Best watches 2025: the complete guide to watches and watch brands

This is T3's guide to our favourite watches of 2025, featuring some of the biggest brands in horology and some boutique firms you might not have seen before.

It's not all about Rolex, Omega and Tudor. We've endeavoured to feature a host of top timepieces to suit every budget, with some costing under £200.

While some people opt to tell the time on a smartwatch or fitness tracker, we still believe a quality timepiece is an essential accoutrement to your everyday carry.

We also believe a watch is about much more than telling the time. These are companions that go everywhere with us, creating intrigue with their unusual design, impressing with their mechanical prowess, or reminding us of a key moment or achievement in our lives.

So, whether you flex a rugged, tech-heavy chronograph or a classic, slimline dress watch, your choice of watch says a lot about you.

That's why we've taken care to pick out the best men's watches available to buy today.

We'd recommend you also read our guide on the 5 best watches to invest in right now as well as the best watches under £1000 and the best watches under £300.

The best watches to buy in 2025:

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph

Audemars Piguet, also known as AP, is a favourite of the rap elite. The company was founded in 1875, and the Royal Oak is the brand's most popular model. We love this simple stainless steel model with a blue Grand Tapisserie pattern dial. It features a self-winding manufacture calibre 4401 movement with 40 jewels and 70 hours of power reserve, and is water resistant to 50 metres.

Price: £33,500 | Browse Audemars Piguet watches

Bamford London Mayfair Sport

The Bamford London Mayfair Sport is a catchline absolutely packed with colour. We've gone for the striking orange model here, but other options include red, green, pale blue and navy blue. Waterproof to 10 ATM (100 metres), these are watches that are sure to grab attention wherever they go.

Price: £350 | Browse watches at Bamford London

Baume 10684

Baume is a sustainability minded watch brand which launched in 2018. The brand aims to use sustainable, recycled, and up-cycled materials where possible, and the elegant watches are fully customisable, with over 2000 permutations achievable on an online configurator.

Price: £575 | Browse watches on the Baume website

Bell & Ross BR 03 Nightlum

This watch is for those who prefer square timepieces. No complicated bells and whistles here; the Bell and Ross BR 03 has its roots in aviation, a heritage the folks at B&R have clearly channelled into the straightforward, seconds-minutes-hours-date design. Now happily available to those of us without our wings, the BR 03 packs a sapphire crystal face and a hard-wearing leather strap.

Price: £3,600 | Browse Bell & Ross watches at Goldsmiths

It's worth checking our Goldsmith's discount codes to save on your order.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

Blancpain is one of the world's oldest watch brands, founded in 1735, and the Fifty Fathoms is one of the first diving watches. This model was updated for 2018 and features a striking blue bezel, dial, and canvas strap. Each piece is designed and assembled in Switzerland and embodies all the luxury you'd expect from such an historic brand.

Price: £15,800 | Browse Blancpain watches at Selfridges

Braun BN0021

Taking inspiration from Deiter Ram's iconic industrial design language, this Braun Watch is understated, sharp and sophisticated. It's not too chunky with a 38mm diameter, and only 8.5mm thickness. Perfect for fans of industrial design.

Price: £100 | Browse watches at the Braun website

Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph

The Navitimer is Breitling's most iconic and popular collection, and has been a firm favourite of aeronautical enthusiasts since its original release in 1952. This model has a 43mm stainless steel case with a transparent case back, showing off the impressive COSC-certified self-winding movement. It's accurate to -4 to +6 seconds a day and has an impressive 70 hour power reserve.

Price: £7,850 | Browse Breitling watches at Goldsmiths

Brew Metric Gold & Black

It might not be subtle, but we're completely in love with this slab of black-and-gold excess. It comes from an American watchmaker called Brew and it's called the Metric. This colour isn't discreet, but we think black and gold go perfectly together, while the case (41.5 x 36 mm) and strap give off a strong retro vibe.

