Neato Botvac Connected

Robot Wars is back on our screens after 15 years, which has whet our appetites for battle-ready machines. We don’t suggest any job-holding man own a remote controlled car with a circular saw taped to it, so opt for a robot vacuum cleaner that you can control from your phone instead. The Wi-Fi enabled Neato Botvac uses a built in camera to plan the most efficient route and if its potent suction and precision brushes miss any crumb, you can wage war or dirt manually via an app. Available at Maplin, priced £549.99.

Macassar Ebony Watch Winder

File this one under the list of things to buy when you become stinking rich. Second only to hiring a houseboy to keep your automatic watches ticking over, a winder is the most lavish way to stop your timepieces seizing up when not in use. This example by French fine cabinet maker Elie Bleu is crafted from exquisite Macassar ebony wood and has enough room to simultaneously wind and display three watches at any one time. Available at The Conran Shop, priced £1,997.50.

Oopsmark Grapple Clothing Hook

Who needs a wardrobe when you can have a grappling hook? If one too many after work means clothes can’t quite make it to the hanger, at least protect their shape by keeping them off the ‘floordrobe’. Inspired by horse tack used to hang up saddles in barns, the Oopsmark clothing Hook uses four-pronged steel hooks wrapped in a sleek strip of coiled vegetable tan leather. Available at The Brotique, priced £50.

Technics 1200 Turntable

This month the analogue videotape era will meet its end as the last remaining VCR producer winds up production. But if the vinyl resurgence is anything to go by – with tech companies turning out new sleek turntables – it won’t be dead for long. Case in point: the Technics SL-1200, last seen in 2010, is making a return to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The model that was once the go-to standard for DJs and audiophiles wouldn’t look out of place in a modern man-cave. Available from late 2016 at Technics, priced tbc.