When it comes to sleek design, it’s hard to look past the Glashütte region, renowned birthplace of German watchmaking. Among the brands playing on this heritage is Nomos Glashütte which adds a signature Bauhaus bent. Founded in 1990, Nomos is one of the newer brands in Glashütte but has its own manufacture making its movements and this year’s Orion Neomatik 175 Years Watchmaking shows the level of its invention, with a timepiece with small seconds dial, tempered blue hands and gold indices.

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2. Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer

Meanwhile, 178-year-old neighbours Glashütte Original combine elegant design with a redesigned 42mm white gold case, “panorama date” at 3 o’clock with power reserve and discreet day/night indicator at 12 o’clock. All of this houses the Caliber 58-08 with a seconds-stop function, shooting the seconds hand back to 12 when the crown is pulled out for easy minutes regulation.

3. Rolex 1908

When it comes to precision, Rolex stands tall: the brand stunned at Watches and Wonders with a slim, refined 1908 model, housed in a 39mm 18k gold case capped with a domed and fluted bezel. Under the enamel dial with small seconds ticks a new, Rolex Côtes de Genève-decorated calibre. Which, of course, has Superlative Chronometer certification for an astonishing plus/minus two seconds deviation per day.

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4. Grand Seiko SBGW295 Urushi

Another celebration comes from Japan: the Grand Seiko SBGW295, which marks the 110th anniversary of the country’s first wristwatch, the Laurel. This SBGW is also a recreation of the first Grand Seiko, which came out in 1960 – but with substantial upgrades. These include using brilliant hard titanium for the 38mm case and a dial painted with the ancient urushi and maki-e lacquer techniques.

5. Cartier Tank Louis Cartier 2023

But what if you want something historic in a square dial? In 1917, Louis Cartier created the first Tank and it’s been a cornerstone of the jeweller’s watch offering ever since. The Tank Louis Cartier 2023 collection jumped on the colour bandwagon with stripped-down, manually wound versions with burgundy or green dials, not forgetting the telltale pyramidal crown capped with a blue sapphire.

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6. Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin

In the square-ish market, the Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin is based on a drawing by late master designer Gérald Genta, who founded the brand in 2000. Just over 8mm thick, this 18k rose gold watch with a chocolate brown sunburst dial and a 50-hour power reserve can be worn in the pool, as the screw-down gives water resistance to 10 atmospheres.

7. Chopard L.U.C 1860

With a solid gold salmon-coloured guilloche dial and a 36.5mm Lucent Steel case, the Chopard L.U.C 1860 is a classic yet contemporary statement. Classic in its expression, and contemporary in its chronometer-certified movement with a micro rotor that energises Chopard’s two-barrelled twin technology with a power reserve of 65 hours. Also contemporary – and a path to the future – is the proprietary alloy which is 80 per cent recycled steel.