Price: £369 | Browse the Metric collection at Brew Watches

Cartier Tank Louis Cartier

There is noting more elegant than a Cartier Tank. It was created by Louis Cartier in 1917, and was first presented to General Pershing of the American army during World War I. This model is called the Tank Louis Cartier. It has a compact, 30mm yellow gold case, a quartz movement and a brown leather strap.

Price: £9,800 | Browse the Cartier Tank collection at Goldsmiths

Casio Vintage A171WEG-9AEF

Okay, so this isn't the last word in elegance, but sometimes occasion calls for a cheap, durable digital watch. This gold-coloured watch is compact and unobtrusive on the wrist, featuring a digital display with time, day and date always on show.

Price: £57.90 | Browse Casio watches at Watch Shop

Certina DS Action Powermatic 80

As a true Swiss made diver's watch the Certina DS Action Powermatic 80 fulfils all the requirements of the ISO 6425 standard. It's waterproof up to 300 metres and has a massive power reserve of up to 80 hours. That's a very desirable package considering the watch costs under £900.

Price: £895 | Browse Certina watches at Watch Shop

Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto

We're big fans of Christopher Ward here at T3, and for us this is the flagship of the range. Called the C1 Bel Canto, this watch makes a chime sound on the hour, every hour (and it can be muted for when you want it to stay quiet). It's a beautiful thing, with the chiming movement taking pride of place on the dial, and in the case of the watch pictured above, finished in a beautiful shade of pale blue.

Price: £3,195 | Browse Christopher ward watches

Christopher Ward C65 Dune Automatic Bronze

Christopher Ward's new Dune collection includes several models with bronze cases. This metal is known for how it ages as it oxidises, shifting colour and giving each watch a unique patina. This particular timepiece pairs a 38 mm bronze case with a green dial with wave patterning and a matching green strap.

Price: £985 | Browse the watches at Christopher Ward's website

Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph

Chopard's Mille Miglia collection celebrates the world's most beautiful motor race. With its resolutely vintage style, this watch is crafted from Chopard's Lucent Steel and is finished with a rubber strap which resembles 1960's Dunlop tyre treads. Inside is a chronometer-certified self-winding in-house movement with 54 hours of power reserve.

Price: £8,230 | Browse Chopard Mille Miglia watches at Goldsmiths

Fossil Townsman Automatic

We love the skeletal design of this automatic watch from Fossil. It has a 44mm stainless steel case, blue detailing and a brown leather strap. Waterproofing is to 50 metres and there's mineral glass on the front and rear.

Price: £239 | Browse at the Fossil website

Glashütte Senator Observer 44mm

If you hadn't guessed from the name, Glashütte is a German brand, and the Senator Observer is a 44mm timepiece with elegant blue hands, a central date window and a duo of sub-dials. Water resistance is to 50 metres and the watch comes on an alligator leather strap.

Price: £7,800 | Browse Glashütte watches at Goldsmiths

G-Shock Mudmaster

G-Shock claims the Mudmaster was designed for people who frequently come into contact with 'rubble, dirt, mud, debris', and judging by the styling, explosions too. This model boasts a carbon construction, digital compass, 200 metres of water resistance, LED lighting and timeserver signal reception.

Price: £289 | Browse G-Shock watches at H Samuel

Hamilton Chrono-Matic 50

Released in February, Hamilton's latest watch is a celebration of 1970s motorsport, complete with blue and orange colouring and a chronograph movement with tacky meter.

But if you want one you'll need to be quick, because it's limited to just 150 individually-numbered examples and priced at £2,300.

Price: £2,300 | Browse at Watches of Switzerland

Hamilton Ventura Elvis80 Auto

Circular watches are for, well... squares. If you're looking for something a little different check out Hamilton's Ventura range. This timepiece looks like a 1950's interpretation of a futuristic watch, and we love it.

