Omega, Tag Heuer top poll for best ten watches

First published: 25-02-2010

People wanting to buy a good watch to add to a collection may want to take the advice of ShortList, which has listed some of the great brands to keep an eye on.

The world-famous Tag Heuer 1133 - the Steve McQueen original - was the world's first square waterproof chronograph and is utterly "priceless" now, though the follow-up Calibre 12 only had 800 pieces produced.

However, it may be the Omega Speedmaster Professional which turns heads. When planning the second human space missions, NASA did not have a space-proof watch to give their astronauts so tested a Longines, Rolex, Breitling, Tag Heuer, Bulova and this.

"The only one to pass all the strenuous tests was - you guessed it - the Speedmaster. As such, several of these models now come with an inscription on the back, 'Flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions'."

Earlier in the month, fans of priceless timepieces would have been able to see plenty at the seventh annual Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, with no less than 255 leading brands from 16 countries across the world attending.