It’s hard to compare watches from one brand to those of another. Everyone sets out to make a great watch, and they do it with different audiences in mind; different budgets, different tastes and different priorities. Watches are a subjective business, too. You can play Top Trumpswith the spec sheet if you like – is it a chronometer? How many meters water resistance? How many hours of power reserve? – but fundamentally we buy watches because they speak to us on a personal level.

Buying your first luxury watch can be a daunting prospect; the world of watches is rife with complicated language and technical details. But assuming you’ve done your homework (our attempt to bust some of the myths around watchmaking is a good place to start) and you’re ready to buy a so-called “proper” watch – something that can last a lifetime, but might also be the first step to building a collection – there is still a dazzling amount of choice. In many ways, there has never been a better time to take that first step into the world of watches. The quality and breadth of designs on offer from mainstream brands is at an all-time high and there are several thriving independent manufacturers to choose from.

“It’s like a work of art on your wrist.” If we had £1 every time we’d heard this line, or similar, well, we would probably at least be able to buy a Timex. Watch collectors love to rhapsodise about their passion (see also any reference to meticulously researched vintage watch trivia as scholarship) and that’s fine. We’re all here because we like watches a bit too much, but it got us thinking. We talk about watches like art. The most desirable ones certainly sell like art and, if we’re honest, the look of a watch is the biggest factor behind 90 per cent of our purchases. So, maybe it’s not just hyperbole. Maybe a watch can be art.

After Mr Mark Zuckerberg, Mr Matt Jacobson is Facebook’s longest-serving staffer. He was Zuck’s eighth hire back in 2005. Most would have cashed in their microchips by now, but as the creative director for augmented reality products at the digital behemoth, one of many senior roles he has filled over the years, Jacobson thrives on nurturing partnerships with influential brands and people. It’s why he was a natural fit for the MR PORTER Style Council. Away from the corporate race, he has also taken on West Coast surf brand Birdwell with some friends, whose board shorts’ famed indestructibility he has relied on all his surfing life. It’s a labour-of-love, custodial approach that extends to his watch collection.

It’s hard to compare watches from one brand to those of another. Everyone sets out to make a great watch, and they do it with different audiences in mind; different budgets, different tastes and different priorities. Watches are a subjective business, too. You can play Top Trumpswith the spec sheet if you like – is it a chronometer? How many meters water resistance? How many hours of power reserve? – but fundamentally we buy watches because they speak to us on a personal level.

Buying your first luxury watch can be a daunting prospect; the world of watches is rife with complicated language and technical details. But assuming you’ve done your homework (our attempt to bust some of the myths around watchmaking is a good place to start) and you’re ready to buy a so-called “proper” watch – something that can last a lifetime, but might also be the first step to building a collection – there is still a dazzling amount of choice. In many ways, there has never been a better time to take that first step into the world of watches. The quality and breadth of designs on offer from mainstream brands is at an all-time high and there are several thriving independent manufacturers to choose from.