Do you want to time yourself precisely to 1/10,000th of a second (yes, you read that right)? Or do you want to sport some moon dust on your wrist or perhaps take everyone’s breath away by wearing a watch crafted from steel sourced from the Titanic?

Watches have gone from luxury to super-luxurious and from cutting-edge to over-the-top in the technological sphere. Clearly it’s time to upgrade — though deep pockets must be replaced by mini-fortunes (psst, the latest wrist-candy from Christian Dior costs a breathtaking Rs 5.8 crore).

The number of global players in the Indian market too has grown and along with the existing giants in the game, they’re offering lines that are sporty, ornamental, some meant solely for underwater escapades while others are complicated looking chronographs.

Take your pick from international brands including Tag Heuer, Cartier, Raymond Weil, Balmain, Longines, Romain Jerome, Chopard — the list simply goes on.

A sporty look

You can’t go wrong with a chunky sports watch. “A sports watch is glamorous,” says Manishi Sanwal, general manager, LVMH Watch & Jewellery, India. There’s a clutch of brand new watches — harking to the world of motor racing and fast-lane cars — in versions for both men and women.

Tag Heuer’s Grand Carrera Collection salutes the aerodynamics and stunning looks of some the world’s fastest cars. Juan Manuel Fangio, five times winner of the Formula One World Championship, wore the Grand Carrera watch in the ’50s. The price is between Rs 1.59 lakh and Rs 3.90 lakh.

If you want to lay your hands on a watch that British Formula One racer, Lewis Hamilton, helped in designing and developing, then Tag Heuer’s Formula One line is for you. It has uni-directional turning bezels (which can very accurately time anything) and luminescent hands and markers, priced between Rs 46,000 and Rs 5 lakh.

Huge numerals contribute to the sporty feel of Chopard’s new Mille Miglia GT XL GMT.

The V-Race from Versace , with its gold case and black dial, comes with the iconic Medusa head. Equipped with three dials, the V-Race is an ideal outdoor companion.

All that glitz

Now, women can mind the time — in style. For, equal thought goes into the machinery as well as the embellishment of these timepieces. In 18-carat gold, or white or rose-coloured gold and encrusted with diamonds and other stones, the watch doubles up as a bracelet.

Luca Moro, president, Balmain Watches, says: “The ornamental watches are aimed at women who are stylish, contemporary and elegant.” Pick Trendy, with its steel Arabesque dial and diamonds all around the rim, priced at Rs 50,000.

And if you actually think that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then Piaget’s Limelight Secret watch is for you. Never mind that it can never remain a secret thanks to the brilliant-cut diamonds —ranging from 19 to 216 — encrusted in the 18-carat white gold case. Price, as can be expected, is on request .

Other options are from Dior Christal range. Swati Gupta, brand Manager, Dior Timepieces and Zenith Watches, LVMH Watch & Jewellery India, says: “The hard-as-diamonds sapphire crystal, quintessential to Dior Christal, are cut and encrusted by hand into the bezels and the straps.” The tag goes up to a stupendous Rs 6 crore.

The diamonds can also be encrusted on dials of semi-precious stones like jade or turquoise. The La D de Dior, has dials of jade, turquoise and serpentine. Panther motifs studded with sapphires, diamonds and black lacquer adorn these dials. The 10 limited edition pieces cost between Rs 3.95 lakh and Rs 4.28 lakh.

For Mother-of-Pearl fans, there is the Lady Hamilton Vintage with silver plating and Mother-of Pearl, square or oval dials with calligraphy-style digits. Priced above Rs 25,000. Paolo Marai, President and CEO, Vertime - Luxury Division of Timex Group says: “They are for those who love fashion in everyday life.”

Versace has four limited edition models in its Eon Collection that flaunt Mother-of-Pearl and agate dials. The watches are complete with alligator leather straps in blue, pink, red and green.

Versace’s Krios is inspired by the first timepieces created by Gianni Versace in early ’90s. It’s also available with a guilloché (decorative borders), displaying a sunray pattern.

A special touch

There’re some super-special watches doing the rounds. There’s the Raymond Weil Maestro Moon Phase , which charts the waxing and waning phases of the moon. And the Romain Jerome’s Moon Dust DNA Collection which features a lunar dial created out of mineral deposits including moon dust.

The Moon Invader, Black Metal Automatic has just 1,969 watches in the collection (prices on request). Its Titanium case uses steel from Apollo XI spacecraft and the strap has fibres from a spacesuit worn during the International Space Station mission (an international research facility in Earth orbit).

But if you prefer your watch to be sourced from the depths of the ocean, strap on another from Romain Jerome. The Titanic DNA Collection fuses oxidised steel from the wrecked ocean liner Titanic, lying 3,840m below the water, and steel supplied by the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, where the Titanic was built.

Lovers of fine art need not despair. The Chagall & ’Opéra de Paris is the first watch in Vacheron’s Constantin Métiers d’Art collection dedicated to the Opera Garnier in Paris. It pays tribute to artist Marc Chagall, whose fresco paintings adorn the ceiling of the Opera House. This timepiece features a faithful reproduction of the Chagall painting on the Paris Opera’s ceiling. Price is on request.

Going precise

Want to time yourself down to a second? Your search ends with the newest chronographs around.

The Victorinox AirBoss is inspired by the air boss officer, who is responsible for aircraft’s operations. Prices on request.

“Depending on how precise you want to get, TAG Heuer has precision of 1/10th, 1/100th, 1/1,000th and 1/10,000th of a second,” says Sanwal. The Monaco Collection includes a watch worn by the American actor Steve McQueen in the 1970 classic Le Mans. It was the first square-cased water-resistant watch and the first square automatic chronograph. Prices go up to Rs 3.84 lakh.

Zenith has a connect closer home. “It entered the Indian market only in 2009, though Mahatma Gandhi had carried a Zenith pocket watch,” says Gupta. The Zenith El Primero Captain, a vintage timepiece, has two large push buttons to set the counters. Priced at Rs 3.84 lakh.

People who believe in classical timepieces can pick up Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony Traditionnelle Chronograph . This classically styled timepiece has a column-wheel chronograph, which controls its movement.

A hotseller in Zenith’s collection is the new El Primero Foudroyante. The hand of the special jumping seconds chronograph completes one rotation in exactly 10 seconds. Priced at Rs 5.10 lakh.

Diver’s pride

Do you indulge in underwater adventure — and keep your watch on? Designed and developed by professional divers, the technical features of Tag Heuer’s Aquaracer collection stands out. The uni-directional turning bezel, with water-resistance to 500m, is outstanding. Says Sanwal: “The luminescent hands and markers make it readable in the sea’s dark depths and the wet-suit extension enables easy strapping over the wet suit.” Priced between Rs 60,000 and Rs 2.25 lakh.

There’s also Dior’s Chiffre Rouge with its distinct asymmetrical structure with all its controls for easy management while diving. Water resistant to 50m, it’s priced between Rs 1.90 lakh to Rs 3.87 lakh.

Zenith’s Defy Rainbow Flyback has Ruthenium metal hands with Superluminova, making it readable in the dark. There’s a magnifying lens over the date window while the piece is water resistant up to 300m. Priced at Rs 3.98 lakh.