SS19 MEN'S LUXURY WATCH EDIT

It could have been one of those urban myths, since dis-proved by the watch world’s obsessive blogosphere. But it really is true: after a daring, last-minute brief to design a luxurious steel sports watch for the Italian market, Gérald Genta coined the iconic lines of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak in a single night. And here we are almost half a century on, with the latest tweak introducing a newly refined calibre, cleaned-up dial and fulsome case profile. But ultimately, Genta got it so right in the first place, you’re investing in the same revolutionary vision as always – only better. A Porsche 911 for the wrist, in other words.

71915 | £17,000

With so many watch brands aligning themselves with the motoring world, it’s always reassuring to know where there’s genuine integrity beyond boys’-toys badge engineering. And it doesn’t get more fanatically petrol-headed than Chopard’s co-president. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele is as fully signed-up a petrolhead imaginable, regularly driving Italy’s achingly glamorous Mille Miglia vintage rally at the wheel of one of his 30-strong collection, justifying his brand’s 30-year sponsorship. This bimetal version of 2018’s ‘Race Edition’ chronograph (a steel version being included in every driver’s race pack) is a potent cocktail of retro dashboard and upholstery details.

72800 | £6,450

The scarlet-red ceramic unveiled by Hublot last year was irresistible – high-tech kinkiness with as much brains as beauty. Making ‘Red Magic’ the perfect medium for Hublot’s next adventure with best-selling French contemporary artist Richard Orlinski. Like his trademark animal sculptures, it boasts sharp three-dimensional sculpted lines and a dazzling polished finish. But that’s not to overlook the serious horological clout at play: not only the watchmaker’s own precision ‘Unico’ chronograph movement, but ceramic technology four years in gestation chez Hublot, boasting double the hardness of before.

71923 | £19,900

It’s not all about the Black Bay at Tudor. Sure, the runaway success of its heritage-inspired diving watches and their new in-house movements have set Rolex’s sibling brand apart as a formidable watchmaker in its own right, but let’s not forget why Hans Wilsdorf founded Tudor in the first place: to offer a highly accessible alternative to Rolex’s unparalleled sports watches, driven by third-party mechanics but still solidly built, through and through. All qualities the new 1926 – named after the year Mr W registered “The Tudor Watch” trademark while the Anglophile entrepreneur was building his empire in London – has in spades.

72799 | £1,330

The return of Eighties bicolour flashiness continues unabated, but while most of us are busy blaming the semi-ironic steel-and-yellow-gold legacy of Gordon Gekko’s Cartier Santos, Zenith has quietly forged a more modern path, blending the warm sheen of titanium with rose gold for its latest iteration of the Defy. It’s a combo that perfectly complements the collection’s angular style, which stems from Swiss watchmaking’s funkadelic late-Sixties / early-Seventies era. Along with its Elite movement’s intricate openworking, it all feels high-camp, glossy sci-fi – in a very good way.

72807 | £12,600

Anyone who followed Formula 1 during the Eighties and Nineties, or indeed anyone who has watched the phenomenal 2010 documentary, Senna will know that the talent and tragedy of Brazil’s greatest racing driver is never to be underestimated. As one of Ayrton Senna’s most loyal sponsors, TAG Heuer continues to pay tribute to the man’s precocious legacy this year with a brace of racy chronographs, fit for the three-time world champion himself (1988, 1990, 1991). The matte-black ceramic surrounding the in-house-manufactured tourbillon movement is pure contemporary cool, begging the question: how would Senna have fared in today’s F1?

72798 | £17,000

The restless action-man watchmaker of Henley-on-Thames ventures even further beneath the waves, while maintaining altitude on the wrists of so many military air crew worldwide. In fact, Bremont evolved its seminal pilot-watch DNA with 500m-water-resistance and high-luminescence just a few years into Bremont’s lifespan, before upping its sub-aquatic game to a whopping 2,000 metres down in 2013, even inviting the interest of commercial ‘saturation’ divers. If the bends aren’t going to get you light-headed, then the toothsome claret of this year’s bezel re-design certainly will.

72653 | £4,195

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Step into a world of Diamonds & Thrills with the latest edition of ROX Magazine.

Just as diamond jewellery holds undeniable sentimental value so too do luxury watches. Truly timeless a luxury watch has the power to evoke emotion whilst capturing style and character. Whether classic, military or sporty men’s luxury watches and luxury watches for women offer a glimpse into the world of the wearer, carrying with it tales that can be passed through the generations.

They say time waits for no man and that’s certainly the case with luxury and designer watch designs. Forever evolving, the world of mens watches is fast-paced. Yet, one thing remains the same, ROX’s commitment to provide mens designer watches with expert craftsmanship.