Why Do People Say You Shouldn't Gift a Watch or Perfume? The Beliefs Behind These Superstitions

We have all thought about giving someone special a gift at some point in our lives. Whether it is a birthday, wedding anniversary, festival, or any other special occasion, when it comes to making someone feel special, two of the first things that often come to mind are a beautiful watch or a luxurious perfume. Both gifts look classy, elegant, and are usually appreciated at first glance. However, the moment you tell an elderly family member or even a friend that you are planning to gift someone a watch or perfume, you may suddenly hear a strange warning: “You shouldn’t gift a watch or perfume. It can create problems in a relationship or bring distance between people.”

At first, this may leave anyone wondering how a beautiful watch or a pleasant fragrance could possibly harm a relationship. Yet, this belief has existed in our society for generations, and even in today’s digital age, many people continue to follow it. These beliefs are not simply based on old-fashioned thinking. If we look a little deeper, we can find several social, psychological, historical, and cultural reasons behind them.

If we explore different cultures around the world, we find that superstitions surrounding gifts are not limited to India. Almost every civilization has had its own unusual fears associated with certain objects. In China, for example, giving a clock or watch is considered unlucky because the Mandarin expression for giving a clock, “sòng zhōng,” sounds similar to the expression associated with attending a funeral. As a result, gifting a clock can be associated with death or the end of someone's life. Similarly, in several European cultures and in India, gifting shoes or sharp objects such as scissors and knives has traditionally been considered inauspicious. There is a belief that a knife can “cut” the bond of love, while receiving shoes may symbolically mean that the person will eventually walk away from your life. In Japan, white flowers are traditionally avoided as gifts because they are associated with mourning.

Since ancient times, human beings have also had an uneasy relationship with the passing of time. This fear is sometimes referred to in psychology as chronophobia. In earlier times, a clock was a constant reminder of passing time and ageing. As a result, it gradually became associated with the idea of counting down the remaining time in a person's life.

Perfume has a somewhat similar history. During the era of kings and queens, natural perfumes and fragrant oils were rare and valuable. They were often reserved for special occasions or given to queens and important guests. However, because fragrance naturally disappears into the air, folklore gradually associated it with the idea of temporary love the belief that just as a fragrance fades away, love between two people could also slowly disappear.

There is also an interesting psychological mechanism behind many of these superstitions. Concepts such as confirmation bias and the placebo effect can influence the way people interpret events. When we grow up hearing that gifting a watch or perfume can cause a relationship to fall apart, our subconscious may begin to accept the idea as true. Later, if we have a normal disagreement or a minor conflict with the person we gifted it to, our mind may immediately connect the two events.

We may start thinking, “Perhaps this happened because I gave them a watch that day,” even though the actual reason for the disagreement may have nothing to do with the gift at all.

If we put these traditional beliefs aside and look at watches and perfumes from a more practical and financial perspective, there are still a few challenges associated with them. In the past, good-quality watches and genuine perfumes were expensive. When someone received an expensive gift, it could create an unspoken psychological pressure to return the favour with something equally valuable.

The renowned sociologist Marcel Mauss discussed this idea in his book The Gift, arguing that gifts often carry an invisible sense of social obligation and expectation. When someone receives a gift that they cannot afford to reciprocate, it can sometimes create an uncomfortable sense of pressure or imbalance in a relationship.

Perfume, meanwhile, is an extremely personal choice. Everyone has a different skin chemistry and pH balance, which can affect how the same fragrance smells on different people. If you spend a significant amount of money on a perfume and the recipient does not like the fragrance or finds it gives them a headache, both your effort and money may feel wasted. The giver may feel that their choice was not appreciated, while the receiver may feel uncomfortable using something they genuinely do not like. Without either person intending it, this can sometimes create an awkwardness in the relationship.

There is an interesting contradiction when we look at this belief from the perspective of modern India and the corporate world. On one hand, traditional beliefs may consider watches and perfumes unlucky gifts. On the other hand, during occasions such as Diwali, New Year, or employee appraisal periods, companies routinely give branded smartwatches and luxury perfume gift sets to their employees.

If these objects truly carried a curse or were inherently unlucky, it would be difficult to explain why so many businesses use them as gifts. Today’s younger generation is also increasingly inclined to look for logic behind traditional beliefs rather than accepting them blindly.

At the same time, it is interesting to see how young people have found a fun middle ground instead of completely rejecting these traditions. If someone wants to gift a watch or perfume to their partner or friend, they can simply ask the recipient to give them a ₹1 coin in return. This can be thought of as a “one-rupee coin hack.” The person can put a ₹1 coin in an envelope and jokingly say, “This isn't a gift. I sold it to you.”

This small symbolic exchange allows people to respect the old tradition, avoid the supposed “curse” associated with the gift, and add a little humour to the moment.

In today's digital age, a smartwatch is no longer simply a device that tells time. It can track fitness, monitor heart rate, and support healthier daily habits. In that sense, gifting someone a smartwatch can also become a way of wishing them good health and well-being.

The biggest advantage of gifting a watch is that it is durable, memorable, and practical. Every time the recipient looks at their wrist, they may be reminded of the person who gave it to them. Perfume, on the other hand, can be an intimate, romantic, and beautiful gift that creates a sense of closeness and reminds someone of the person who gave it to them.

But there can also be disadvantages. If you give a watch or perfume to someone who strongly believes in these traditional superstitions, they may become doubtful or anxious and start associating the gift with some future misfortune. Apart from that, a watch in the wrong size or a perfume with a fragrance the recipient dislikes may simply end up sitting unused in a corner of their wardrobe, defeating the purpose of the gift altogether.

When we compare traditional beliefs with the modern world, it becomes possible to understand that some of these customs may originally have encouraged people to choose gifts thoughtfully, keeping the other person's needs, preferences, and comfort in mind. In earlier times, there were fewer brands and choices available, and return or exchange facilities were practically non-existent. Today, with e-commerce, easy returns, exchanges, and gift cards, choosing and giving presents has become much simpler.

Ultimately, the real value of a gift does not lie in the object itself. It lies in the intention, emotion, and affection behind it. A watch stopping or a perfume fading away is simply a physical process; neither has a direct connection with the strength or longevity of a relationship.

If two people share trust, understanding, and genuine respect, no watch or fragrance in the world can weaken that bond. So instead of being afraid of old superstitions, if you understand someone's preferences and needs and give them a watch or perfume with genuine affection, the gift is far more likely to remain close to their heart.