Once upon a time, mechanical watches were indispensable tools. On the wrists of deep-sea divers, astronauts, pilots, mountaineers and explorers, they were vital equipment – sometimes to the point of life or death. Today’s technology means a watch is rarely called upon to play this role (although many professionals swear by them in case of emergency). But we still prize the traits that make a watch so capable: the strength, reliability, durability and clarity of design that equip them for situations far outside the norm. These watches all embody that spirit of action; some from a very modern perspective, others by evoking the aesthetic of an earlier age.