yet within this square are three concentric circles, each identifying a particular unit of time: hours, minutes, and seconds.

Thus, there are no watch hands, no individual dials, and no numbers even. Instead, there are just those three differently coloured line segments which communicate the time to the wearer. The discs used were far heavier than normal watch hands, creating a host of additional problems, so the engineering team had to develop a material that was much lighter–kind of like the composite materials used in some of today’s most advanced defence aircraft. With the Bell & Ross RADAR, the military aircraft feel is completed by a watch strap made out of black rubber, exactly the same shade as the rest of the watch itself.

Every watch company seems to strive to announce that it’s the first ever to do such and such. For this piece, it appears that Bell & Ross truly have created the first watch ever modelled after an airplane’s cockpit. Although it may not be the easiest timekeeping device to interpret, you’ll probably be the only one you know who owns one. It’ll turn heads, that’s for sure.

We always enjoy these innovative pieces, those watches that take the everyday watch and attempt to turn those old concepts on their head. It’s truly amazing what can be accomplished when the design team is freed from assumptions and set loose.

Eleven much sort after prizes were presented at the Festival to individuals and companies in recognition of their talent and achievements in the automotive industry. There were some 600 people at the exclusive event, including the media, designers and car manufacturers.

Carlos Rosillo, the CEO of Bell & Ross, was on hand to present the Palme d’Or Award. Each year this award is given to an individual or a company in recognition for the contribution they have made to the automotive industry. This year Rosillo gave the award to the grandson of the founder of the Volkswagen Group and current Chairman of its Supervisory Board, Ferdinand Piëch, honoring his tremendous contribution to the automobile industry.

Bell & Ross watches, showcased at this prestigious event, are available at The Watch Gallery, London, authorised dealers of this luxury watch brand.

With many to choose from, it is difficult to single any one out. But the military inspired Instrument BR 01-97 Commando Power Reserve, which is limited to only 500 pieces, does deserve a special mention.

This watch has an automatic mechanical movement, with 21 jewels. Besides the hours, minutes, seconds (all central hands) and date functions there is also a power reserve indicator to show the energy reserve, which is about 40 hours.

The case is a stylish, extra large square, measuring 46 mm by 46 mm, in shot-peened stainless steel with a carbon-black finish or satin-polished 18 ct pink gold. This model is available with a black, grey or white dial, and the numerals, indexes and hands have been coated with a photoluminescent finish for optimal reading in the dark. The watch is water resistant to 100 meters.

There is also a wide range of straps for the BR 01-97 Commando, from calfskin (black or olive), alligator leather (black, grey, white or orange), to a black rubber or a black synthetic canvas strap.

Jura watches can be found in Burlington Gardens, Mayfair, London.

Since then the exceptional Bell & Ross watches have been relied upon around the world by pilots, astronauts and individuals working in high pressure environments. Not surprising given that these watches are painstakingly engineered, mercilessly tested, and subjected to extensive evaluation by a dedicated team with intimate experience in demanding and hazardous occupational specialties.

In 2007 Bell & Ross introduced their limited edition BRO1 Tourbillon: a watch with an ultra-complicated tourbillon movement and the first to use the highly scratch resistant DLC coating. And so Bell & Ross entered the haute horlogerie arena.

Recently, Bell & Ross published their 2009/2010 catalogue. This is no ordinary annual catalogue, it is in fact dedicated entirely to their limited editions of luxury watches.

Some of their older models are included, and there are some models that have long since been sold out. But essentially this is a full account in one catalogue of all the Bell & Ross one-off and special run timepieces. This includes, for example, the Phantoms, the Commandos, and the Grand Minuteurs. Each watch is accompanied by a description of the watch and a list of its features.

The ‘Limited Editions Catalogue’ is a must see for serious collectors; view a PDF of the catalogue here.

This new version though is something special, love it or loath it, you have to admit it makes a big impression. This is model has 672 diamonds with a total weight of 4.67 carats! 413 are black diamonds and 259 are white diamonds.

The price tag is £29,000 which when you consider the number of diamonds it has, not too shocking.  The watch is limited to 99 pieces and demand has been high for this unique watch.

Bell & Ross Airborne 672