Countdown to Valentine’s Day: Luxury Watch Gift Guide Part 2/3

The countdown to Valentine’s Day is well underway, as many of us begin to ask the question, “Do I still have time to order a Valentine’s Day gift online?” Many luxury watch brands have significantly expanded their ladies’ offerings over the past one to two decades, so we’ll help you find some luxury Valentine’s Day gift options from top watch brands. And as a side note, Luxury Bazaar does ship watches overnight!

To follow up on part 1 of our luxury Valentine’s Day gift guide, we’ll take a look at four more Valentine-worthy luxury watches.

Rolex Day-Date 18238

In today’s watch world, 36mm is no longer a controversial ladies’ watch size; it has firmly entered “unisex” territory. And one of the classiest 36mm watches you can choose for a luxury Valentine’s Day gift is the timeless Rolex Day-Date. Choosing a model with diamonds on the dial or bezel significantly increases the MSRP–but secondhand, diamond Day-Date prices are often similar to their non-diamond counterparts. For instance, a diamond bezel increases the list price of a new Day-Date 36 by $14,800, but when it comes to a vintage or neo-vintage Day-Date, the diamond-clad versions frequently sell for only a couple thousand more.

For this reason, a diamond-set neo-vintage Day-Date like the 18238 model shown above is a particularly appealing luxury Valentine’s Day gift. Although a 1990’s Day-Date bracelet won’t feel as “heavy” as a modern one, everything else about the watch meets modern luxury watch expectations.

Rolex Day-Date ref. 18238 Specs

Model	Day-Date
Reference	18238
Case Diameter	36mm
Case Thickness	12.4mm
Case Material	Yellow gold
Movement	Caliber 3155 (Automatic, 8 beats per second)
Power Reserve	48 hours
Water Resistance	100m
Bracelet/Strap	Yellow gold President bracelet
Market Price (Feb. 2024)	$16,000 (Standard dials) $20,000-$30,000 (Diamond dials) $30,000+ (Stone dials)

Cartier Tortue 2496C

Cartier watches have gotten extremely hot in the past few years, especially the Tank and Santos models. But it wasn’t always that way–in the 1990’s, Cartier was mostly making fairly bland quartz watches (like most of the watch industry at the time, frankly). Then, from 1998-2008, Cartier launched the Collection Privée Cartier Paris, or “CPCP,” which arguably set the stage for the successful watch lineup they have today.

One of the more overlooked watches from the CPCP is the ultra-classy Tortue 2496C. With Breguet hands, Roman numerals, a silver guilloché dial, an unassuming brown leather strap, and a yellow gold case with the classic Tortue shape, the 2496C would make an extremely elegant Valentine’s Day gift.

Cartier Tortue 2496C Specs

Model	Cartier Tortue Collection Privée
Reference	2496C
Case Diameter	34mm
Case Thickness	9.5mm
Case Material	Yellow gold
Movement	Caliber 430 MC (Piaget base, manual-wind, 6 beats per second)
Power Reserve	36 hours
Water Resistance	30m
Bracelet/Strap	Leather strap
Market Price (Feb. 2024)	$16,000

Richard Mille RM07-01

Richard Mille is primarily known for their avant-garde ultra-luxe men’s sports watches. But since 2014, the brand has offered various ladies’ watches beginning with the designation RM07. The sapphire-cased RM07-02 models are probably the most expensive women’s watches on the market today, but today we’re going to talk about the more straightforward RM07-01.

Although it features the classic tonneau case shape that Richard Mille is known for, the RM07-01 is more than just a scaled-down men’s watch. An entirely new in-house skeletonized movement was developed for it. A variety of materials, dials, and colorways have been used on the RM07-01 lineup over the years, and most of them generally cost somewhere between $100,000-$400,000 depending on the case metal and the amount of diamonds. Each RM07-01 variant is striking, but its modest 31.4mm diameter keeps it from being overbearing. Instead of spending $100,000 on jewelry, why not go for the ultimate luxury Valentine’s Day gift with a Richard Mille?

Richard Mille RM07-01 Specs

Model	RM07-01
Case Diameter	31.4mm
Case Thickness	11.85mm
Case Material	Gold (yellow, rose, or white) Carbon Ceramic
Movement	Calibre CRMA2
Power Reserve	50 hours
Water Resistance	50m
Bracelet/Strap	Rubber strap
Market Price (Feb. 2024)	$100,000-$400,000

Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas Watch

If you want to give your Valentine something with more of a “red carpet” look, consider a Bvlgari Serpenti. While retail prices of gem-set Serpenti watches can reach into the six figures, Bulgari watch prices are often favorable on the secondhand market. Today, Bulgari offers a Serpenti Seduttori with a traditional watch bracelet, but the Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas is the real icon of the lineup.

Bulgari has been inseparably associated with tubogas bracelets ever since the first Serpenti debuted in 1948. Tubogas is a jewelry technique that became popular in the 1940s and saw a resurgence in the 1970s. The term “tubogas” is derived from the Italian word for “gas pipe,” which reflects the technique’s distinctive look. It involves long strips of metal that are wrapped around a core without soldering, resulting in a flexible, tubular piece of jewelry that can stretch and bend. Not only does the Serpenti Tubogas look stunning on the wrist, but its owners consistently rave about the comfort. Although Bulgari offers an even more indulgent double-coil Tubogas version, the single-coil Serpenti is often considered more suitable for frequent wear.

Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas Watch Specs

Model	Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas Watch
Reference	101788
Case Diameter	26mm
Case Thickness	9mm
Case Material	Rose gold
Movement	Caliber B033 (Quartz)
Water Resistance	30m
Bracelet/Strap	Tubogas bracelet, rose gold over silver core
Market Price (Feb. 2024)	$21,500

We hope you’ve enjoyed this look at a few classy ladies’ watches. Stay tuned as we take a look at a few more luxurious Valentine’s Day gift ideas from top watchmakers in Part 3.

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Countdown to Valentine’s Day: Luxury Watch Gift Guide Part 3/3