Do you choose a watch, or does the watch choose you?

The wand chooses the wizard might make perfect sense in the world of Harry Potter, but could the same thing possibly apply to a watch? Do you choose a watch, or does the watch choose you? Well that’s obviously a daft question, because there are no magical powers at work here – you are a creature of free will and no matter if it’s a watch, a car or a sandwich filling, the choice is yours and yours alone.

But hold on a minute. Like it or not, from the moment you walk into a watch shop, or click your way into an online retailer, you are working through a flow chart that lays certain options out for you and doesn’t give you as much say as you might like to think.

The biggest and most obvious fork in the road is price. No shopkeeper worth his reputation is going to discuss matters as vulgar as what one can and cannot afford. But of course they all care deeply about how much you are prepared to spend.

With the budget set, there are two other things to ascertain. First is what you are like – it’s no good getting a small, delicate watch if you are large and clumsy. Second is what you intend to do with a watch – whether it is going to live a sheltered, sedate life in the suburbs, or be battered around on the high seas.

But these are just the practical considerations. Sure, a watch needs to be up to the job it is designed to do, but practicality alone does not explain why so many choose to spend big money on wristwatches. The luxury watch market is thriving long after repeated reading of its last rites because the watch is not just a must-have, but instead a want-to-have.

A watch is an emotional purchase that people make because they want to feel a certain way. In this aspect, the power of the well known brands is huge. You want a watch that makes you think of old-money style, a name comes to mind. Same thing for Top Gun cool, or F1 chic. Through generations of adverts, endorsements and product placements, a handful of watch brands have become so ingrained that they get into your head long before you realise that the thing missing from your life is another way to tell the time.

Here we present watches from four lesser known brands. This reduces the chance that you will be influenced by the name, and so you are free to just take a look and see if anything takes your fancy. The choice is entirely yours. Or is it?

CZAPEK PLACE VENDÔME

Geneva-based Czapek was only launched in 2011 and so has not been around long enough to generate the name recognition of many other brands in such an elevated price bracket. The company in its modern form may be new, but the name refers back to Franciszek Czapek, a 19th-century Czech born Polish watchmaker, the original partner of Antoni Patek before Mr Patek formed a more enduring relationship with another watchmaker called Adrien Philippe. The Place Vendôme has an in-house, hand-wound tourbillon movement in a 43.5mm grade 5 titanium case with ADLC coating. 

£90,000; czapek.com

WEISS AMERICAN ISSUE FIELD WATCH

Launched by American watchmaker Cameron Weiss in 2013, this family owned company offers original, handmade watches at competitive prices. The Field Watch has a 42mm Grade 5 titanium case, water resistant to 100m, and a hand wound movement with 46hr power reserve. 

NOMOS GLASHÜTTE CLUB CAMPUS

From the German town of Glashütte, the watchmaking centre that for years languished behind the Iron Curtain, Nomos makes well priced watches that make much of the German design tradition that makes beauty of simply functionality. With 36mm steel case and in-house automatic movement. 

£1,100; nomos-glashuette.com

OBJEST HACH COPPER AUTOMATIC

The brainchild of British industrial designer Jared Mankelow, Objest has a handsome range of affordable quartz and automatic watches. This one has a 42mm copper case containing a Swiss automatic movement visible through the caseback. Water resistant to 50m. 

£495; objest.com