The most playful and vibrant new pieces from Omega’s 2022 lineup are a range of updated Constellation quartz watches. They now come with bursts of pastel colour, which are applied not just to the dial but also on the Roman numerals on the bezel. Constellation models, now in its fifth generation, are at their most slender and refined yet with slimmer claws on the sides and neater bezels and bevels. My money’s on this 28mm blush pink model with the aforementioned matching colour details as well as hour indexes crafted from 18K white gold.

The first watches Chanel ever launched were the Premiere models in 1987. Since then, the house has gone big in its horology department, developing impressive in-house movements (most noticeably in its flagship J12 line) that helped to create the image that fashion brands could, in fact, be serious watchmakers. I think that knowledge and expertise is great, but I also like the idea of going to Chanel firmly for its style. The Premiere encapsulates the Chanel look very neatly. The octagonal design of its case is a nod to the house’s iconic N°5 perfume bottle cap; this model with a black lacquered dial and onyx cabochon crown espouses house colour codes; and its genius chain strap is fashioned with calfskin laced through it just like its handbags.

Gucci’s 25H watch is so slim (read: 7.2mm!) it inspired a gasp from me when I first tried it on. But the reason I wanted to even see it on my wrist is that its aesthetics recalls the work of Gerald Genta, the visionary watch designer who helped put stainless steel timepieces on the map in the ’70s. It’s got a gloriously vintage effect – perfectly in line with Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele’s fashions. These come in either a 34mm or 38mm (pictured) diameter, both with five-link stainless steel bracelets and matching cases that are finished with 18K yellow gold plating.

The sinuous snake form of Bulgari’s Serpenti designs led to an innovation in the ’40s called the tubogas technique. It is essentially a method of wrapping bands of metal – gold originally – around a flexible core, inspired by gas pipes, so as to achieve a flexible coiling bracelet. As a watch, this tubogas form is incredibly comfortable. There’s a reassuring snugness when the bouncy bracelet wraps around the wrist. This here may be the simplest version in stainless steel, but it’s got fine details befitting a jewellery house. The black dial comes with a guilloche soleil effect (rather like a sunburst), and the crown is set with a pink rubellite cabochon. If you’re feeling fancier, you can of course opt for a model in gold.

The Baignoire from Cartier is one of its most elegant yet underrated designs. The design was formalised and named in the ’50s (baignoire is French for bathtub – a charming name that captures the essence of its curved shape) but Cartier’s experiments with curved and elongated watch forms actually dates all the way back to 1912. It’s a simple idea really, but if you’re in the market for a dressy timepiece in gold I think there are few others that combine intriguing form and sophisticated proportions as well.

Fendi is a brand that manages to always reinvent and apply its house motifs in fresh, surprising ways. I particularly like this Run Away watch that features one half of its FF logo tipped on its side. It’s balanced playfully and the logo takes on a nice graphic quality, spreading out neatly from the six o’clock position. Its black dial also has a fun twist, with the grey minute track positioned just slightly off-centre – which actually makes telling the time perfectly easy. Like its name suggests, there’s a cheeky sense that familiar elements of a watch face have run away and moved around.

The Cape Cod is one of Hermes’ most enduring and emblematic watch designs. Its modern models are lots of fun, with interchangeable strap options that let one tap into the brand’s wide range of leathers, colours and finishes. The question, then, is which dial to start with? How about this Crepuscule design by the artist Thanh Phong Le? The blue-tinted monocrystalline silicon dial recreates the artist’s work using photolithographic transfer and yellow gold coating. It sounds very complex and artisanal, but what matters is that the dusky design is easy enough to appreciate as a visual treat.