If you hadn't guessed from the name, this model pays tribute to the King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley (a Ventura actually featured in his film, Blue Hawaii). Powered by Hamilton's own H-10 movement, with a massive power reserve of 80 hours, it is a truly modern timepiece.

Price: £1,560 | Browse at the Hamilton website

Hermés Arceau Chronographe 42mm

Like a stylish vintage stopwatch on your wrist, this oversized 44mm timepiece from Hermés features a beautiful polished steel case and a tan leather strap. The dial features a set of steeply italicised numerals, a pair of blue sub-dials, and hands finished in Hermés' signature orange hue.

Price: £5,990 | Browse at the Hermés website

Hublot Classic Fusion Original Titanium 38mm

While Hublot is more famous for its popular Big Bang model, we also love the Classic Fusion range. The picture above is of the Classic Fusion Original Titanium 38 mm, with a black dial and matching strap. Water resistant to 50 metres, the watch is driven by an automatic movement with 42 hours of power reserve.

Price: £7,100 | Browse Hublot watches at Goldsmiths

IWC Portofino Chronograph 39mm

The IWC Portofino Chronograph combines precision engineering and elegant design into one breathtakingly beautiful timepiece. Finding the perfect balance between function and form, the watch features a 39mm stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, and brown alligator strap. Water resistance is 30 metres and the power reserve of the automatic movement is 44 hours.

Price: £5,500 | Browse IWC watches at Goldsmiths

Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso

The Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso was born at the beginning of the 1930s from a challenge to design a watch that could withstand British Army polo matches in India. An innovative mechanism means the dial is smoothly concealed by the reversing case, switching to a metal back that fully protects the crystal and dial from possible mallet strokes. It's been an icon since its inception, and was even worn by Christian Bale when playing Batman.

Price: £12,200 | Browse the Jaeger LeCoultre website

Junghans Max Bill Regulator Edition 60

We're a bit obsessed with the Junghans brand at the moment. It's the largest German watch manufacturer and was founded in 1861. It now creates clean, simple, and very attractive timepieces. The Max Bill Regulator Edition 60 is one of our favourite models, commemorating one of the most extraordinary designers of the last century.

Price: £2,065 | Browse Junghans watches at Watch Shop

Longines Conquest Heritage Year of The Snake Edition

Longines is celebrating 2025, the year of the snake, with this sssstriking new timepiece. It's a 40mm stainless steel Conquest Heritage watch with an automatic movement (power reserve: an impressive 72 hours) and 50 metres of water resistance.

Limited to just 2,025 examples worldwide, the watch features a red dial and a case back engraving of a wood snake with a Lingzhi mushroom in its mouth.

Price: £2,800 | Browse Longines watches at Goldsmiths

Longines Master Collection 40mm

Founded by Auguste Agassiz in the Swiss town of Saint Imier in 1832, Longines has propelled itself to one of the world’s leading watch brands with its 185 year proud history. Fully automatic making full use of the heritage and engineering prowess that Longines have perfected over the last 180 years this Master Collection watch is as striking and bold as it is well made.

Price: £2,850 | |Browse Longines watches at Goldsmiths

Marloe Coniston Auto

Marloe is a British watchmaker whose Coniston collection pays tribute to world land and water speed record breakers Sir Malcolm and Donald Campbell. The collection itself is named after Coniston Water, the lake on which the father and son set several water speed records. The K4 is named after Sir Malcolm's record-breaking boat, while the CN7 takes its name from Donald's Proteus Bluebird CN7, which was the first car to break the 400 mph barrier, in 1964.

Featuring a 41mm stainless steel case, the Coniston uses a Japanese Miyota 8N24 automatic movement with a power reserve of 40 hours, and is available with a wide range of leather and fabric straps.

Price: £399 | Browse at Marlow Watch Company

Mondaine Helvetica No1 Regular

We can't describe the Helvetica any better than Mondaine can: "a classy-unpretentious and practical timepiece. No1 for simplicity and unshowy neutral elegance." The case is made from polished stainless steel and it has water resistance to 30 metres.

