While 2016 has served up a series of unexpected events, what’s happened in the watch industry this year has been more predictable. Companies have begun a shift West as the US and European markets grow larger than those in the fast-shrinking East, making this year (and next) all about bigger, more affordable steel watches. Jury’s still out about the impact of smartwatches on the traditional watch market, but with Apple selling millions and millions of its Watch, it can’t be ignored. Distilling these trends into a handful of watches was never going to be easy, and the outcome is of course subjective – but I thought I’d have a go anyway. Here goes.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona

Rolex’s new batch this year included a controversial revival of its Air-King (the dial design split critics) and a tweaked Explorer – two significant additions to the canon. But it was the new Daytona that hogged the headlines. Its black Cerachrom (Rolex’s ceramic) bezel and white dial with black-rimmed chronograph counters looked great (as did the black-dialled, white-rimmed counter reverse), but really, the story was all about availability. Demand for Daytonas has always been higher than supply, a point proved by waiting lists for the new model which have stayed sky high all year. One appeared on a pre-owned seller’s website recently for almost twice the list price. Now that’s brand power. Pros: enduring design and technology, hugely desirable, brilliant investment Cons: getting hold of one See more at Rolex, RRP £9,100.

Piaget Polo S

No watch signalled the move West and the industry’s newfound awareness of how out-of-reach so many of its watches have become for next-gen buyers than Piaget’s Polo S sports watch. This is the first Piaget steel watch (hence the S) since 2001, a reminder that Piaget’s eggs have been piled high in Asia’s golden basket these last 15 years. Priced well below anything else in the Piaget collection and marketed around Hollywood A-Listers Ryan Reynolds and Michael B Jordan, the Polo S is squarely aimed at young(ish) men. Will it work? Well, it’s a good-looking thing, inspired by the original 1979 Polo, and its ‘TV screen’ dial has a satisfyingly retro feel to it. My pick is the grey-dialled three-hander, but the blue chrono is a cracker, too. Pros: credible addition to the high-end steel sports watch market, brings one of Switzerland’s finest closer in range Cons: Piaget will feel too esoteric to some Available at Piaget, priced £8,650.