What Accessories Should a Man Have?

A sturdy oil-finished leather bifold with card slots, two bill pockets and a fold-out ID window, in RFID-blocking versions.

Buy this first, because it is used more often than anything else on the list and it is the thing almost nobody replaces on their own. A traditional leather bifold in thick oil-tan hide holds everything and needs no change in habits. If he has already gone cashless and card-light, a slim sleeve is the better version — but a bifold is the safe default when you do not know.

A plain leather belt with a steel buckle, in black and brown, in the sizes most men actually wear.

Second because it is worn every day and replaced the least. Most men own one belt, on its last hole, with the keeper missing. A reversible version covers black and brown in one purchase, which is the efficient answer. Size it from the waist measurement of trousers that fit rather than from an estimate — belt sizing is the most common return in this category.

A full-size analog dive-style watch with 200 meters of water resistance, a rotating bezel and a screw-down crown.

Third, and the first item on the list that is partly about looking deliberate rather than purely about function. A dive-style watch with genuine 200-meter water resistance never has to come off, which is what makes a watch a habit rather than an object in a drawer. It also gets mistaken for something considerably more expensive. Check the wrist first: 42mm is a lot of watch for a slim one.

Polarized sunglasses in a classic square frame, sold direct at a fraction of designer prices.

Fourth because they are seasonal but genuinely useful, and because most men own one scratched pair they keep using. A classic square frame suits the widest range of faces, polarized lenses cut glare properly for driving, and the price means losing them is a shrug. Buy a neutral color unless you know he likes something louder.

The small keychain Swiss Army knife: blade, scissors, nail file, screwdriver and tweezers in a 58mm body.

Fifth, and the last genuinely necessary item. One small tool on a keyring covers a surprising share of small daily problems — the scissors alone get used weekly for tags, threads and packaging. Small enough to stay on the keys permanently, which is the only tool that gets used. It cannot go through airport security, which is the one limitation to know.

A leather sleeve that holds two to four keys flat and silent, with a loop for a car fob.

The best of the optional extras, because it fixes a problem every man has and nobody solves: keys that jingle and wear through a pocket lining. It holds two to four keys flat with a loop for a car fob. Small enough to be a pairing gift rather than a main one, and unlikely to be owned already.

Watch straps with spring bars that release by sliding a small tab, so a strap change needs no tools and no scratched lugs.

The cheapest way to extend the set without adding an object. A second strap makes one watch cover both casual and smarter wear — nylon or canvas for weekends, leather for anything that needs a jacket. Quick release means the change takes ten seconds with no tools. You need the lug width from the watch's specifications.

The plain ribbed acrylic beanie Carhartt has sold for decades, in a long list of colors.

If a hat is going to be added to the list, this is the one: one size so there is nothing to get wrong, a shape nearly everybody wears, and a wide color range. Acrylic rather than wool, so warm rather than luxurious, which the price honestly reflects. A good filler item rather than a main gift.