TIME HANGS HEAVY THIS YEAR

It isn't just people that are getting heavier - watches are too. While mobile phones get smaller and thinner all the time, time pieces are weightier and chunkier than ever, many looking as though they need a heavyweight arm to lift them, and even those for women favouring a hunky style of bling that suggests they are not for the little woman.

Where has all this substantial time come from? What happened to the thin, delicate models that were a testament to the skill of watchmakers in creating such compressed works? Well, apart from the inevitable march of change, perhaps it is simply in contrast to all those tiny mobiles and their competition as time providers.

Younger men no longer see a watch as a necessity, but as a fashion accessory. On that score, the current wave of watches that tend towards being as big and heavy as clocks are making a style statement to set them apart from those itsy-bitsy phones. Macho, eye-catching and with heavy adornments and extra parts, they buck the trend for less with more.

Several launch parties in London over the Summer verified this on-going theme, and for those dedicated to keeping their watch wardrobes up to scratch, they offered some tempting treasures.

Quite some of the most dazzling designs that would make very special Christmas presents come from Corum.

Their Admiral's Cup range was developed in 1960 in honour of this yachting race. Now, they have added a sparkling ladies watch which features the signature 12-sided case, with mother-of-pearl face set with some 66 diamonds. It comes with stainless steel or rose gold dial, the rose gold priced at £15,250.

Corum will also make bespoke watches, where prices start from around £150,000.

At top, the classic Admiral's Cup Chronograph 48, waterproof to 300 feet/100 metres. Price £4,595. Above,the new Romulus ladies design from Corum, in red gold studded with diamonds, price £8,250. Available in just 22 jewellers throughout the UK.

Top German name, A. Lange & Sohne, the company noted for revealing a watch's mechanisms through a clear sapphire-crystal back, celebrated what it describes as another milestone in its long history with the launch of its Lange Zeitwerk.

This is a wristwatch with a jumping numeral display, as shown here. It is available in 18-carat white, pink or yellow gold, and platinum, just 200 created in the platinum edition.

This red gold Lange Zeitwerk is available through Watches of Switzerland and costs £33,200.

And jewellery name Thomas Sabo had one wingding of a party at Somerset House to present his extensive collection of hefty watches, many with skull and cross bones decorations and hippy motifs. These watches, very much in the bling category, come as a spin-off from his successful jewellery collection and are due to be launched this Autumn. Prices start at around £170 and go up to about £779.

EJECTION SEAT WATCH EXCLUSIVE

British watch name Bremont has teamed up with Martin Baker, top British engineering firm that invented the ejector seat, to create the ultimate aviator's watch.

The resulting timepiece, named the MBI, had its movement created at Bremont’s atelier in Switzerland, but final assembly takes place in the UK. This makes it the first "Made in Britain" Bremont watch and with a launch edition of particular exclusivity.

Only those who have been ejected from a Martin-Baker ejection seat may purchase an MBI. Martin-Baker seats have saved over 7200 lives in 93 Air Forces to date and each watch sold will be engraved with the individual’s ejection number. And to make sure that the watch lives up to sky high expectations, it has been tested in ejection seat testings.

For those lacking the requisite ejection credentials, a second edition of the watch is also available but in limited numbers.

Bremont was launched after two English aviator brothers by the name of English crash landed in the field of Antoine Bremont, himself a WWII pilot and a passionate horologist. He inspired the name of the Bremont watch.

The brothers, Nick and Giles, went on to create the watch in memory of their father, another aviator who died in a crash whilst practicing for an air display. They wanted to make a watch for aviators that was durable and accurate beyond the usual standards and their success in doing so was marked by it being chosen as a Brand of Tomorrow in 2007 by Walpole (see further details on Walpole Style p4).

Such is its hardy credentials that it has rapidly become the choice for professional adventurers such as Everest climber Jake Meyer, mountaineer Bear Grylls, yachtsman Mike Golding, as well as pilots in the US Navy Test Pilot School.

It has become the watch used as official timekeeper at Goodwood Festival of Speed. There is a limited edition chronograph model produced in coooperation with the motorcycle brand Norton, now returned to the UK from the US. And an amphibiuous design for divers has also just been launched. But you don't have to be a daredevil to wear one of these watches or to appreciate their quality.

Above, the MBII Bremont, price £2,850.

SLEEK DESIGNS FROM SCANDINAVIA

FOR those seeking a more streamlined, contemporary styling, Danish brand Obaku Harmony has arrived in the UK, bringing the sort of modern, uncluttered designs shown here. Thomas Toelstrop of Obaku
believes people want more simplicity in their lives - and that was the inspiration behind these reasonably priced watches.

Launched in 2007, they are already popular in 29 countries. Prices from £75 to £470