‘Cool’. One of those prevalent words that loses all meaning and starts to sound weird if you say (or type) it over and over again. But we say it all day every day, sure in the knowledge of its meaning – an X-factor that transcends all other positive qualities to denote that intangible, seemingly effortless, hip-to-the-game… well, cool.

As the ‘Cool Wall’ of Clarkson-era Top Gear proved, when it comes to high-end products, no amount of technical trickery, marketing or inflated pricing can guarantee coolness. A picture of a Fiat 500 sticks happily alongside an Aston Martin DBS, united in their respective cool. Meanwhile, the Lotus Exige S is shamed into the ‘Uncool’ portion of the board, next to a Nissan Micra.

And so it goes with cool watches, which – if we’re honest – are just like cars: status symbols with an everyday purpose, often unnecessarily overengineered, increasingly anachronistic, and all-too-often the unwitting broadcaster of less-than-fortunate ‘qualities’.

They also bestow much enjoyment to their owner, so you could argue that if you love your watch, who gives a damn what others think?

Well, we do. And as our (wholly subjective of course) shortlist demonstrates, it needn’t cost the earth to guarantee a cool watch game. Mostly thanks to the importance of restrained design and minimal bells or whistles. A proven heritage helps too, eliciting ‘if you know, you know’ kudos from the watch world’s inner sanctum.

Luckily, watchmakers are wise to this, explaining why so many classic models have remained in production for decades, virtually unchanged. It also explains the recent explosion of vintage reissues, bolstered by the unflagging trend for retro.

Of course, you’ll have your own ideas of what constitutes a cool watch – so do please let us know. Sure, maybe we’ll disagree. But, you know, that’s cool.