Hublot Classic Fusion 542.NX.7170.LR

The beauty of a mechanical watch comes down to the movement ticking within, and for the most part it’s completely hidden from view. Even with a sapphire case back, it’s a shame to hide the mastery of this centuries-old technology from plain sight, and that’s a thought shared by watchmaker to King Louis XV, André Charles, who cut open his dials to expose the innards. Here are five open-dialled watches that continue the tradition.

Many examples of the intersection between engineering and beauty exist in this world. Concorde is one, the Shard another and IWC's original Portuguese is a third. What these three things have in common is the ability to make a practical solution into something desirable: concorde had its pencil-thin white fuselage draped in aggressively swept wings; the Shard has a domineering presence on the London skyline that slices through the low cloud; and the Portuguese has a stark and simplistic elegance bereft of any cumbersome design appendages. The Portuguese was made to be a watch—a big watch—and the purity of its inception gives it an honest, appealing quality.

Say 'Audemars Piguet' and the first thing that comes to mind is the Royal Oak - or if you own a pair of faded jeans, the Royal Oak Offshore. As is well-documented, the Royal Oak was Audemars Piguet's final lifeline, its saviour from the onslaught of cheap Japanese watches in the early 1970s. Fairly or unfairly, it has become the brand's flagship piece, an iconic design penned by an iconic designer for the iconic watchmaker.

A good cigar needs a good cigar cutter, and Saladini's Classic tabletop guillotine is just the ticket. Forged from two types of stainless steel and mounted on an olive wood frame with olive wood handle, the Classic looks as good as it cuts. With two interchangeable cigar ring gauges and a 420 hardened stainless steel blade, no cigar is safe.