Tag Heuer Formula 1 CAH111A.BA0850

One hertz. That's your average quartz watch, ticking away once per second. Tick, tick, tick. A vintage mechanical watch at 18,000vph ticks at two-and-a-half hertz. The modern equivalent beats at 28,800 times per minute, that's four hertz. Zenith's superb El Primero, a hi-beat movement at 36,000vph—five hertz for that one. This TAG Heuer Carrera Mikrograph? Fifty hertz. That's one hundred beats every second. 360,000 per hour. Phew!

When you’re looking for the watch that’s right for you, it’s easy to be swept up in the hype of those top few default choices. Say you’ve set your heart on a chronograph; chances are your shortlist may contain a Speedmaster or a Daytona. Both superb watches, no doubt about that, but there are others that you might not know about—and they’re equally worth consideration.

A time-only, non-date Rolex Submariner in steel will cost you, today, £5,450. You don’t need me to tell you that this is a sizeable amount of money—enough to start wondering if it’s worth getting several cheaper watches instead. Is it possible to get a varied, three-watch collection of high-quality watches for the budget? Well, we’ve certainly had a go; here it is, a three-watch collection for less than the price of an entry level Submariner.

The top news stories from all the best watchmakers in the world, including Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille and Breitling, plus we announce the winner of our Rolex Explorer competition prize.