Best men's dress watches

Start here: Tissot Visodate 39mm. A 39 mm steel case, clean dial and an 80-hour automatic movement — the classic dress-watch formula, and the easiest of these to wear every day without looking like you're trying too hard.

• Seiko Presage Enamel 35mm — for someone who wants a smaller, more traditional case and a dial with real craft to it.
• Timex Marlin Draper 37mm — the vintage-leaning, budget-friendly choice; slim and understated.
• Cartier Tank Louis — the icon, if the budget is genuinely open-ended.
• Nixon Fremont 40 — a modern, slightly sportier take on a dress watch.

Skip the oversized 44 mm fashion pieces and the chronographs: dress watches want a slim case and a quiet dial.