As the holiday season approaches, Chicago is transformed into a luminous showcase for the art of watchmaking. Whether you’re looking for an exceptional watch, a unique accessory or a memorable gift experience, the city is brimming with addresses and ideas to suit all budgets and tastes. Here are the essentials for successful watchmaking gifts:
- Magnificent Mile: The temple of luxury watchmaking, where the great Swiss brands compete in elegance and offer tailor-made services.
- Independent jewelry stores: Family-run businesses offering personalized advice, rare pieces and gift vouchers to suit every budget.
- Watch accessories: Horween leather bracelets and boxes.
- Local know-how: Repair services to pamper an already cherished watch.
- Objectif Horlogerie workshops An immersive experience to discover the secrets of mechanical watchmaking, on November 15 and 22, 2025, and March 7, 2026.
The Magnificent Mile, the great classic of watch shopping
It’s hard to talk about Chicago without mentioning the Magnificent Mile, the mythical stretch of Michigan Avenue where luxury brands vie with one another in elegance. In December, shop windows light up, passers-by flock, and each boutique becomes its own little world.
This is the heart of the chic watchmaking scene. Breitling, Omega, Cartier, Audemars Piguet and Tag Heuer all sell their iconic collections here. Even if you’re not an expert, entering one of these boutiques is a sensory experience: the leather of the armchairs, the discreet click of a mechanism being turned by a sales assistant, the almost museum-like calm that contrasts with the hustle and bustle of Michigan Avenue.
Offer a “city” watch for everyday wear, such as a simple but well-finished steel piece, accompanied by a personalized note. Some boutiques even offer to engrave a message or date on the back of the watch – a detail that always makes an impact when the package is opened.
Independent jewellers: authenticity and made-to-measure service
If the Magnificent Mile represents glamour, the charm of independent jewelry stores lies in their welcome and advice. Chicago is brimming with family-run establishments that take the time to listen to your desires, your budget and your story.
Places like Marshall Pierce & Co. (historically located on Michigan Avenue) embody this spirit. Here, we not only talk about watches, but also about bracelets, boxes and objects related to the art of time. These jewelry stores often collaborate with Swiss brands, but also with more confidential designers – an opportunity to offer something unique, that your loved one won’t see on every wrist.
Some houses offer gift vouchers for a future purchase or an overhaul. A great way to offer choice while supporting a local craftsman.
Watch accessories: the little details that make all the difference
The gift of a watch is not obligatory for a successful watchmaking gift. Sometimes, a well-chosen strap is enough to give new life to a beloved watch. And Chicago, the land of leather par excellence, is a benchmark in the field. The Horween tannery, based in the city for over a century, supplies some of the world’s most prized leathers. A bracelet crafted in this noble leather is an elegant nod to local artisan tradition.
Specialized boutiques and independent workshops also offer :
- wooden or leather storage boxes,
- strap-changing tools (ideal for customization enthusiasts),
- or travel cases to keep your watches safe.
Repair and restoration workshops: offering care and expertise
Another original idea is to offer not a new watch, but a service.
Many enthusiasts already own a watch they love, but have never had serviced. Offering a complete overhaul or professional polishing in a recognized Chicago workshop is a thoughtful and often unexpected gift.
Small watchmaking workshops in the downtown and North Side areas are renowned for their expertise and personalized approach. Direct contact with a craftsman, vintage tools on the workbench, the smell of fine oil: it’s a world apart, discreet and fascinating.
The experience of a lifetime: Objectif Horlogerie workshops
If you really want to offer a memorable souvenir, opt for an experience.
The Objectif Horlogerie workshops are for everyone: enthusiasts, the curious or just lovers of fine mechanical engineering.
The principle is simple: for a few hours, participants slip into the shoes of a watchmaker. They dismantle a movement, discover the parts, understand how time moves, then reassemble the whole thing.
It’s fun, immersive and incredibly satisfying.
The Objectif Horlogerie team will be back in Chicago in November 2025 (Saturdays November 15 and 22, 2025), for a new initiation session, before a new workshop in spring 2026 (March 7, 2026). These events attract enthusiasts as well as couples, fathers and sons, or corporate teams looking for a shared experience.
Each participant leaves with a certificate, photos and, above all, the feeling of having touched the heart of time.
Why it’s a great gift:
- It’s original (you wouldn’t expect it)
- It’s timeless (the gift voucher is valid for several years)
- It creates a concrete memory (you manipulate, you learn, you leave proud of yourself)
The gift of a watch is much more than an accessory: it’s an emotion, a landmark, a symbolic gesture. In Chicago, the diversity of boutiques, the elegance of the Magnificent Mile and the wealth of local leather craftsmanship create an ideal playground for all budgets.
And if the object isn’t enough, the experience takes over: the Objectif Horlogerie workshops in November 2025 and March 2026 promise rare moments of precision and wonder.
So, this year, trade in the tie for a bracelet, the candle for a winding calibre, or the simple box for a few hours of horological wonder.
Because in Chicago, more than ever, the greatest Christmas gift is time itself.
