The 10 watches to watch at Baselworld 2015

Tag Heuer smartwatch

Tag's first techy timepiece will feature GPS and health monitoring, and a selection of unique apps that are specific to the Tag brand and the sports its sponsors (F1, tennis, etc). The hardware and software will be made in silicon valley, but the watch itself will be manufactured in Switzerland.

We just saw Tag elder statesman Jean-Claude Biver literally pounding the table whilst yelling, "We are partnering with two big, BIG silicon valley companies. One hundred, 200 billion dollar companies! When Switzerland meets Silicon Valley… You will see what will happen!" (But not until 2pm tomorrow when they announce their "connected watch

Vector smartwatch

This new entry to the smartwatch category promises to last a whole month before needing a recharge. The firm was founded by former bigwigs from Timex and Nike, and its timepiece will work with Android, iOS and Windows handsets. Vector has been emailing us every few days for a month with tantalising press releases without revealing a single actual detail beyond "it'll have an IFTTT channel." It's the best teaser campaign by a totally unknown brand that we've experienced for a while but seriously, this watch had better be good.

Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Hurricane Grand Voyage

This watch celebrates the legend that was Christopher Columbus – flip it over, and you'll see a portrait of our man discovering America, complete with a flag, a parrot, and some natives. The front shows the manual-wind movement and all its workings. Don't expect it to be cheap.

Jacquet Droz Grande Seconde Deadbeat

Jacquet Droz watches are famed for having a bigger second dial, and this is no different: the whole of the watch face is effectively the second dial, while the bottom dial counts the days in the month. If you want to actually know the time, you'll have to look at the top dial. Useful? Hardly. But since when were high-end watches about being practical?

Alpina Startimer Pilot Chronograph Big Date

The big dials on this timepiece are modelled on Alpina pilot dials from its cars in the 1970s. Not only does this add some retro chic, it also makes it very easy to read at a glance. It comes with a military green leather strap or a metal bracelet. Add some string-backed leather driving gloves, and you're there.

Breitling B55 Connected

The B55 Connected marries analogue watch hands with a digital display. It pairs with the Breitling app to change the time, set alarms and share timings – no notifications, emails or Twitter on your wrist here. Inside, a thermocompensated superquartz chronograph movement adjusts its workings for variations in temperature, meaning the time is always accurate.

Mondaine Helvetica No. 1

The first Swiss-made smartwatch contains sensors that track your activity and sleep. It also has a sub-dial showing how close you are to your goal, just like on the Withings Activité. The timepiece was one of the first announced to use the Manufacture Movements Technologies (MMT) platform, which brings smart skills to classic watches. Expect plenty more like this.

Oris Aquis Depth Gauge

This is a reworking of Oris' classic 2013 timepiece. The handy gauge around the outside shows how deep you are, and the blackened steel case with yellow highlights make it fashionable as well as functional. We'd happily wear it and never go near the bottom of the ocean.

Tudor North Flag

Rolex's more affordable spinoff brand has revealed its first timepiece featuring an in-house movement. (In other words, the innards aren't outsourced, meaning they should be more reliable and accurate.) Plus it's as hardwearing as you'd expect from an adventure watch.

Hermès Slim d'Hermès Koma Kurabé

Buzan Fukushima, a master Aka-e painter, normally lends his skills to vases and plates. But Hermès commissioned him to design 12 dials, which can be found on this range of women's watches. The antidote to a tech-heavy show.