Delhi model Navnit Sharma and model and actress Nethra Raghuraman flaunt Longines Dolce Vita watches launched in the city on Friday. Picture by Pabitra Das

A couple of decades ago the brand of your wrist watch belied the presence of relatives in places like Singapore, Thailand and Dubai. For those without foreign connections, the good old HMT and Titan ruled the wrists. And if one wanted to make a snazzier statement, the grey market at Mehta Building in Canning Street was the place to scan for unbranded time pieces that scored on looks but gave way on life span.

The scenario is quite different now with almost all the major international brands in the segment making their foray into the Indian market. Calcutta has also been shaking hands with names like Movado, Omaga, Cartier, Corum and more of their ilk.

The latest to enter the fray is Longines, the Swiss wrist wear major, that launched its Dolce Vita collection in the city on Friday. The brand that launched world wide in the year 2001, boasts classic wrist pieces that are a melange of neat, trim lines of the 1930s and the glamour and sleekness of the 50s.

The launch, which took place at the Prime Watch World outlet in Forum, was as glamorous and star-studded as the watches themselves. Delhi model Navnit Sharma, actress and model Nethra Raghuraman walked the ramp along with Calcutta models Kimberline and Sonali Sehgal donning the elegant timepieces. Aishwarya Rai is the brand ambassador.

“People now don’t look at a watch as a mere necessity but as a lifestyle accessory. The fashion consciousness of the people and the general affordability has gone up and foreign brands have been quick to gauge the market trend,” said Gopalratnam Kannan, country manager, Swatch Group India Private limited.

“We carried out an extensive research before we launched the Dolce Vita collection in Calcutta. Our findings revealed that people were buying these watches from abroad,” added Kannan.

The collection offers watches for both men and women. Analogue watches under the brand come in square, rectangular and round shapes. One has a choice between the quartz and automatic variety in this category.

The watches come in three finishes of steel, gold and two-tone (a mix of gold and steel). The dials of the watches studded with diamonds come in four colour variants of silver, black, white and champagne.

The watches are priced at Rs 43,000 onwards and those studded with diamonds start at Rs 53,000 onwards.