Panerai’s cushion-shaped watches first ventured behind enemy lines in 1940, at the behest of Italy’s Regia Marina frogmen. Today, the Florentine military supplier’s sundry flashlights, depth gauges and more have long gone overboard purely in favour of timepieces developed at Panerai’s Swiss manufacture, spiked with mil-spec tech. In terms of underwater pedigree, the Submersible is closest to the origin story, being a pure 300-metre diving watch, fitted with a coral-proof ceramic bezel and that iconic, levered crown guard, sealing the rubber gaskets tighter than a submarine hatch. This latest generation adds cases made from recycled steel and a rich green bezel with matching strap.

Cartier’s Tank, recognisable the world over in its elemental “Tank LC” form, is one of the all-time icons of watch design; it’s less well understood that Cartier has iterated on the rectangular idea several times in its history, each time creating a watch with a distinct identity that nevertheless retains the charm of the original. The Tank Américaine elongates the case, emphasising its sartorial, wrist-hugging attributes thanks to the curved case profile. This stainless-steel reference will do a job from boardroom to ballroom.

Very few outside partners are fortunate enough to be able to work with IWC Schaffhausen on a customised, exclusive limited-edition watch – but that’s exactly what MR PORTER did in 2021 when we celebrated our 10th anniversary. Taking the bronze-cased 43mm Big Pilot’s Watch – one of the brand’s true staples, with a lineage that dates back almost 80 years – and giving it a revamp that’s both rugged and stylish, with nods to MR PORTER’s monochrome aesthetic, the collaboration created something that’s unlike any IWC ever previously made.

The world of the premium dive watch is dominated by a couple of famous names, but you would be remiss not to consider the Ulysse Nardin Diver as a worthy alternative. It comes from a blue-chip watchmaker, with a proud history of creating marine chronometers, an in-house automatic movement, and all the other credentials you would expect: 300m water resistance, a resilient stainless-steel case, and rather than a steel bracelet, a sustainably produced textile strap made from reclaimed fishing nets.

Jaeger-LeCoultre gained the nickname “the watchmaker’s watchmaker” for a reason: it burnished its reputation throughout the 20th century as a supplier of the highest-grade calibres to the (other) most prestigious names in its field – Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe. The Master Ultra Thin series, first created in the 1990s, harks back to that golden era as evidenced by its restrained dial and timeless proportions. Inside ticks the in-house calibre 899/1.

The H08 came crashing into the world of men’s watchmaking in 2021, introducing a new shape and style to a sector where such a thing felt impossible. Hermès Timepieces followed the debut collection with a summery, pop-tastic capsule of brightly-coloured references; continuing with its unconventional approach, they come cased in a unique mix of aluminised glass fibre and titanium. The result is a lightweight and strong sports watch that’s entirely unlike anything else on the market.

One of the most hotly-anticipated Bremont watches ever on its release in 2022, the Supernova wasn’t just the British firm’s answer to the integrated steel bracelet design craze. It was also the first watch from Henley-on-Thames to feature a completely proprietary movement, developed in partnership with a specialist Swiss supplier. The ENG375 calibre came with a 65-hour power reserve and was intended as the base for a new generation of Bremont watches.