Day 12 of our countdown to Christmas, and we’ve a fun one today. Who better to centre our festive Celebrity Watch Spotting than around Santa Claus himself?
When the WatchAdvice team got together to plan out the Christmas content (and the 12 Days of Christmas series), I had a tongue-in-cheek idea of doing a celebrity Watch Spotting article on Santa Claus himself, and his “nemesis,” the Grinch! This was a fun, light-hearted way for us to imagine what both these iconic characters would have on their wrist daily.
This festive edition of our 12 Days of Christmas series takes a playful look at “Celebrity Watch Spotting.” Through the Christmas lens, we imagine what Santa would be wearing throughout his busy season. From the pre-Christmas planning and time spent in the workshop with his loyal elves, to his time travelling the world with his trusty reindeer on Christmas Eve, we’ve thought of these different scenarios and tried to match a timepiece that makes sense for the task at hand. We thought of functionality, durability, and most certainly, the Christmas flair.
After all the hard work is done, the sleigh is parked, the presents have been delivered, and Christmas Day finally rolls around, Santa deserves some downtime, too. During this downtime, I’d imagine him unwinding by the fireplace with a warm cup of hot cocoa, sitting alongside Mrs Claus, with his own Christmas tree glowing softly in the background. But what timepiece would he wear during this relaxed setting? I’m thinking something with a bit of history and sentimental value, wrapped in tradition. So grab a hot drink, get into the Christmas spirit, and join us as we count down the watches Santa Claus might be wearing this holiday season.
Planning The Big Night (Christmas Eve)
TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 Smartwatch
Santa’s big night in delivering presents around the globe would be seen as the ultimate logistics challenge. It requires precise scheduling across multiple time zones, all in a single night. He has to plan out the exact routes in the most time-efficient manner, and all according to weather patterns on the night, which means it can change from year to year! Every single minute counts when you’re delivering presents to the entire world in one night.
While I don’t wish to delve into the finer details of this mammoth task, what I will say is that he is sure to have a trusty tools and equipment at his disposal to make the planning easier. This is where his TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 Smartwatch would come in perfectly handy.
It isn’t the mechanical watch we are all accustomed to, but it certainly features the silhouette of an icon in watchmaking: the TAG Heuer Carrera. The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 Smartwatch is able to plan global scheduling & calendar management, track time across different regions, weather tracking & alerts (monitoring snowstorms, wind conditions, etc), navigation (for route optimisation), and also a fitness and activity tracker which keeps an eye on his health and stamina during the busiest time of the year. All these features combined into one device play a crucial role and make it easy for Santa to keep on top of planning.
Inside The Workshop
A. Lange & Söhne 1815 RATTRAPANTE Split-Seconds Chronograph
Santa’s workshop is where Christmas truly comes to life. With all the hardworking elves building all the toys, then testing them to perfection, this is where the magic really happens. As we know, with production on a “mass scale”, timing and efficiency are critical when production ramps up during a busy period. Santa isn’t just simply overseeing the magic that occurs in the workshop; he has to make sure that it is all running at high precision.
Every process of the workshop needs to be measured, monitored, and made sure that efficiency is refined as much as possible to avoid delays in the schedule. In moments where high-precision tools are required, there are only a handful of brands that Santa would look to for a watch. While yes, he can certainly get a stopwatch, but I imagine Santa to be a man who appreciates craftsmanship, discipline, and above all else, attention to detail. A split-second chronograph would be the answer to his efficiency problem. Being able to time two separate events at once allows him to keep multiple processes running efficiently without missing a beat.
A brand that has mastered craftsmanship and attention to detail, while remaining disciplined through its watchmaking processes (double assembly!) is A. Lange & Söhne. The brand’s 1815 RATTRAPANTE Split-Seconds Chronograph is the perfect watch I can see Santa wearing around the workshop. It exudes class and refinement while still being a serious tool built for precision. The 1815 RATTRAPANTE features “a stopwatch function with additive time measurements up to 30 minutes, as well as a split-time function with comparative time measurements up to 60 seconds.” The dial layout with the traditional chronograph architecture makes it easy to operate and read at a glance. In an environment where every second truly matters, the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 RATTRAPANTE feels entirely at home.
Christmas Eve Around the World
Bovet World Timer – The Récital 30
Christmas Eve for Santa is quite literally a global marathon, with him racing against the rotation of the Earth itself. As he delivers the presents with the help of his many trusty reindeer, the team has to cross multiple borders and time zones seamlessly for the whole operation to be a great success. There is certainly no room for guesswork when timing deliveries across continents (this is where his pre-planning with the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 comes in handy).
