Even men with only a passing interest in watches tend to have a favourite high-end luxury watch brand or model earmarked for their next cash windfall.

It's at the more immediately affordable end of the spectrum that our awareness seems to be a little sketchier. And right now there's a lot more quality and choice out there in and around the £500 mark than you might have realised.

Which opens the field for broadening your collection with styles you can chop and change to suit your day rather than relying on one big multi-purpose model.

Take under-the radar (excuse the aviation pun) brand Torgoen, founded by pilot and watch industry veteran Benzi Rosenski back in 1998.

Designed with touches for the professional pilot in mind (like numerals and markers that take their cues from cockpit altimeters and speed gauges), these are proper, hefty and hardy Swiss made watches with either Swiss quartz or automatic movements.

The collection has now grown to over 100 different styles in 13 lines. Our pick might just be the brushed silver and nylon-strapped T33 403. It’s big at 45mm but the classic styling and all-black finish keeps it on the right side of showy.

£370, www.torgoen.com

***
SEE ALSO:

Best Watches Under £200
Best Watches Under £100
Best Watches Under £500 
***