Best watch boxes

Five is the honest size for most collections: enough for a rotation and a new arrival, not so many that the box becomes storage for watches you never wear.

Solid wood in a burr walnut finish with a suede lining, and a stated two-year international warranty. No lock is stated, which is the reason to look at the Brompton instead.

Five slots is the honest size for most collections, and a suede lining is soft against a polished case. What the money buys beyond that is a maker that states a two-year warranty on a box.

The same five-watch capacity with a lock and key, and adjustable suede cushions that can be sized to each strap or bracelet.

The exterior is crocodile-effect leather rather than wood — the choice to make if the box will be handled more than admired.

The lock is the reason to pick this over the walnut box: in a shared house or a hotel room, a key is the difference between a display box and storage.

Eight slots in smooth leather with a suede lining and a key closure — the step up when five is full.

Buy it for the watches you have now plus two, not for the collection you imagine.

Eight slots is where a box stops being storage for a rotation and becomes storage for a collection. Buy it for the watches you have now plus two, not for the collection you imagine.

Four slots with adjustable suede cushions in a stained, lacquered wood case — the right box for three watches and a space.

No lock is stated on the product page.

Four slots with adjustable cushions is the right box for a small rotation: every watch gets its own cushion sized to its strap, and nothing sits on top of anything else.