While all of Santa’s operations would be easy to break, almost anyone, just like the trusted mechanical watches on his wrist, he trudges on. One of the hardest challenges in this whole operation is the deliveries. It is certainly the most intense phase of the year, being very fast-paced, high-pressure, and nonstop. For a man who appreciates traditional craftsmanship, a world time complication would be his go-to watch during these country-hopping expeditions.
Santa is one person who waits for no wait-list. If he wants the watch, he will have it. There aren’t too many extravagant World Timers like Bovet’s Récital 30. The timepiece has been specifically designed to track multiple time zones simultaneously, it feels purpose-built for someone who spends Christmas Eve travelling across the globe.
The Bovet Récital 30 features a groundbreaking, innovative new world time system, in which world travelers to accurately display 25 global time zones during the four time periods of the year: Coordinated Universal Time, American Summer Time, European and American Summer Time, and European Winter Time. The watch also fixes DST in mechanical watches, thanks to the innovative roller system, meaning that “all 24 world time zones, and New Delhi, will be accurate all year round.” This is one mechanical watch that perfectly suits the most demanding night of the year.
A Moment to Celebrate
Breguet Expérimentale 1
When the final present has been delivered, I can imagine Santa having a big sigh of relief. A quiet moment of satisfaction if you will. Now it’s time to head back to the North Pole and reflect on another successful year of planning, manufacturing, deliveries, and precision execution.
Santa would be greeted by Mrs Claus, as she hands him a hot cup of cocoa. He would then sit by the fireplace, the soft glow of his very own Christmas tree lighting up the entire room. He is finally able to slow down and just enjoy the moment. Another year of bringing people joy, done. After a night spent racing the world, this is his time to rest, reflect, and quietly celebrate another Christmas brought to life.
We’ve already established that Santa is someone who values longstanding tradition, craftsmanship, and heritage. No better brand exudes these characteristics than Breguet. As one of the oldest mechanical watchmakers in the world, Breguet produces timepieces that are deeply rooted in history, yet remain relevant today, making it a fitting choice to mark the successful completion of another Christmas.
The brand’s latest Expérimentale 1 is one timepiece that is worthy of the occasion. It is already a celebratory timepiece, created to honour Breguet’s 250th anniversary. And what an incredible timepiece it is. The Expérimentale 1 marks the beginning of a new project for Breguet, with the opening of a new Research and Development department to manufacture timepieces of exceptional calibre, such as this. To briefly touch on this mechanical marvel, Breguet has created the first-ever 10Hz tourbillon with a constant-force escapement (consistent accuracy throughout the power reserve).
What makes this timepiece fitting is what it represents: a celebration of legacy, innovation, and progress. Perfectly aligning with Santa marking the successful completion of another year’s work.
Life After Christmas: Santa’s Daily Watch (Grand Seiko)
Grand Seiko Spring Drive U.F.A
After the Christmas period is over, life at the North Pole would return to a slower, more peaceful rhythm. Santa and Mrs. Claus’s daily routines would resume once again, with Santa also keeping a keen eye on preparation for the year ahead and who would make it into the naughty or nice list.
This period is about consistency rather than urgency. Days are spent reviewing what worked, what can be improved, and gradually laying the groundwork for the next Christmas season. It’s a time to be spent with family and friends, letting the elves have a well-earned rest, and likewise with the reindeer. It’s a time for steady rhythms, familiar surroundings, and simple moments, a gentle reminder that after all the magic and mayhem, life eventually returns to a peaceful, dependable pace.
While the Breguet Expérimentale 1 is a fantastic choice for “after-work” celebrations, Santa would opt for something more subtle in appearance for his daily wear timepiece. There are too many brands to choose from for this daily wear timepiece, with the likes of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Rolex, Omega, and so many more offering fantastic offerings. But with a few Swiss-made watches already in his collection, he would instead turn his attention to Japan, selecting a timepiece that values precision, restraint, and quiet excellence.
The Grand Seiko Spring Drive U.F.A makes perfect sense as a daily for a man who values watchmaking. One of the more recent releases from Grand Seiko, this timepiece is arguably the most reliable mechanical watch in the history of watchmaking. Accurate to +/- 20 seconds a year, this watch has been built purely with precision in mind. That’s not to say the aesthetics of the watch are boring. On the contrary, the timepiece looks stunning too, with a beautiful violet-coloured dial that is meant to represent “the breathtaking moment when dawn breaks over the frost-covered forests of the Shinshu region of central Japan.”
While this festive Celebrity Watch Spotting Santa edition is purely a fun, tongue-in-cheek article, it highlights how the right timepiece can reflect the purpose and moments we share with it. From global travel, planning, precision timing, and celebration to everyday life, there is a watch that plays a role in telling Santa’s story during the Christmas season. And just like Santa, it’s essential to remember to appreciate the little moments, from traditions and quiet wins to spending time with those who matter, because in many ways, that’s exactly what a great watch is there to measure.