It’s about this time of year that all the women’s magazines start to offer suggestions for party frocks and accessories. But why should the women have all the fun? Men can dress up too, and have a great time matching shirts with watches. A cool looking shirt that co-ordinates with a watch will get you noticed quicker than your best cheesy chat up line. It sends out irresistible signals to women that you’re a man who doesn’t leave his dirty underwear lying on the floor, that you’re in control, and that you take care of your appearance. You don’t have to be marriage material, but the right shirt and watch combo could result in some serious under the mistletoe mischief.

So it’s definitely worth investing in a good striking partnership before the party season really gets into full swing. We have consulted with a top outfit co-ordination expert (well, ok, my girlfriend) as to the best shirt and watch combinations, carefully matching affordable high street shirts with affordable online watches just so that you can look the part at your parties. These are our choices:

Marks & Spencer Autograph Striped Shirt and Skagen watch

Autograph tend to specialise in sophisticated party shirts, so they’re always a good place to start your search. This one is made of pure cotton and cut slim to flatter that rugby playing physique you have spent years honing. The watch is a Skagen with a brown leather strap. Because the shirt is stripy, the watch should be understated and muted and this 40mm analogue quartz watch does the job nicely.

Shirt: £39.50 at Marks & Spencer

Watch: Skagen: £132.00 at The Watch Hut

Autograph Floral Shirt with Mondaine watch

OK, it’s not advisable to watch West Ham thrash Chelsea in this combo, but you can get away with it to wear at Christmas parties liberally peopled with babes. The floral shirt is again by Autograph, and the stylish red strapped Mondaine watch with matching second hand makes a striking statement on your wrist. Mondaine is the official brand of the Swiss railway industry and you’ll be pulling into the station right on time with this combination.

Shirt: £32.50 at Marks & Spencer

Watch: Mondaine: £139.00 at The Watch Hut

Thomas Nash Black Striped Shirt and Hugo Boss watch

This outfit is a little more sober, and suitable for those occasions when the boss and regional director are also attending the party. The bold striped shirt in grey and purple from Thomas Nash sets a formal yet contemporary tone, and the classic black watch from Hugo Boss with the date at 6 o’clock matches it perfectly. OK, it’s an analogue quartz and the Watch Snob would choke on his Martini olive in horror, but it’s a provable fact that most people you meet know nuts about watches so you can easily get away with it at a party.

Shirt: Thomas Nash £15.75 at Debenhams

Watch: Hugo Boss £129.00 at The Watch Hut

Joe Browns Multi-Coloured Shirt with Diesel watch

Soft cotton shirt with bold multi-coloured stripes, again from Debenhams. Joe Browns call this shirt a spanker, maybe because the Diesel watch we have selected to team up with it hits exactly the right spot. It’s a manly 49mm watch with an ice blue dial and plenty of presence, with day/date at 3 o’ clock. No one is pretending this is haute horology, but the way it co-ordinates with the shirt is pure animal psychology on how to attract the opposite sex.

Shirt: Joe Brown, £35.95 at Debenhams

Watch: Diesel, £117.00 at The Watch Hut

Jeff Banks Designer Shirt with TAG Heuer Formula 1 watch

Keep watches simple for evening wear, no complicated chronographs. Having said that, rules are made to be broken. If the shirt is dark and plain you can get away with a more eye catching watch, and the grey dial of the TAG Heuer Formula 1 chrono does that perfectly. This easy to read chronograph watch is brilliantly designed and features a precise Electro-Mechanical chronograph and a stylish Christmas red striped dial design.

Shirt: Jeff Banks Designer Shirt £35.00 at Debenhams

Watch: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Calibre S £1,295 at The Watch Hut

Eton Double Cuff Shirt with Maurice Lacroix Les Classiques watch

If you can stretch your budget you can take the co-ordinated look to even greater heights, teaming a quality shirt from shirtmakers Eton with a Maurice Lacroix Les Classiques Two Tone automatic chronograph watch. The shirt has double cuffs, so it’s a great opportunity to show off a great pair of links. The watch blends achingly well with the shirt. It comes with a gold plated bezel and a classic silvered dial.

Shirt: Eton double cuff £135.00 at etonshirts.co.uk,

Watch: Maurice Lacroix £1,647.00 at The Watch Hut