It has been a long time, but I still remember buying my very first ‘proper’ watch, an Omega Seamaster Professional. It came in a beautiful red ‘leather’ box with a cream interior, which made quite an impression on me. It made the watch feel even more luxurious, and I realized then that a box is part of the experience of buying a luxury watch.

Fast forward two decades, and I have a slightly different opinion. This is a very lucky problem to have, but I no longer know what to do with the boxes. Whenever I bought a timepiece in the past, I would take it out of the box as soon as I got home, and then immediately put the box in storage. Usually, the only time that the boxes come out of storage is when I decide to sell the watch.
I know that it is a terrible thing to say, but sometimes the box bothers me even than its worth. Some brands must believe that size matters because their cases are incredibly large. When you collect, you also notice that the majority of brands simply purchase boxes from the same supplier, and there are striking similarities from one to the next.

The thing that still puzzles me is that the brands must know that these large presentation boxes serve little purpose. While I still believe that packaging is an important aspect of the luxury experience, I wish that brands put a more practical spin on it. Some brands offer their watches in nice travel cases, with added room for tools and straps. Maybe they might disappoi...