Price: £130 | Browse Mondaine watches at Watch.co.uk

Mr Jones Watches A Perfectly Useless Afternoon

Looking for something a bit different? Okay, how about something very different? That's what you get from London-based Mr Jones Watches. We're big fans of this company and recently got to try out A Perfectly Useless afternoon, where the time is told using a rotating graphic of a man lounging in a swimming pool. His outstretched foot acts as the hours hand, while a rubber duck bobbing in the water points to the minutes. And the best thing? The quartz model is only £225.

Price: £225 | Browse Mr Jones Watches

Nomos Glashütte Tangente

Ideal for those who value straightforwardness as much as precision, the Nomos Glashütte Tangente neomatik 39 is a stylish accompaniment to the working day. The tempered blue hands on the white silver-plated dial look great whether with a suit or smart casual attire, while the large dial is easy to read. The watch is kept slender thanks to the automatic in-house movement DUW 3001 with 43 hours of power reserve.

Price: £3,080 | Browse Nomos Glashütte watches at Goldsmiths

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Bronze Gold & Titanium

The Omega Seamaster Diver 300m will forever been known as James Bond's timepiece of choice. Strapped to the wrist of 007 almost continuously since 1995's Goldeneye, the Seamaster comes in many, many shapes and sizes – plus, as you'd expect, there are plenty of James Bond special editions to pick from too. Here we've shunned 007 in favour of the new 42mm titanium model with bronze gold and green colour way.

Price: £10,100 | Browse Omega watches at Beaverbrooks

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch white dial

Revealed in 2024, the new white dial version of the iconic Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch took us all by surprise. It is otherwise identical to the current generation of automatic Moonwatch, but with a white dial instead of black – and boy does it pop. Not a limited edition, but currently with a lengthy wait list, the white dial Moonswatch is a must for any Speedy collector.

Price: £7,600 | Browse Omega watches at Goldsmiths

Oris Divers Sixty-Five 40mm

Oris made its first diver’s watch in the 1960s and has since had a close relationship with the oceans which has contributed to its commitment to conservation. This is was encapsulated by the #ChangeForTheBetter campaign. The automatic 40mm model featured here is presented on a stainless steel bracelet and is water resistant to 100 metres.

Price: £3,050 | Browse Oris dive watches at Goldsmiths

Panerai Luminor 1950

If you're looking for a bit of Italian-flare mixed with Swiss watchmaking, look no further than Panerai. The company is based in Milan, but all watches are made in Switzerland. Our favourite watches from Panerai are the Luminor 1950 collection, with their clean watch face and automatic movement, designed entirely in-house.

Price: around £9,900 | Browse Panerai watches at Mr Porter

Panerai Luminor Tre Giorni

Launched right at the start of 2025, this huge watch from Panerai has a case diameter of 47mm – and an equally impressive power reserve, of three full days. That's where the watch gets its name from, since tre giorni is 'three days' in Italian.

It's a hefty timepiece, with a case thickness of 15 mm, and water resistance is 100 metres. The dial is a particular highlight, with our watch expert remarking: "The real highlight is the dial. It's a sandwich dial with a layer of beige Super-LumiNova beneath the top layer, which is a beautiful, grainy grey hue. It's a sunburst dial, too, meaning the outer edge is darker than the centre. It really does just pop."

Price: £9,100 | Browse Panerai watches at Goldsmiths

Patek Philippe Calatrava 6000G

If you're looking for one of the best watches available, you can't go wrong with Patek Philippe.

Patek Philippe is one of the oldest Swiss watch brands around, founded in 1851, so knows a thing or two about designing watches. The company is known for creating some of the most complicated mechanical watches you can buy. The first Calatrava model was created in 1932, inspired by the minimalist principles of Bauhaus.

