Watching the watches: not quite Christmas

OK, OK, it's October so I've finally got to admit Christmas is very nearly starting to slightly threaten to arrive, in a couple of months.

So, watches. Loads of people think watches are an excellent buy for Christmas, for the very good reason that they can be indeed. In a few weeks I'll be looking at the new offering from Christopher Ward (for no better reason than it's a personal faourite of mine), but in the meantime I'm delighted that Terry Markham, assistant buyer and senior marketing merchandiser of Watchshop.com has offered some thoughts on what's going to be in vogue this coming season. For people wanting to adjust their wristwear according to fashion - and this isn't everybody - he sees four main trends which are imminent:

SLIM

Slim, elegant watches always sell but this winter, we expect slim watches to be everywhere, as most watch brands are producing a slim range. For the office, a slim watch is a great accessory to complement a suit and of course ensure you get to work on time.

Pictured: Men's Citizen Stiletto eco-drive, £279

AUTOMATIC

Automatic watches seem to be increasingly popular. They’re certainly not the slimmest of styles but we believe the increase in popularity is largely due to a real desire for the more traditional watch technologies as an investment purchase. Men in particular seem to like the idea of wearing a piece of machinery and so brands are producing more low-mid priced automatics, making them affordable. 

Pictured: Davosa Pares classic automatic watch, £1195

BLACK

The old favourite, black straps and dials have been a watch staple since time immemorial, and this is no different as we head into winter. Black complements all colours, and always radiates sophistication.  So whether your watch face is square or round, a black strap will almost certainly go with any suit or casual wear from brown belts to trainers.

Pictured: Seiko Premier Perpetual Kinetic watch, £450

BOLD

Many timepiece makers are producing a strong, no nonsense face design, bold statement watches that grab attention with their design.  Combined with understated colours, these watches are for the man who likes a design that gets people talking.

Pictured: Mondaine Automatic Retro watch, £440

My thanks to Terry. My own tastes are towards the classic - more on that next time we're on the subject. From this batch I'd probably be happiest with the Citizen or the Davosa - I'm kind of into understatement and although the Davosa has a number of different dials as befits a chronograph, it masks them with a plain white dial and therefore looks less fussy than some.