SCIENCE FICTION

Luxury watches may trade heavily on heritage, but they survive by keeping an eye on the horizon. Cogs and springs may sound archaic, but they remain as technical as Captain Nemo’s Nautilus

ULYSSE NARDIN FREAK VISION POA The Freak’s carousel mechanics serve as the hours hand, yes, but also as a Petri dish for Ulysse Nardin’s exploits in materials science – with synthetic diamond components and now a huge silicon balance wheel.

BALL WATCH COMPANY FIREMAN NIGHT TRAIN III £1,370 The ever-expanding US railroad must have felt like the stuff of Jules Verne when Webster C Ball was keeping its signalmen synchronised. He’d surely approve of this tritium-luminous instrument bearing his name.

BELL & ROSS BR V2-94 RACING BIRD £3,400 The Parisian brand’s forays into high-speed transport started with a bike fit for Judge Dredd and have continued with its own plane. The accompanying watch beams with Dan Dare raffishness.

CITIZEN MEN’S SPORT ECO-DRIVE BU2020-29X £249 This world timer is powered by the brand’s Eco-drive solar technology. But where does the light get in, given that busy dial? And how does it harvest low artificial light? It really is a glimpse of the future.

KOMONO WALTHER RETROGRADE £199.95 With its pared-back face and pressure-gauge-like sub-dials, the Walther Retrograde has space age written all over it. Crucially, its precision Japanese quartz movement will ensure you’re always ahead of the curve.