Top 5 Men’s Watches for Christmas

Feel the heat with the dramatic checkerboard sunburst dial of the Girard-Perregaux Center of the Universe Sun. It depicts the celestial body in warm, inviting hues, picked out in stone marquetry using aventurine, grey jade and alternating dark and pale orange jasper. As part of the brand’s Chamber of Wonders collection, inspired by from the miniature Renaissance art works known as cabinet of curiosities, the timepiece honours the discoveries of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who overturned scientific orthodoxy in the 16th century when he proposed that the planets revolve around the sun.

The Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 allows pilots to stay in control of their vehicle. Not only does this classy chronograph watch look back into history with retro styling that oozes vintage appeal, but it also comes with a dial offset at a 40-degree angle, allowing pilots to read it easily while still keeping their hands on the controls. Adding to the convenience, its striking honey-coloured numerals make for maximum legibility even in gloomy conditions, while the brilliant white dial also provides illumination via the chronograph at 12 o’clock and a stop seconds with date indication at 6 o’clock.

Displaying an understated elegance and a dash of Manhattan glamour on the wrist, the Piaget Polo S is an update of a classic. The storied Swiss luxury watchmaker introduced the Piaget Polo in 1979, and the house’s own polo team even celebrated the watch with a ride down New York’s Fifth Avenue in 1985. The new version daringly houses its in-house 1110P self-winding mechanical movement within a round stainless steel case, water resistant to 100m, that presents a trompe l’oeil contrast with a cushion-shaped dial featuring a date display at 6 o’clock and slate grey/silver indexes appliqued with ultra-legible Superluminova.

Two of horology’s more prized complications perform a delicate dance on the 18k white-gold dial of the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Moon Phase & Retrograde Date. As subtly arresting in appearance as you’d expect from one of Swiss watchmaking’s most revered manufacturers, it features a star-studded moonphase indication at 6 o’clock so accurate that it only has to be corrected once every 122 years; and a graceful retrograde date indication curving around the top half of the dial. Powered by in-house calibre 2460 R31L, it comes in a case of 18k white gold.

Put the pedal to the metal with the IWC Schaffhausen’s 74th Members’ Meeting at Goodwood watch. A case in solid red gold nicely counterpoints the masculine styling of its black dial, which features a design inspired by a dashboard readout, with a trio of indications, two totalisers and a small seconds, with a tachymeter scale running round its edge; even the brown calfskin strap takes its visual cues from classic car interiors. With 74 limited edition pieces, the timepiece celebrates this year’s edition of the world-renowned Goodwood Festival of Speed motorsport event in the south of England.