All you need to know about buying a classic watch

When buying a watch, the best advice is to stick with – or at least start with – the classics. They're classics for a reason. If a design looked good 30, 40, 50 or more years ago and still looks good today, the chances are it'll still look pretty sharp 20 years from now. And watches are the one fashion purchase that you'll be wearing for years, not months.

Look good afloat with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

Picking the right one for you shouldn't be hard – many of them are classics because they effectively define a type. A watch can tell you more about a man  than anything else – or at least about who he wants to be. You might be as likely to fly an aircraft as you are to travel to the stars, but wearing a Breitling Navitimer still says you're sporty, outdoorsy and quite possibly a daredevil. In the Seventies, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak's chunky form redefined the macho watch – up until then, slim and gold had been de rigueur.

It's still a staple on the wrists of men who aren't ashamed to tell the world they're worth a bob or two – and to announce to everyone, loudly, exactly which gender they are.

Even if you don't speak the language of watches and are utterly bored by, say, the development of the second hand in Seventies Rolex Explorers, these classics speak volumes.

Be an international man of mystery with the Girard Perregaux 1966

They're watches you can wear with confidence in front of the most rarefied gatherings of watch snobs. Obviously, if you want said snobs to coo and purr over your purchase, then you need to go vintage – but even the newer models pictured here have plenty of credibility.

That doesn't mean you can skip the most crucial step of watch-buying – the shop visit. The web is fine for research, but don't for God's sake buy there. A proper retailer will make you feel like a god. Going into a grand old shop such as Cartier on Bond Street in London, or on the Rue de la Paix in Paris, is one of life's more pleasurable experiences.

Prepare to pay more for the best, especially when buying vintage. Details such as whether a watch has its original tags and service receipts may seem unimportant, but if you come to resell, this is the kind of thing that'll ensure you get your money back. If you are into this sort of detail, limited editions of the classics are best sourced at a specialist retailer.

It's also a good idea to check just how limited 'limited' is – for a steel watch a couple of thousand worldwide is enough, while for gold think in hundreds. But be prepared for your chequebook to take a pasting. Many of the classics start at reasonable prices – but the upper limits of the market are terrifying...

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