When it comes to watches, we at MR PORTER are often asked the same questions: “What’s the best starter watch?” Or “What are three essential watches every man should own?” Of course, as with many simple questions, the answer is not so straightforward. It all depends on your budget, naturally, but also on your personal taste, style and, most importantly of all, your lifestyle – with a watch, you need to think not just about which model you like, but what you will be doing while you wear it.

At this point, we could leave it at that and opt out of answering the question altogether. But instead, we thought we’d be a little more helpful, by offering an example of three different watches that serve distinct functions in a man’s life, courtesy of the unimpeachably excellent manufacture brand Jaeger-LeCoultre. As the above video demonstrates, via close examinations of watches from JLC’s Master, Polaris and Reverso collections, it’s the subtle differences in a watch’s design that suit it to a particular style or occasion. Understanding these, then, is the key to starting, and continuing your collection.

Watch the previous episode of About Time via the link below.

The IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch, Then And Now