In the high-stakes world of early military aviation, having a watch that was both accurate and reliable could be the difference between a smooth flight and, well, a slightly less fun time spent in the cockpit. At a time when pilots had no GPS or fuel gauges, they relied on their watches to not only navigate, but also to estimate how much gas was left in the tank. These aviation watches were described as “survival tools”, with rotating bezels to track take-off times, antimagnetic escapements for accuracy and engineering that meant they could endure cockpit conditions that could swing from arctic to oven-like.

We all recognise the body language of a red-carpet stance. Shoulders back, head up, body at a slight angle to the camera, feet planted in an open position. But a few years ago, something changed. Leading men started arranging themselves with a hand tucked into a pocket just so, or with one arm braced across their torso in an almost military gesture. It was all about bringing visibility to the wrist – and more importantly, what was on it. Sleeves were pinched and shirts tucked to make sure the watch got its moment in the limelight – we’ve even seen a return to the classic “footballer” pose, arms crossed in front of the crotch, a move that guarantees good watch spotting. You might have seen Will Ferrell sending the whole thing up with his fist raised firmly in the air, Timex (or later, Omega) front and centre.

Sometimes a watch rises above the chatter. It might offer something people have never seen before, but often it’s just the right thing at the right time. And over the past half decade, the watch that has got people talking like nothing else is the Hermès H08. Launched at Watches and Wonders in 2021, it was Hermès’s first foray into sports watches. As in the most competitive class of mainstream watches. And yet it still stood out. Without boasting any particularly new feature or function, it wowed journalists and customers alike.

As the saying almost goes, the best time to buy a vintage watch was 20 years ago; the second-best time is right now. With vintage watches now available on MR PORTER in some territories, we would be inclined to agree. But maybe you’re not sure. Maybe you have questions – after all, it can seem like a vast and confusing world, with its own jargon and decades of history to understand. And then there’s the cost. “The brands I curate – Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Cartier – always appreciate in value,” says the vintage watch seller Stephanie Windsor, who works with MR PORTER in the US. “Often, vintage timepieces are worth more than the newer models from these very watch brands. If you imagine these companies back in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, they were significantly smaller and their production was much smaller. This means that a vintage AP is rarer and therefore more valuable.”

In the high-stakes world of early military aviation, having a watch that was both accurate and reliable could be the difference between a smooth flight and, well, a slightly less fun time spent in the cockpit. At a time when pilots had no GPS or fuel gauges, they relied on their watches to not only navigate, but also to estimate how much gas was left in the tank. These aviation watches were described as “survival tools”, with rotating bezels to track take-off times, antimagnetic escapements for accuracy and engineering that meant they could endure cockpit conditions that could swing from arctic to oven-like.

We all recognise the body language of a red-carpet stance. Shoulders back, head up, body at a slight angle to the camera, feet planted in an open position. But a few years ago, something changed. Leading men started arranging themselves with a hand tucked into a pocket just so, or with one arm braced across their torso in an almost military gesture. It was all about bringing visibility to the wrist – and more importantly, what was on it. Sleeves were pinched and shirts tucked to make sure the watch got its moment in the limelight – we’ve even seen a return to the classic “footballer” pose, arms crossed in front of the crotch, a move that guarantees good watch spotting. You might have seen Will Ferrell sending the whole thing up with his fist raised firmly in the air, Timex (or later, Omega) front and centre.