It’s easily done, you know. You reach a certain age and realise with a nagging sense of embarrassment that you’ve never actually seen The Godfather, or listened to Led Zeppelin IV all the way through. Not quite got round to picking up Anna Karenina from the shelf. Always walked past The National Gallery without going in. Next time. Not that you’re uncultured, no sir, far from it – you’re up to speed with all of the Mercury Prize nominees and caught The Lighthouse in the cinema, for goodness sake. But you have neglected the classics.

It can be the same with watches, too. You’ve been enticed by the latest new thing: a collaboration with a Japanese denim brand, or a bronze-cased, green-dialled number with swappable straps, and that’s cool. But after a while, you’ll look at your watch collection and realise you lack a straight-up, no-nonsense dive watch, or a dress watch that’ll do you, your son and his son proud.

We can fix that, though: here are seven classics to consider – plus some indispensable accessories to go with them. And if you’re just starting out in watches, these will also serve as the ideal foundations on which to build a collection.

A part of watch history since the 1950s, Panerai’s Luminor case – notable at a glance for its crown guard, originally created as a fail-safe mechanism for divers – has become a genuine icon. The introduction of the slimmer Due line, and a rose-gold model to boot, elevates the tool-watch silhouette to something more luxurious.

A pilot’s watch from Breitling is about as classic as it gets; the brand has been supplying aviators of all disciplines for more than 60 years. This Navitimer 8 packs the brand’s in-house B-01 chronograph movement and has a high-contrast reverse panda dial.

The Reverso by Jaeger-LeCoultre is one of watchmaking’s most recognisable designs, and a perfect dress watch for any formal situation. This Tribute model combines a fidelity to the watch’s 1931 Art Deco origins with the more recent invention of a Duoface case which allows for two dials, one on each side of the rotating case, each tracking a different timezone – or just providing a different look.

You don’t set off on your travels with just a single pair of shoes to see you through, and similarly it’s naïve to think one watch will be enough either. Something for poolside, something for dinner and maybe something a bit more hard-wearing, depending on the nature of your adventure – that ought to do. A watch roll is the easiest way to safely tote your timepieces around, and we love this striped Smythson example.

A hard-as-nails dive watch even by the standards of the genre, IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN’s Aquatimer is bold, but not as big as it looks (only 42mm), although it is fairly thick – as you’d expect from a watch with 300m water-resistance. The inner rotating bezel, operated by the crown at nine o’clock, is designed to be completely safe from knocks and, as is customary for divers, marks the last 15 minutes as the most crucial.

Like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, the Santos’s credentials as a fine formal watch flow from its geometric case design. Cartier’s reliance on Roman numerals doesn’t hurt either, and nor does this 18k rose-gold case; however, pairing it with a grey leather strap gives the watch a softer, less business-like feel.

Think of a watch winder as your very own robot butler, diligently preserving your watch – keeping it running, keeping all the parts moving, making sure it’s telling the right time when you come to put it on. Rapport London’s latest is a collaboration with legendary shoemaker George Cleverley, so now your robot butler is suitably attired.

Most, if not all, watch fans tick off the chronograph box at some point, and while there are all manner of hifalutin examples out there, the purest is often the best. So it is with Montblanc’s 1858 chrono – retro hands and numerals, a simple 42mm steel case and a comfortable, versatile fabric strap. No date window to detract from the symmetry of the design, either.

An ideal first watch, the Baume & Mercier Classima is simplicity itself. At 40mm wide and only 5.95mm thick it’ll wear perfectly with pretty much everything, plus it is now available on a beige calf-leather strap that’s exclusively available at MR PORTER. Inside is a Swiss-made quartz movement for easy, worry-free reliability, and the caseback has space for personalised engravings – ideal if you’re shopping for someone else.

Whether they’re in a safety deposit box at the bank or pride of place in your bedside cabinet, your watches need an appropriate home. Keeping them in their original boxes is, frankly, a faff – this watch box by WOLF has cushioned spaces for seven watches, plus a lift-out tray for straps, spring bars, maybe cufflinks as well, and lets you see everything at a glance.