About time: wristy business

One of the biggest letdowns in filmic history was The Expendables 2. A film that had Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jason Statham and the inspired casting of Jean-Claude Van Damme as the villain should have been brilliant. Alas, it was a dog's dinner of a film. A recent repeat viewing confirmed just how awful it was. In fact, it was so bad, that the news that Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes and Antonio Banderas will be in the third instalment of The Expendables only fills me with dread.

Still, on the plus side, The Expendables did get me thinking about watches, or rather robust and manly action watches adaptable to air, sea and land, such as the Panerai that Stallone favours in the films. Real special forces, rather than fictional ones, wear watches such as the Luminox ANU A4221 (right), the watch of choice for the United States Navy Seals' elite marine commandos.

Indeed, ANU stands for Authorised for Navy Use, which is also helpfully emblazoned on the dial, so it's a watch that expects to take a buffeting and still keep on ticking. The 45mm case is in brushed black stainless steel, with black being the predominant colour on the dial and rubber strap, presumably for stealth reasons, but the overall look is very masculine. The bezel rotates, the crown features a security screw and, with 200 metres of water resistance, this watch is dandy in the water.

This being a Luminox watch, it has the patented Night Vision Tubes, which keep the watch luminous in the dark for up to 25 years. The movement inside the ANU A4221 is quartz, which helps the price remain accessible and tempting at HK$5,850.

A step up in price but no less rugged is the Ulysse Nardin Marine Diver (right). With its nautical name and anchor logo, Ulysse Nardin is unsurprisingly one of the foremost exponents of diving watches and the Marine Diver is one of the best on the market in terms of both looks and functions. Redesigned for 2014, the Marine Diver has an in-house UN-26 Calibre movement ticking away inside with 42 hours of power reserve.

The dial and rotating bezel have a wave-like pattern that won't be to everyone's taste but is distinctive. The dial is readable with a power-reserve indicator at the 12 o'clock position and a small seconds subdial at six o'clock. This being a practical dive watch, water resistance is a healthy 300 metres and extra reassurance comes from the special security screw down crown. The case comes in stainless steel and is sized at 44mm and both the rubber and stainless-steel strap options are dive-friendly. The Ulysse Nardin Marine Diver is priced at HK$67,200 for the rubber-strap version and HK$77,500 for the stainless-steel one.