Best Gifts for Your Brother

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

Hard to beat as a sibling gift: it is a genuine dive watch with 200-meter water resistance, so he will never take it off, and it reliably gets mistaken for something considerably more expensive — which is the bit he will mention. At 42mm it is a big watch, so if he has a slim wrist go for the Weekender instead. Add a nylon strap and you have two boxes for not much more.

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

The scissors are why this works. Everyone who carries one uses the scissors weekly, and almost nobody buys one for themselves. It is small enough to live on his keys permanently, which is the only knife that gets used rather than stored. Cannot go through airport security, which is worth a word if he flies a lot.

An oversized triple-milled soap bar in strong scents, with packaging that does most of the gifting work.

The perfect sibling register: it is funny when it comes out of the wrapping, and underneath the joke it is triple-milled soap that lasts far longer than a standard bar. That combination — a laugh plus a real object — is what a brother gift should do. Scents are strong, so pick something woody rather than sweet unless you know his taste.

A tiny single-AAA keychain flashlight, bright enough to be genuinely useful, with a twist-on tail.

Tiny, cheap, and used far more often than anyone expects. It runs on a AAA battery you can buy anywhere in the world, and it is small enough that it stays on the keyring — which is the only flashlight that ever gets used. Buy two and keep one yourself; that is genuinely what most people do with these.

A palm-sized waterproof Bluetooth speaker with a carry loop.

Waterproof, so it survives showers and kitchens, with a loop to clip it anywhere. It is loud enough for a bathroom and small enough to travel, which covers where a speaker like this actually gets used. Nobody should expect party volume from something palm-sized, but for its actual use case it is very hard to fault at this money.

A compact leather card wallet with an RFID-blocking lining, in a wide range of colors.

If his wallet is a brick, this is the cheap intervention. A compact card wallet with an RFID-blocking lining, in enough colors to pick something he would actually carry. The leather is basic and will not last a decade, which is fine at this price — it is a nudge rather than a lifetime purchase, and if he takes to it the Bellroy on our under-$100 list is the upgrade.

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

The rare clothing gift with no sizing to get wrong. One size, a shape almost every man wears, and cheap enough to pair with something else. It is acrylic rather than wool, so warm rather than luxurious — which is exactly what the price reflects. Works best as the second item rather than the headline.

A woven nylon slip-through strap in a very wide range of colors and lug widths, from a long-established strap maker.

If he wears a watch daily, a strap in a color he would never have chosen is a very good sibling gift: cheap, specific, and mildly provocative in the right way. Nylon survives water and a washing machine. You need the lug width from his watch's specifications — usually 20 or 22mm — which is the only thing that has to be right.

A hardcover notebook with an elastic closure, a ribbon marker and a pocket in the back.

Not a gift on its own, but a good second object alongside almost anything else here. It sits flat when open, which cheap notebooks do not, and it comes in enough formats to suit a planner, a list-maker or someone who sketches. Paper is thin, so a fountain-pen user will see show-through — worth knowing if that is him.