Retirement gifts: a date, a place, the thing they can finally do
A retirement gift always runs into the same problem: it marks an ending while the person is thinking about what starts next. What works is anything that fixes a date or points at the years ahead, not anything that recalls the office. We have five. The initials and date bracelet engraves the day they leave; the one-word bracelet, a single word for what comes next. The summit bracelet engraves the mountain they have put off for twenty years, the origin bracelet the two figures of the French department they are heading back to, and the GPS coordinates bracelet a place they do not have to name. Allow €23.90 a bracelet, engraving included; for a gift from the whole team, it is the card that goes with it, signed by everyone, that does the rest.
-
Initials and Date Bracelet – Wedding Anniversary Gift
The only bracelet on this page that engraves a day, on a second line below two initials. Sold as a couple’s bracelet, here it carries the leaving date and their own initials.
€23.90
-
Personalised Mountain Bracelet – Choice of Seven Peaks
The outline of a summit, engraved without a name or a height. The one they have postponed for twenty years for want of leave — and have no reason to postpone now.
€23.90
-
Personalised French Department Bracelet – Your Number Engraved
A great many retirements are returns: people go back where they came from. The department number is engraved inside a circle under the word ORIGINE, and it says that without anybody having to make a speech.
€23.90
-
Personalised GPS Coordinates Bracelet – The Place You Met
The coordinates of one point, engraved on two lines. The house they have just bought, the harbour where the boat is kept: a place nobody else can read.
€23.90
-
One-Word Bracelet – Handwritten Engraving
A single word for what begins — Free, Finally, Onward — in script or in capitals, with a mountain or a star above it. The gift that speaks of what comes next, not of the office.
€23.90
Which to choose
| If… | Then |
|---|---|
| You are giving on your own, as a close colleague | The initials and date bracelet |
| They are leaving the area at the same time | The origin bracelet |
| You want a place without naming it | The GPS coordinates bracelet |
| You want to wish them well for what comes next, in one word | The one-word bracelet |
| They have had a plan for years | The summit bracelet, the mountain they can finally climb |
How it goes, and when to order
| The moment | What it is | What to choose |
|---|---|---|
| The leaving do | its date, often the last Friday | Ten days ahead |
| The last working day | its date | That is the date to engrave, not the party’s |
| A gift from the whole team | a collection | A bracelet, and the card signed by everyone |
| A gift from one colleague | on its own | The bracelet, €23.90 |
| The move that often follows | in the months after | The origin bracelet, or the coordinates of the new house |
The date to engrave is the last working day, not the party: that is the one on their papers, and the one they will quote.
Frequently asked questions
What’s an original gift for a colleague who is retiring?
Something that points at what comes next rather than at the job being left: the outline of the summit they can finally climb, the number of the French department they are heading back to, a single word for the years ahead. An engraved leaving date marks the day without mentioning work at all, and the coordinates of a place say where they are going.
Which date should be engraved?
The last working day rather than the day of the leaving do, which is usually moved to a convenient Friday. It is the date on their paperwork and the one they will remember. Of the bracelets on this page, the initials and date bracelet is the only one that engraves a date.
How far ahead of the leaving do should I order?
Ten days if the parcel is coming to Ireland, a week within France: two days in the workshop to engrave and assemble, then the post, with a border to cross on the way. The leaving do is often moved to a Friday, so count from the date of the party, not from the last working day — and engrave the latter.
What do you choose when the whole team chips in for a collective gift?
A bracelet stays at €23.90 whatever the number of colleagues: what changes with a collection is what goes with it — the card signed by everyone, and sometimes a second bracelet for a partner who is retiring at the same time. The summit bracelet and the one-word bracelet are the ones a team picks most often: they speak of what comes next, not of the office.
Can you give the same thing for several retirements in a year?
Yes, and departments that see several people leave do exactly that: the same bracelet, a different date engraved, one cord colour per person. Ten colours are available, and nothing forces two successive gifts to look alike.
-
Designed in Aveyron, FranceComposed in our family workshop, checked before it ships.
-
Shipped within 48 hTo your door or to a pickup point, by La Poste or Colissimo.