I was in the same dilemma as you last month. My sister's 21st birthday was coming up and she just lost the Seiko 5 I bought her last year. She wanted a new watch and it was no secret.
Firstly, I think you should speak to the woman in question on what her preferences towards watches are. Is she ok with pre-owned pieces or does she insist on new? Bracelet or leather? Square or round case? White or black face? Most importantly, automatic or quartz or better, handwind?
In my sister's case, she told me she preferred quartz as she had to set the time on her Seiko 5 every 2 weeks to keep it minute accurate. As much as she appreciates the history that goes along with automatics, she wanted a quartz as it had less hassle. She also uses the computer a lot and wanted something with a leather strap as the reason she lost her watch in the first place was because she took it off when she was typing and forgot where she left it.
I also spoke to shop owners on this matter. The sincere ones would tell you, "Never buy a woman a watch, I have seen too many coming back as pre-owned ones".
I strongly recommend you speak to the person in question and get their feedback, even right up to the watch you intend to purchase. In my case, I actually sent a picture of the watch I wanted to get my sister and immediately, she said, YES, I want that! I knew I had hit it right and until now, no regrets on both her end and mine.
I bought her a pre-owned quartz Tissot on bracelet for less than RM500 and the shop owner even threw in a free new leather strap. That's my story to this and I hope it helps.
