What's the time by your super watch?

scouts for interesting buys for the serious watch enthusiast - awesome technology and even pieces that will not give you the right time!

"Complicated" is not necessarily a foul word when it comes to luxury watches. If you are a collector or even just an enthusiast, you would understand that there are two obvious approaches one could have to a luxury watch"" to go in for the jewelled look or go all the way hi-tech, because, after all, what else can companies add on to devices essentially meant to tell time and justify price tags running into crores of rupees?

Well, you could argue otherwise too and say that history, romance and even some craziness add to brand attributes. But that later. For now, let us stick to the basics of the biz: women's luxury watches generally tend to follow the platinum-and-precious stones route (think square-cut diamonds on the dial, currently in vogue), while men are usually to be wooed by promises of the "most complicated watch ever."

One brand that does have a place in the Guinness Book of Records for precisely such a claim "" for making the world's "most complicated wristwatch" (in 1989) is Ulysse Nardin. One of the torch-bearers of the Swiss watch industry in terms of innovation, the company displayed its new approach in 1985, when it came out with the line, Astrolabium (named after the device and astronomer Galileo Galilei).

The watch displayed local and solar time, orbits, eclipses as well as positions of several major stars! Naturally, it set a record. Subsequently, there were other astronomical watches too "" named after Copernicus and Kepler "" and the three lines now constitute the company's "Trilogy of Time" series, certainly one of the most fascinating buys, if you are a so interested.

On the other hand, Ulysse Nardin's latest collection is now also available in India (across four cities). It was previewed just this week in Mumbai "" ahead of its worldwide launch.

A sneak peak reveals that you could go in for the Freak Blue Phantom, a watch that complements the earlier Freak (a mechanical watch that featured no hands to show the time, the movement itself served the purpose, there was no crown to wind it and so forth) in 18-carat gold and the tip of the hour and minute marker in superluminova to enhance visibility.

But the new collection also includes watches for the ladies (who want to steer clear of jewelled generalisations) by way of Caprice, a mechanical watch with a see-through back so that you can peep into how everything rotates and revolves and the Lady Diver, sporty and mechanical but one that can transform itself to suit any occasion "" a steel look or an18-carat rose-gold one, diamonds or non...

According to Laurent Michaud, regional manager (Far East), Ulysse Nardin SA, the Indian luxury watch market is around $150 million and obviously growing.

But while Indian watch collectors may now appreciate their tourbillion (the very precise movement in quartz watches that hikes up prices several times over normal quartz), chronographs (all luxury brands usually have these, able to measure up to fractions of seconds), watches that give you time across two or more time zones, bi-retrograde watches (half-circle movement) and even "perpetual calenders" (watches where you don't need to set the year), there are other innovations that often catch the eye.

One of the watches, for instance, that is doing very well in the market at the moment is Crazier by the brand Frank Muller, also known for its "complications" (in fact, the brand allows you to choose the looks from any model and mix it up with your choice of "complications" for a customised feel).

At Rs 10,58,000 (at the Beyond Luxury store in New Delhi), Crazier is really crazy. The numbers on its dial are in apparent random order, yet the watch gives the correct time.

But this would not seem as crazy as Frank Muller's Secret Hour, the watch that will give you the wrong time! You can get the right time only at the push of a button. At Rs 36 lakh plus, Frank Muller's Perpetual Calender (preorganised till 2100) is also a hot buy.

If you are the sporty type, Corum's Admiral's Cup, showing high and low tides, times of the day, full and no moon days et cetera, may be a good buy at Rs 11, 24,000 ""even with (vulcanised) rubber strap. If you want an impressive time piece, not a wrist watch, check out Atmos by Jaeger le Coultre, that works on the old principles of pressure and temperature instead of a plain battery.

On the other hand, if you are simply looking to splurge and to buy a big prize, look for models within the likes of Patek Philippe, Zenith, Alange and, of course, Rolex "" because these are companies that actually make their own movements and put together "original" watches all by themselves.