Times are tough in Geneva. The Swiss watch industry hasn’t contracted this hard since the 1970s Quartz Crisis, when the rise of cheap, more accurate movements suddenly made throwing thousands at a mechanical watch hard to fathom. Forty years on, it’s the global recession and growth of smartwatches making consumers reconsider car-priced wristwear. But this time, the big brands aren’t sleeping. The response, at this year’s Baselworld, was to simplify. Cases shrank, as pre-credit crunch dinner plates dropped below 40mm, taking price tags with them. And steel proved more precious than any other metal, with complications normally housed in gold enjoying a bank balance-friendly makeover. Add in Rolex’s new steel Daytona, with its Cerachrom bezel (current waiting list: five years), and suddenly horology’s humblest metal is on every wrist.

Frederique Constant Classic Index GMT

Most complications are watchmakers flexing their manufacture muscles. But for travellers, the GMT is genuinely invaluable. The extra hand tells the time in a second location, so you don’t wake up your other half with a 4am call because you misjudged the time difference on a Tokyo trip. As additions go, it’s also pleasingly minimalist, where chronographs and their sporty ilk can quickly clutter dials. This utilitarian offering from Frederique Constant is as timeless as timepieces get and – with a 38-hour power reserve and looks that go from boardroom to black tie – makes a perfect travel companion. Available at Watch Shop, priced £1,510.

REC P51-02

REC salvages iconic cars and uses their rust-coated parts to make watch components. The Danish brand started off with a range of timepieces that housed bits of old Minis, and now its moved on to Mustangs. Ignoring the less is more brief (as a watch made from a muscle car should) the P51-02 comes in at a hefty 44mm and has a cool power feature that ticks down its 48-hour reserve on an indicator that resembles a fuel tank gauge. One for the weekend with your scuffed Red Wings and denim. Available at REC, priced $1,495.