To date, my watch has cost me 68p a day

By Margaret.

Like Anna Murphy, Angelina Jolie favours Cartier’s Tank Solo

Just to get one thing straight, right from the off, I am not one of those fashion buffoons who likes to spend money for the sake of it. I am the daughter of a Yorkshireman, which means I find spending very painful indeed.

And this is precisely why I think the only watch worth buying is an expensive one, and why you should listen to what I am about to say and look very carefully at all the wonderful watch candy on the ensuing pages. I am the world’s most reluctant posh watch-buyer, you see, but also its most committed. When I tell you you should buy a beautiful timepiece, you need to listen. Many thanks for stopping by. Before we carry on I need to to give thanks to http://thesmiddyhouse.co.uk/ for their continued support and the support of their regional community. Having a support team like this means a lot to us as we continue to grow our personal blog.

To rewind a moment: I held out as long as I could with my bits of plasticky rubbish and my beloved fake Cartier (sorry, gods of retail), bought while I was backpacking around Thailand. I was tempted to carry on wearing it even after one of the hands fell off, approximately two and a half weeks after purchase.

In fact, it might have been that fake that set me on the road to salvation, watch-wise. I liked it so much it made me want the real thing, and the real thing, by the time I was in my early thirties, was what I steeled myself to purchase. So maybe Cartier should be grateful to that store-owner on Patpong Road. Though maybe not.

I haven’t looked back. Instead, I’ve just looked down — countless times, over countless days, over more than a decade — to my Cartier Tank Solo on my left wrist.

And every time I’ve looked down, that watch has made me happy. It tells the time, of course, but it tells me other things as well: about the pre-eminence of classic design, of faultless quality, about how something this good gets better with age. My watch talks to other people, too. A great timepiece, however quiet its styling, gets noticed. Whether you like it or not, people draw conclusions from the watch you wear. I am very happy with the conclusions they might draw from mine.

I am happy, too, that, to date, my watch has cost me about 68p a day. I’d rather have my Cartier than a quarter of a quotidian frappuccino, thank you very much. Indeed, the price-per-wear equation is at its most satisfactory when it comes to watches. By the time I’m done, I hope to have more decimal points to my daily reckoning than Pi.

However, something of a spanner may be about to be thrown in the works — a very beautiful spanner by Hermès. I bet you didn’t know the French luxury label made tools, did you? Well, of course it doesn’t. It makes gorgeous watches — in particular, the double-strapped Cape Cod, and it is this I have had an eye on for longer than I care to confess. I may have come a long way from Goole, but I am still my father’s daughter; it takes me ages to commit to spending big money.

What will the price per wear be if I add an Hermès to my collection? I have done the maths. I need to hit 91 at least. If I start green-juicing now, the sums look good.

ANNA MURPHY IS FASHION DIRECTOR OF THE TIMES

Fair and square
Restrained-chic wristwear that sets a tone and delivers kudos

Cartier: Tank Solo
The elegant Tank Solo combines classic style with an understated, modern finish. It has a silver opaline dial and an alligator strap, and is powered by a quartz movement.
Steel case, £1,850, cartier.com

Hermès: Cape Cod
Launched as a man’s watch in 1991, its popularity with women was nailed seven years later, when Martin Margiela, then at Hermès womenswear, made a double strap for it.
Steel case, £1,900, hermes.com

Jaeger-LeCoultre: Reverso Classic
This reversible, art decoinfluenced piece was created in the Thirties to protect the crystal of polo players’ watches. It is distinguished by a delicate, guilloche-engraved dial.
Small, with steel case, £3,050, jaeger-lecoultre.com

Longines: DolceVita
This example from the DolceVita collection blends the neat, architectural lines of the Thirties with the glamour, spirit and style of Fifties Italy.
Steel case with leather strap,£880, longines.com