She's Got Time

MORE WOMEN ARE BECOMING WATCH CONNOISSEURS, SEEKING OUT BOTH JEWELLED AND TECHNICAL WATCHES FOR THEIR STYLE AND CRAFTSMANSHIP

- SMITA TRIPATHI

Delhi-based corporate lawyer Shweta Singh loves her watches. While she fondly remembers the Titan watch her parents gifted her on her 18th birthday, she has over the past three decades added quite a few more to her collection, the latest being the Bvlgari Serpenti Tubogas double spiral watch in stainless steel for ₹8.41 lakh. Her collection also includes the Panerai Luminor Due (₹6.33 lakh) with a striking red leather strap, the Breitling Superocean Automatic 36 (₹4.46 lakh) with a turquoise dial and strap, and the Longines Conquest (₹2.96 lakh). "The Tubogas is the first watch that I have bought primarily for its looks. Otherwise, I go for functionality and movement," says the 48-year-old, adding that she wears the Breitling and the Panerai for casual occasions and the Longines and Bvlgari for formal occasions.

While Singh is still in a minority, she is part of a growing number of women who are collecting watches-not just pretty jewelled ones, but also ones with complicated calibres and movements. And with female collectors finding their voice in an otherwise male-dominated luxury watch world, the market for women's watches is growing. As per global market research firm Allied Market Research, the women's watch segment is expected to reach $26.7 billion by 2027 from $23.7 billion in 2019, with a CAGR of 3.90%.