About time: about face

The month of September is great for some and awful for others. If you're heading back to school or university, well, tough luck, but for others, including parents gratefully "loaning" the kids back to the education system, September is the month when all those annoying invites to summer BBQs and junk trips tail off and what's more, given the latest seasonal collections from the fashion houses, you can justifiably invest in a new wardrobe and a timepiece or two.

If you're looking for an everyday watch rather than an "investment" timepiece, then a fashion watch might be your best bet and the latest collections from the likes of Tommy Hilfiger are getting better in terms of design and quality, with the added bonus of enticing prices. This Tommy Hilfiger classic black leather strap chronograph watch (with the ugly reference number of 1790895) is pleasingly discreet, with only a small brand logo on the face, unlike those other fashion watches that let themselves down with excessive branding. The watch itself is rugged and robust, with a huge 45mm stainless-steel case, and the dial is feature rich with day, date, month and 24-hour indicators. The dial design is elegant, with confident numerals, a complimentary black and red colour scheme and the useful addition of a tachymeter. The movement is quartz and the watch is water resistant to 50 metres. The Tommy Hilfiger chronograph is priced at HK$1,595.

Men with a bit more spare change rattling around in their pockets may want to plump for the Dolce & Gabbana DS5 Chronograph watch. Dolce & Gabbana has created quite a stir with its watch collections this year, and it's not hard to see why with watches such as the DS5. Swiss made, the chunky and sporty 44mm case comes in stainless steel and in terms of design the DS5 is another sign of how fashion watches have matured, away from the logo heavy and gimmicky watches of old to more classical watchmaking. Technically the DS5 is also impressive, with the chronograph C.O.S.C. certified, which, in layman's terms, means the watch has passed all the tests for accuracy and precision that the larger and more venerable Swiss watchmakers are subjected to. The overall design does its job of evoking a sporty edge, helped in no small part by the oversized modernist numerals and the metal lattice-like design on the dial. Features on the DS5 include day and date indicators and the watch is water resistant to 30 metres. The Dolce & Gabbana DS5 Chronograph is priced at HK$58,500.

Last but certainly not least, especially given the price, is the just launched Dior Chiffre Rouge M05. Priced at a not inconsiderable HK$89,000, the Chiffre Rouge M05 is a Swiss-made watch but has all the hallmarks of trendy Parisian design. An amalgam of various materials, the Chiffre Rouge M05 comes with a 41mm case made from steel moulded with black rubber, with a black brushed-ceramic bezel resting on top. The bracelet is also made of steel moulded with black rubber. The dial continues the use of different materials, being made of matte black lacquer and coming in a very fetching and very retro 1980s black and red colour scheme and pattern. Features are kept to the bare minimum, with water resistance to 50 metres and a 42-hour power reserve. At HK$89,000, some may wonder whether it's worth purchasing a fashion watch over more orthodox timepieces from the specialists. However, the Chiffre Rouge M05 is an incredibly masculine watch that successfully marries high-concept design with high-concept build quality, a rare achievement by anyone's standards.