The Readers' Choice | Square Mile Watch Awards 2018

The masculine aesthetic of the Big Bang is one of the most recognisable designs you'll find on any wrist today. For 2018, Hublot hasn't reinvented the wheel, but it has made it smaller. The piece is now a very manageable (and slimmer) 42mm, which suits the average wrist just fine, and includes the brand-new Calibre HUB1280 Unico flyback chronograph movement. The days of being the ‘footballer’s watch’ of choice may be behind the brand: this feels like a polished Hublot for a more refined audience.

The Polaris Memovox, first released 50 years ago, started life as a clever solution to a tricky problem: how do you alert divers it’s time to resurface without the need for them to stare at their watch? The answer was an alarm function – and a nautical icon was born. This tribute model lovingly pays homage to the original, including the addition of a modernised version of the alarm movement. jaeger-lecoultre.com

The annual calendar is not an easy complication for watchmakers to get right, which is why it’s usually reserved for higher price points – where technical sophistication and lower production numbers are more prominent. Yet, Longines has somehow managed to whittle down the price of its new offering to less than £1,600. Forget the elegant simplicity of the design, that’s just plain impressive. longines.co.uk

Seventy years ago, one of the most iconic watch models came into being – the Seamaster. To celebrate this landmark, Omega has released two models directly inspired by the very first designs. But this is old school blended with the new school, so inside the utilitarian case you’ll find one of the best automatic movements on the market right now in the shape of the Master Chronometer-certified Caliber 8804. omegawatches.com

Panerai make big watches for big wrists – this is a fact that was universally acknowledged until this year when the Italian watch brand surprised the industry by scaling down its popular Luminor Due model into a comparatively miniature 38mm. The new case hides a brand-new movement with a three-day power reserve, while a handy quick-release strap allows you to play with more than ten different colour options. panerai.com

Few watches match the design prestige and sheer covetability of Patek Philippe’s Nautilus collection. The latest model, however, is the first time we’ve seen the Swiss brand add one of its Grande Complications to the iconic timepiece. Not only does the resulting perpetual calendar look right at home on the design, but a little watchmaking trickery means that the case is only a hair’s breadth thicker than the original case. patek.com

The GMT-Master II ‘Pepsi’, so called because of its immediately recognisable red-on-blue bezel, is a watch that holds a special place among collectors. For 2018, Rolex has brought the icon back in a more attainable stainless steel construction (a full £18,000 less than the white gold version released in 2013), added a new movement with improved efficiency and power reserve, and switched up the bracelet. rolex.com

There are few brands who can beat Tudor when it comes to packing the most value into its timepieces – and the vintage-inspired Fifty-Eight dive watch is no exception. The gilt finishing and copper numerals on the bezel show a great attention to detail at this price point, while the new in-house movement provides a lengthy power reserve and 200m water resistance. tudorwatch.com

The FiftySix, inspired by the Vacheron Constantin’s reference 6073 design from 1956, is a new collection which sees the watchmaker offer its timepieces in steel for the first time. That means a more accessible price tag for watches like the FiftySix Self-Winding – a watch that features Vacheron’s usual attention to detail and a new automatic self-winding movement. vacheron-constantin.com