By: Rob Miller on Mon Apr 9, 2007

Pocket watches make great gifts! My wedding was coming up in 30 days and I was not sure what do buy for groomsmen gifts. After looking at everything from beer mugs to money clips I was still not sure what to buy. My mother came up with the suggestion of purchasing pocket watches as groomsmen gifts but my first reaction was: "Are you kidding Mom? Pocket watches are old fashioned. When I think of pocket watches I think of giving a gift like that to my grandfather or father, but not groomsmen gifts for an upcoming wedding.

I was wrong and I'm glad I took my mother's advice. I purchased eight custom engraved pocket watches as groomsmen gifts and my friends absolutely loved them! I was surprised at how everyone responded to these unusual gifts. The best thing about engraved pocket watches is they can be personalized with the recipient's name or initials along with a special message about the wedding (which my wife-to-be just loved).

The only consideration I had was whether to purchase battery operated quartz pocket watches or mechanical pocket watches. Quartz pocket watches are very accurate and in most cases less expensive than mechanical pocket watches. The downside to quartz is that the battery will eventually need to be replaced. Mechanical pocket watches are more expensive and in most cases they have to be wound everyday. Mechanical pocket watches use springs and gears and they are not as accurate as quartz models. In the end I chose the quartz style as groomsmen gifts. The price was very reasonable at $50 each but I could have purchased quartz models for as little as $20 each.

The next decision I had to make was where to buy them. The Internet has many places to purchase pocket watches but after much research and a recommendation from a friend I decided to order my groomsmen gifts from a company called Gunther Watch located in Carlsbad, California. The prices were great but the engraving options they offered were far superior to anything else I had seen on the Internet. I called the company and spoke to a guy named Scott to explain that I was pressed for time and the engraved pocket watches had to arrive in less then 10 days. Much to my surprise, Scott told me that this was not a problem because Gunther Watch stocks thousands of pocket watches at their warehouse and shipping within 10 days or less was going to happen. It did! I received the pocket watches and the engraving was awesome! I don't usually recommend anyone on the Internet but Gunther Watch had excellent customer service. Basically - everything they said they would do... they did, and I cannot ask for anything more then that.

So if you're looking for cool engraved pocket watches, you should visit their website. I have listed the web address below. I hope this helps you to make a good decision on what to buy for groomsmen gifts. It worked for me.

Rob Miller is a freelance writer and product reviewer. Gunther Gifts is the perfect place to select a engraved gift for yourself or loved one: http://www.gunthergifts.com Personalized gifts, groomsmen gifts, wedding favors, wedding invitations, sports theme gifts, Zippo lighters, Leatherman tools, Swiss Army Knives, custom barware and glassware, Cross pens and so much more are available for all your gift needs at Gunther Gifts. Gunther Watches focuses on pocket watches: http://www.guntherwatch.com