This beautiful blue timepiece features a white gold case, hand-stitched alligator strap, and a sunburst dial. Rather than having a date complication, it is displayed on the outermost circle, which we think is a very elegant solution.

Price: around £13,000 | Browse Patek Philippe watches on the brand's website

Rolex GMT-Master II

Before Omega started looking into sending watches into space, the bods at Rolex had a more humble goal: to create the first water resistant watch. Invented in 1926, Brit swimmer Mercedes Gleitze swam the channel in ten hours wearing a Rolex Oyster in 1927, and it's been the darling of big business types and shady internet resellers ever since.

Equally legendary, the GMT-Master II has been a icon of the jet age, embraced by airline pilots as their onboard chronometer of choice. T3's favourite reference is the steel case with a "Pepsi" bezel, introduced at Baselworld in 2018.

Price: £9,550 | Browse Rolex watches at Goldsmiths

Rotary Sherlock

If you're after a classy looking watch on a budget, the British brand Rotary are perfect. This classic looking timepiece is worn by Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock! Get buying Cumberbitches.

Price: £139 | Browse Rotary watches at Watch Shop

• Best women’s quartz watch 2019: slimline watches for day to evening wear

Seiko Prospex

We love this glorious re-creation of Seiko's 1970 diver's watch. It's slightly larger than the original but is faithful in every other respect to its design. Of course, it's been completely updated inside, incorporating the caliber 6R35 automatic movement with 70 hours of power reserve.

If you looking for something a little more modern, you should check out the new Prospex LX line, which has been developed in collaboration with Ken Okuyama Design.

Price: £1,270 | Browse Seiko watches at Goldsmiths

Swatch MoonSwatch

This one doesn't need much introduction, does it? The MoonSwatch set the watch world alight when it arrived in early 2022 and, more than two years later, it's only just become widely available, such is the demand for this unusual timepiece. Another example of a watch collection rather than a single model, the MoonSwatch is available in 11 different flavours, plus several special edition. Each member of the standard collection is priced at £240 and inspired by the legendary Omega Speedster 'Moonwatch'. A must-buy for any collection.

Price: £240 | Browse Swatch MoonSwatch watches

Swatch Seconds of Sweetness

It's not easy picking a favourite from Swatch's collection of The Simpsons watches, but we've gone for the donut-themed Seconds of Sweetness. Mmm, donuts...

Sorry, where were we? Yes, the watch, It's got a huge pink donut on the dial, more donut loveliness of the strap, 30 metres of water resistance and a 41 mm case diameter. It's also making us hungry just looking at it.

Price: £96 | Browse The Simpsons watches at Swatch

Swatch Sistem51

No best watch list would be complete without Swatch, the budget Swiss brand (who also happen to make some pretty snazzy designs). We love the Swatch Originals range -- made from plastic and silicon but featuring quartz movement and waterproof to 3 Bars, but we've gone for the Sistem51, which is a bit more techy. In fact, the Sistem51 is a technological wonder, featuring 51 parts, one screw, an automatic movement and a 90-hour power reserve.

Price: from £145 | Browse Swatch watches on the brand's website

TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph

TAG Heuer is once again the timing partner of Formula One, replacing Rolex for the 2025 season. This means a new set of trackside clocks and advertisements, plus a new range of watches. There are lots of models to pick from, including several in collaboration with the Red Bull F1 team, but our favourite is the red-and-black chronograph. We love how it fuses modern and retro design, but at 44 mm this large titanium case is not for fans of smaller timepieces.

Price: £4,100 | Browse at TAG Heuer

Timex Automatic 1983 E-Line Reissue

At just £190 (or £200 for the gold and turquoise versions), we think this Timex represents great value for money. It has a compact, 34mm stainless steel case and what's known as a TV dial, owing to its rounded-rectangular shape.

The watch is water-resistant to 50 metres and is powered by an automatic mechanical movement – a Miyota calibre 8215 Japanese movement with 21 jewels and 60 hours of power reserve – and there's a date window, too.

