As that great athlete Forrest Gump once implied, running an online watch magazine is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. Only recently I received an email from a lady whose boyfriend has been selected for the British Olympic Judo team for the 2012 London Olympics. I am not at liberty to reveal his name, not least because the reason why she wrote to me is because she wants to surprise him with a watch to celebrate the achievement.

This is indeed an honour because Britain has tended to do well in Olympic judo. British judo has contributed consistently to Team GB in past Olympics, with Sydney 2000 silver medallist Kate Howey performing Team GB Flag Bearer duties at Athens 2004. In Beijing four years ago, Team GB included seven judokas. This year there will be the maximum 7 male and 7 female judokas competing.

Developed from jujitsu, the hand-to-hand combat technique of ancient samurai warriors, judo involves throwing opponents to the floor and holding them in submission.

Judo kicks off the Games during the first week, so which watch do you choose for a black belt judoka bound for Olympic glory in his home town?

Were a watch allowed to be worn during competition, which of course it is not, it would need to be robust, rugged, able to withstand plenty of punishment, and yet at the same time create impact, command respect and not a little envy. These are my selections.

Seiko Spring Drive GMT

My first choice is appropriate in that it represents the traditional home of judo, Japan. And the watch of choice, it has to be the Grand Seiko, specifically the Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT. Grand Seiko has many of the qualities so admired of highly disciplined judokas. Not flashy, not loud, not drawing attention to itself, but flawlessly, rigorously honed and crafted.

Grand Seiko has been revered as one of the finest watches that Japan produces. Grand Seiko watches were was only available in Japan until quite recently. Every part and component used in the Grand Seiko is made in house by only the most skilled Seiko craftsmen, with the strictest of standards. Simply put, the Grand Seiko is the finest that Seiko offers.

Luminox Field Valjoux Automatic

I chose this for the rugged all black appeal of the watch. It’s the new top of the range Blackout model from Luminox. They are designed for Navy SEALs, so if it meets their demanding standards, this watch will take the rigours of one bruising judo session after another and still keep its moody cool. These excellent American designed Swiss made watches have a completely blacked out appearance, but telling the time is still a cinch thanks to a tone-on-tone look achieved with a jet black dial and dark charcoal numbers and markings.

Linde Werdelin Oktopus II

Ok, this is a dive watch, but it isn’t just any dive watch, it’s a Linde Werdelin dive watch, so that means it’s meticulously and ingeniously conceived as well as exquisitely constructed. It’s also one of the finest sports watches money can buy.

The Oktopus is tougher and more durable than mere nails. It can withstand pressures up to a remarkable 110 atmospheres, it features a 4 mm-thick sapphire crystal and an integrated helium escape valve. Of course none of these abilities will be needed in the Judo Hall, but this distinctively masculine and yet undeniably elegant watch is for one who appreciates not only good looks but also precision movement.

The Oktopus II is powered by a Dubois Depraz Calibre 14580 self-winding movement specially made for Linde Werdelin and provides 44 hours of power-reserve.

Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro Automatic

Of course there will inevitably be cries for a British Olympic team member to buy British, so the British designed and Swiss made C60 Trident Pro Automatic – with the NATO version strap from Christopher Ward is not only showing loyalty but at only £350, sensible economy. The Trident series unashamedly takes its design cues from the iconic 1954 Rolex GMT Master which was the world’s first ever dual-time watch – and the C60 Trident – Pro Automatic is no exception. This NATO strap edition harks back to the golden era of James Bond, who was a bit useful at both judo and karate. This automatic, powered by the famous ETA 2824-2 / Sellita SW200-1 movement is a premium diving watch engineered for perfection and Swiss precision.

Richard Mille RM055 Bubba Watson

This new watch from Richard Mille was designed for the American golfer Bubba Watson, but naturally it’s designed to exceed any expectations on the golf course, even from the hard driving Bubba Watson.

Its mechanical movement in grade 5 titanium reveals a large amount of skeletonisation, with a PVD and Titalyt® treated baseplate and bridges. That combination provides the whole structure with optimum rigidity and excellent surface flatness for the gear train. This in turn enables the RMUL2 movement to be capable of withstanding accelerations of over 500-G’s. The movement is equipped with a variable-inertia balance wheel, which ensures reliability in the event of impacts and during assembly and dismantling, thus improving the long-term accuracy of the timepiece.

You could get into a real scrap wearing this watch and it would always come out in good shape. The black dial and the smooth white sheen of the titanium watch case would look great in judo kit, but at the price a Richard Mille will set you back, you wouldn’t bring this watch anywhere near the Olympic Judo Hall.

Hublot Magic Gold Big Bang

Well, since it’s the Olympics it’s all about going for gold. The new Hublot Magic Gold Big Bang is the first gold in the world to be scratchproof, thereby eliminating the traditional weakness of gold and its alloys.

The hardness of metals is measured by the Vickers scale. While “normal” 18-carat gold registers 400 Vickers, Hublot’s Magic Gold apparently obtains a hardness approaching 1,000 Vickers (most hardened steels measure 600 Vickers) and so this gold alloy is tougher and more scratch resistant than 316L stainless steel.

Of course a gold watch is something to be treasured and passed on as an an heirloom piece. What the creation of Magic Gold has done is to remove all the disadvantages of gold, including its ease of getting scratched.

There’ll be more than a few scratches by the time any judoka advances to the final stages of the Olympic competition, so if the lucky guy who receives this watch advances to the finals he will definitely have earned it.