Times have changed: three luxury watches available online at Mr Porter

Forgive me, but I wanted to start this week’s column with a bit of “I told you so” gloating. Our story begins four years ago, when an intrepid young (and mostly thin) watch columnist was rushing around Baselworld 2014 interviewing chief executives of some of the biggest Swiss watchmakers. I remember asking them about Apple’s new watch and whether they were worried about the competition, and if they would consider selling their wares via high-end online retailers such as Mr Porter. My questions were met with raised eyebrows, scoffing, guffaws and, in one case, a dismissive wave of the hand.

Fast forward those four years and things have changed. Luxury watchmakers, such as Montblanc and Tag Heuer, have released smartwatches, with more to follow, and Mr Porter now sells several of the top-tier brands via its website.

 Anyway, I was reminded of all this by the deluge of watches that has hit Mr Porter recently, so this week we’ll look at three of the finest, starting with the Tank Louis Cartier (above) . I could devote a whole column to the Tank, I love it so much, but, alas, I can’t. Suffice it to say that it is an icon of design, instantly recognisable and timeless.

The watch is modelled after a 1916 Tank timepiece designed and worn by Louis Cartier himself, so it has that retro charm and, of course, the famous art deco-inspired dial. Sized at 34mm, which might seem small by today’s standards, it wears comfortably and discreetly on the wrist. The case comes in gold and the leather strap is made of alligator.

This is a first-class dress watch, so features are not the point, but there is a date indicator. Inside is a quartz movement, which does little to keep the price down but HK$74,560 (US$9,498) for a design classic that you’ll treasure for life seems like a bargain to me.