Timex's clever 'Perfect Fit' bracelet is made of stainless steel links, but they are attached in a way that gives the band some elasticity. Therefore, the watch can be put on and taken off by stretching it over your hand instead of undoing the bracelet – and links can be removed or added without the use of any tools.

Price: £190 | Browse Timex watches at Timex

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80

Not just a watch, but an entire family of watches, the PRX collection from Tissot blends modern timekeeping technology with a beautifully retro design. We're especially fond of the PRX Powermatic 80 with a green dial and 40 mm stainless steel case. It's a wonderful watch and at £640 we think it represents fantastic value for money.

Price: £640 | Browse Tissot watches at Watch Shop

Tudor Black Bay Chrono

A recent addition to the fabulous Tudor Black Bay family, the Chrono is a 41mm stainless steel watch with two sub-dials, a chronograph movement, date window and tachymeter on the bezel. It's powered by the Swiss company's own automatic mechanical movement with 70 hours of power reserve, and has 200 metres of water resistance. Best of all, while we love the black-on-white 'panda eyes' look of the standard model, the Black Bay Chrono is also available with dial colours of black, gold, blue and even pink.

Price: £4,930 | Browse Tudor watches at Goldsmiths

Tudor Heritage Black Bay

The Tudor Black Bay might be the ideal piece to start a "proper" watch collection. It's premium but not too expensive, it's got history, and it's a very attractive, wearable, everyday watch. Our favourite is the Black Bay Black Heritage with the black face and bezel (pictured above), but Tudor offers a number of variants, including a striking bronze model, made from a high-performance aluminium bronze alloy. The Black Bay features an in-house movement and numerous classic design cues.

Price: £3,550 | Browse Tudor watches at Goldsmiths

Uniform Wares M40

Uniform Wares pieces are made in Switzerland but designed in London, and we think they're a great brand if you're looking for something clean and simple. The M40 features UW's signature lug-less M-Line case, and, as the name suggests, measures 40mm in diameter. It's paired with an Italian nitrile rubber strap. There's an incredible attention to detail here.

Price: from £400 | Browse Uniform Wares watches on the brand's website

Victorinox INOX Paracord

Put together by the same industrious Swiss tinkerers who make those little red army knives, you'd be right to expect some engineering creativity in the Victorinox INOX watch. As if a steel shell and hardened sapphire crystal face didn't make it outdoorsy enough for you, the INOX also features a paracord strap, which you can unravel and voila! You've got some potentially life-saving rope. Victorinox will also replace you strap for free if you tell them how it saved you.

Price: £380 | Browse Victorinox watches at Watch Shop

Zenith Chronomaster Heritage 146

Founded in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot, Zenith has a rich history in the manufacture of Swiss timepieces. The most notable achievement was the creation of the first integrated automatic chronograph movement, the Zenith El Primero, as well as the Zenith Defy Lab, the most accurate mechanical watch ever made.

The Zenith Chronomaster Heritage 146 features a El Primero 4069 movement and a 50 hour power reserve.

Price: £5,500 | Browse Zenith watches at Goldsmiths

Here are a few watch buying tips to keep in mind:

• Remember the basic rules. Black leather strap for formal wear, metal strap with a black face for the office, and a chronograph for weekend escapades
• Much like shorts with suits, oversized hats and the Hoxton fin, these things all have a shelf life. That's okay if you're thinking budget, but if you're splashing the cash it's best to stay classic
• Check out T3's guide on how to match a watch to your outfit
• There are 5 types of watch every enthusiast should own

Best watch buying tips

We've consulted style guru Daniel Johnson to get the best tip when it comes to picking a watch. If you want to buy a watch but don't know where to begin, then read on.

