Sundial Anniversary Gifts: What They Mean, Which Year They Fit, and What to Write

Quick answer: a sundial makes a meaningful anniversary gift because it is literally about time: the years you have shared and the ones still ahead. It also connects to the anniversary gift lists if you choose the case well. In the US traditional list, the 3rd anniversary is leather and the 5th is wood, so a sundial in a leather case or a wooden box fits those years. For any year, the words you add matter most. Below are real sundial mottos (with who wrote them), message ideas, and a few tips for giving it.

Why a sundial means something to a couple

Most gifts say "I thought of you." A sundial says something more specific: it counts time only when the sun is out. Many old sundials carry short mottos about time, friendship and love. For an anniversary, it turns an abstract idea (our time together) into an object you can hold, set in the sun, and read.

A sundial compass adds a second idea: direction. A compass points the way; a sundial marks the hours. Together they make an easy message for a partner: "the time is ours, and we go the same way."

Which anniversary does a sundial fit?

There is no anniversary year that is officially "the sundial year." What exists are gift lists, and they vary by country and by source. According to Wikipedia's article on wedding anniversaries, giving gifts for anniversaries became more common in English-speaking countries in the 19th century, and in 1937 the American National Retail Jewelers Association (now Jewelers of America) published an expanded list. The US traditional list it gives includes:

• 3rd anniversary: leather. A sundial compass in a leather case fits this year.
• 5th anniversary: wood. A sundial in a wooden box fits this year.
• 7th anniversary: wool or copper. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, so you could give a brass sundial as a nod to the copper year. That is a personal touch, not the tradition itself.
• 8th anniversary: bronze. Bronze is a different copper alloy, so brass is not a match here.

For the big milestones, the lists move to silver (25th) and gold (50th). A brass sundial does not match those materials, but it works well as a companion gift or as the keepsake part of the celebration, especially when the message is about the years behind you.

Sundial mottos that work for an anniversary

Sundial makers have engraved short mottos for centuries. These are real ones, with the source where it is known:

• "Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be." From Robert Browning's poem Rabbi Ben Ezra (1864). It appears on sundials, sometimes reworded as "Come along and grow old with me."
• "Hours fly, Flowers die: New days, New ways: Pass by! Love stays." From verses Henry van Dyke wrote for a sundial in the garden of Spencer and Katrina Trask at Yaddo, in Saratoga Springs, New York. He printed them as "Katrina's Sun-Dial" in his 1904 book Music and Other Poems.
• "But for those who Love, Time is not." The closing line of the second verse of the same poem (on the original dial it ends "Time is Eternity").
• "Be as true to each other as this dial is to the sun." A traditional motto; no known author.
• "Horas non numero nisi serenas." Latin, roughly "I count only the sunny hours." Traditional.

What to write with an anniversary sundial

A sundial already says "time." Your card only needs to say whose time. A few templates you can adapt:

• "[Number] years of sunny hours, and I'm still counting. Happy anniversary."
• "Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be. Love, [name]"
• "You are my direction and my favorite way to spend time. Happy anniversary."
• For a 3rd (leather) or 5th (wood) anniversary: "Traditionally, this year is [leather/wood]. I picked something that also tells time, because that's what we're celebrating."
• For a long marriage: "The hours fly. Love stays. Thank you for [number] years."

Keep it short. One true sentence about your years together beats a long poem.

How to give it

1. Give it on a sunny day if you can. A sundial needs direct sunlight to cast a clear shadow. It does not work indoors or under cloud; the compass works anywhere.
2. Read it together. Set it down in the sun, line it up with north, and read the shadow. Sundial time is not the same as clock time, so it will rarely match a phone exactly. Our guide How to Use a Sundial Compass explains the setup and the correction, step by step.
3. Keep it where you both see it. On a desk or a shelf it becomes a small daily reminder of the date.

OakiWay sundials for an anniversary

• Anniversary Sundial Compass: polished brass in a mango-wood case with a glass top. It carries a printed message ("My Dear, Happy Anniversary, For many more great years to come. I will always be beside you, at all times to any destination... Love You Forever!") and comes with a Happy Anniversary card inside. A natural fit for a 5th (wood) anniversary, and for any year.
• Brass Sundial Compass in Leather Case: an antique-style brass sundial compass in a genuine leather case, in 2.7-inch or 4.1-inch diameter, with instructions and gift packaging. A natural fit for a 3rd (leather) anniversary.

See all of them in our anniversary gifts collection, or browse the full compasses & sundials collection.

FAQ

Is a sundial a good anniversary gift for a husband?

It suits anyone who likes objects with a story, old instruments or desk pieces. It is a gift about shared time, so it works for a husband, a wife or a partner alike.

What anniversary is a sundial for?

No list names a "sundial year." By the US traditional list, a sundial in a leather case fits the 3rd (leather) and one in a wooden box fits the 5th (wood). Lists vary by country and source.

Is brass an anniversary material?

Brass is not on the US traditional list given by Wikipedia. It is a copper alloy, and copper is listed for the 7th year alongside wool, so a brass gift can be a personal nod to that year.

Does a sundial tell the right time?

It tells solar time, which can differ from clock time by several minutes or more, depending on the date, your longitude and daylight saving time. Our sundial guide shows how to convert it.

Sources: anniversary lists from Wikipedia, "Wedding anniversary"; sundial mottos from Wikipedia's "List of sundial mottos"; Browning text from Project Gutenberg (Browning's Shorter Poems); van Dyke text and history from Quote Investigator; product details from the OakiWay product pages.