Four of the best mechanical watches to buy now.

What is it about mechanical watches that we find so alluring? One answer is that we feel somehow connected to them. Yes, they’re less accurate than quartz watches. Yes, they’re generally a bit (or a lot) more expensive. But they seem so much more... alive. Quartz watches are largely self-sufficient objects, which draw their power from batteries that can last for years. Leave one in your desk drawer, go away for six months and it’ll still be ticking happily away when you come back. Mechanical watches, on the other hand, are powered by the wearer. Leave one alone for more than a few days and it’ll simply stop.

This connection between man and machine is never more tangible than in the case of hand-wound watches. Unlike automatic watches, which use an in-built rotor to harness the movement of your wrist, these require a conscious daily effort in order to keep them ticking. Those who think of watches in purely functional terms will invariably see these few little twists of the crown as an unnecessary chore. To watch lovers, however, this is a ritual to be savoured.

Hand-wound watches have a couple of practical advantages to keep in mind, too. Because they don’t have in-built rotor, they tend to be slimmer than their automatic counterparts, which makes them great dress watches. No rotor also means a less obstructed view of the movement, which is good news if you’re the kind of guy who loves peering through the back of the case to examine the inner workings of his watch.

Enough of the theory. Which are the best hand-wound watches on the market right now?

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You won’t find many smaller watches than Timex’s Marlin without venturing into the vintage market. At just 34mm in diameter, it feels more like an heirloom than a modern watch. Those mid-century-inspired looks don’t hurt, either. This gold-tone version is exclusive to MR PORTER and, yes, that really is the price.

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Piaget’s Altiplano range includes some of the thinnest watches ever made. This one contains a hand-wound 430P movement, which measures a scarcely believable 2.1mm in thickness. That’s about as thick as a 10p piece or slightly thicker than a quarter. In 18-carat white gold and mounted on an elegant black alligator strap, this is an utterly perfect dress watch.

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Los Angeles watchmaker Mr Cameron Weiss uses Swiss-made movements to create charming, vintage-inspired field watches fitted with Horween leather or Cordura fabric straps. Seen here with a limited-edition blue dial, the American Issue is his 42mm offering. If you’ve got a smaller wrist, go for the 38mm Standard Issue.

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One of the most remarkable things about Officine Panerai’s wristwatch movements is just how much power they’re able to store in their mainsprings. Once fully wound, this Radiomir 8 Days will keep ticking for – you guessed it – eight whole days, a fact the Italian manufacturer considered so worthy of note that it put it in the name. Also worthy of note: the black-on-black, ceramic-on-suede finish.

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