• It pays to go vintage: Older watches were made by hand, before machines replaced craftsmen, so everyone is guaranteed to be one of a kind. That's better than limited edition, any day.
• Bigger is very rarely better: There's nothing more uncouth than a chunky chronograph worn with a good suit. A watch should complement your look, not shout about your pay packet.
• Don't buy into fads: Much like shorts with suits, oversized hats and the Hoxton fin, these things all have a shelf life. That's okay if you're thinking budget, but if you're splashing the cash it's best to stay classic.
• Money really does buy quality: Spend big and you'll see the difference in the quality of the movement, complications and timekeeping. Ignore the number of diamonds and concentrate on details.
• Know your metals: Rose gold, yellow gold, or white gold? Rose gold's had a brief resurgence recently, while yellow gold is considered “too much” by some. White gold is less likely to go out of fashion.
• Be occasion appropriate: Remember the basic rules: black leather strap for formal wear, metal strap with a black face for the office, and a chronograph for weekend escapades.

T3's Watch Jargon Buster

Buying a watch can be a confusing business, especially if you don't know your crowns from your complications. If you'd like to sound like an expert horologist T3 are here to help:

Mechanical movements: These come in two varieties: self-winding and automatic. Auto ones sport a weighted rotor that spins when you move, keeping the watch permanently wound. A good auto watch will continue ticking for up to 48 hours if left off the wrist. The downside is that mechanical watches are not 100% accurate – and even less so if exposed to magnetism. They also require servicing after three to five years. You can spot a high-end mechanical watch by the sweeping second hand.

Quartz movements: These have very few moving parts. Instead, 
an electric pulse is passed through a small quartz crystal inside 
to drive the hands or digital display.

Escapement: This is what creates the ticking sound. Unique to mechanical watches, it comprises a toothed “escape” wheel and an anchor or lever that permits the gradual release of stored energy.

Jewel bearings: Smooth jewels, such as rubies, garnets and diamonds, provide ideal non-friction surfaces for a watch's many moving parts. Since 1902 it's more usual to find synthetic jewels used.

Tourbillon: This attempts to counter the effects of gravity by placing the escapement and balance wheel inside a rotating cage. With today's watch accuracy it's no longer necessary, but does look fancy.

Complication: Refers to any watch movement beyond the simple tracking of hours, minutes and seconds. The more complications, the more parts. It takes up to 250 parts to display the date and time.

Chronograph: Defines any watch, mechanical or quartz, that serves as a stopwatch. Simple chronographs have an independent sweeping hand that can be started and stopped by pressing a pair of buttons on either side of the winder.

Tachymeter: These markers around the edge 
of some chronographs can be 
used to measure speed or distance. For speed, start the stopwatch and where the second hand is pointing after a mile indicates your pace.

Monobloc: This is a watch case made from one piece of ceramic or stainless steel. Hint: they're more resistant to knocks and drops.

How to spot a fake watch

There are counterfeit watches on every street corner, here's how to spot a dodgy copy from the genuine article:

• Inspect the strap: Give the leather a little sniff – it should smell like the inside of a luxury sports car. Metallic strap? Have a play with it and if there's any give between the links then it's time to get suspicious.
• Watch the second hand very closely: If there's even a slightly jerky motion you can stake money on it being a fake. The best watch brand's mechanics are engineered to remove all hints of judder.
• Check your text: Turn it over and examine the text detail on the 
dial with a magnifying glass. A quality watch will have pin-sharp text with no smudgy edges and, of course, no spelling mistakes.
• Gen up on the market rate: Reasonably priced Rolex? That should set off alarm bells. Rolex is the most faked watch brand in the world, too, with its Submariner the most copied.
• Research details: Rolex movements have many different coloured parts, whereas fakes generally don't. The letters ETA (makers of internal watch parts) stamped on the rear is a sure sign of a dud, too.
• Know your materials: Omega is another popular brand for counterfeiters, so check how well the face and hands glow in the dark. Omega uses a substance called LumiNova that easily outshines any fake.