Valentine’s Day Special: The Art Of Choosing A Gift

I’m a purist in matters of love. I cherish it not only on one, but the remaining 364 days as well. Thus, I spare no emotion or expression in order to affirm as well as intensify what I believe is a gesture of romance. Of course, it’s not always something exhibited through material sharing, but many times it is a bundle of small acts or intentions that when directed towards the right person, resonate far more deeply. Whenever asked what Valentine’s Day means to me, I simply say it's a celebration and marking of something I consider a beautiful habit. When you love with your heart and soul, you adore the beloved without reason, and yes, when it comes to matters of affection, that topic is thrown out the window. Hence, to love madly is to love truly. Yet, there exists the “day” that captures this sentiment as its objective and lends the passionate, a chance to be better even. While no object can convey the depth of affection, it sure makes the feeling be tangible as a perpetual essence of you. It persists as a sustainable and tactile emotion of the lover. This is why we share gifts on Valentine’s Day.

As we have established the ‘why’ and ‘when’ of gifting, let’s now delve into the ‘what’ of it. Now this one’s not so simple. It deals with something that has timelessly troubled human intellect, i.e. the paradox of choice and the art of choosing. With the intertwining of choice and meaning, especially in matters of gifting, the act itself can be articulated as reasonable or it could occur as impossibly irrational. Hence, choosing what to gift takes layers of evaluation and re-evaluation of the better half’s likes and dislikes, and the most challenging - the mood at the specific instance of commitment of the act itself. Good luck with that guys!

If you're still with me, it's likely for two reasons. One, you’re considering a delectable prospect for your partner’s February 14th, and two, you are decision fatigued either due to choice overload or simply a rusted decisiveness in choosing. While there’s no science in the remedy to it, there’s definite complexity in overcoming the plenitude of possibles. What I humbly suggest is a solid kick from a distinct flavor of horology that when expressed through gifting can magnify the sentiment and multiply its rewards. It’ll be a guaranteed win-win, for I’ll suggest true mechanical art and not one that garners wide-encompassing subjectivity in likeness. It’s going to be broadly likeable and that too on the day that celebrates love.

Mechanical gifts that live their own life and enchant yours

A mechanical clock or a music box is an objet d'art that is quite quirky even in a culture dominated by “smartness.” It is reminiscent and reminding of an era of which our elders swear by, for the ones living it had a strong emotional quotient which they allege is somewhat lost in the pursuit of synthetic extravagance. Well, as a modern counter, a mechanical clock or music box is a gift that’s idyllic beyond age and gender divides. In favor of those who’ve lived the better years, there’s a strong meaning and consequent emotional derivatives to be cherished from the same. Hence, for a Valentine’s Day gift, a L'épée mechanical clock or a Reuge music box is sort of what comes close to perfect for someone with even a subtle hint of technophile in them. As mechanical objects with a purpose, such creations fulfil the agenda of attaching meaning to a gift and do it ever so beautifully. While one entices with its quirks of time telling, the other is just an aural delight unlike any. What the distinguished Maisons of L'épée and Reuge, respectively founded more than 180 and 160 years ago, offer as part of their portfolios isn’t necessarily a choice overload, for the creations are beautifully specific to variable complexities, unique sounds and distinctive aesthetics. Hence, you’re more than likely to find something to the liking of someone special.

Still, some suggestions

If who you adore is a he, then he’ll surely dig the Time Fast creations from L'épée. Yes, vintage automotive-inspired table clocks with superlative mechanical complexity. These objects surpass mere aesthetic inspiration, as the materials they’re made from and the more intricate details such as the chassis designs they adopt are exactly a petite replication of what the race cars from the 1960s featured. Why he would love this as a Valentine’s Day gift is owing to a universal tendency in men that sort of is an explicitly true stereotype which I would quote through Christian McKay’s dialogue in the movie Rush, “Men love women but, even more than that, men love cars.”

Now, if the beloved is a she, well first of all I need to ditch referring to any stereotypes here, there’s an abundance of amaze in the musical creations of Reuge that you can consider. Within the Singing birds & tabatières creations at Reuge, you’ll find the Enchanting Bird in a favorably feminine hue. There’s black and blue also but who am I to decide. Its mechanical delicacy is perceivable via an amazing melodious enchantment with the bonus of a subtle dance to up the delight stakes. Translation - it’s perfect.

Like this, I can go back and forth at least a hundred times or as much as the inventories at L'épée or Reuge would allow, but that would be an unnecessary plenitude of choice overload. We don’t want that. What I personally want for you is to make a choice of a gift that defines your identity, fits the meaning you associate with the gesture, attaches delicately to your relationship and honors your philosophical commitments. I’ve never been a fan of advertising-driven associations to V-Day gifts, but won’t blame the culture even. What I want for you is your choice to be your own innate desire and an artful execution of it, all for the sake of romance. At its core, choice remains an art and I believe you’ll choose what’s best for the one you chose for yourself. Keep loving!