PRESENTS OF TIME

Timepieces remain one of the most popular of presents, providing style, practicality and investment all in one neat package. And the variety and quality has never been better.

Watches for women at one time became so small that they seemed designed for the diminutive Alice in Wonderland. Asked for the time, the wearer of such a tiny masterpiece of precision would have to seek out her spectacles or a handy magnifying glass in order to be able to discern the numerals.

Today's models are far more practical and indeed often as large as those designed for men. But a company that made the world's smallest baguette watch in the 1930s, Eterna, still produces watches for women that have a delicate feminity whilst making the face easy to read.

Baguette watches are the elongated shape, inspired by the French loaf of the same name. Eterna had another world beater in the 1950s with its small self-winding watch that was worn by Bridget Bardot and Gina Lollobrigida. And now, its new Contessa collection retains the rectangular shape for which it has become famous, each one with a faceted diamond on the crown.

The Contessa comes in 18-carat rose gold or stainless steel, with 46 diamonds on some models, as pictured. It has a mother of pearl dial with 12 diamonds and there are two quick-change straps, dark brown alligator or a white stingray leather, as shown. Price from around

Eterna men's watches bear the KonTiki name, in memory of Thor Heyerdahl's crossing of the Pacific some 50 years ago. He made the famous voyage with an Eterna watched strapped to his wrist, one of the early rugged sports watches.

THE FORD MOTOR OF WATCHES

THOSE of an older generation may remember Ingersoll as their first watch. The brand was launched in the US in the 1880s to provide a quality watch to a wider public, and by modelling a production line on the same automated process pioneered by Henry Ford and his motor cars, the Ingersoll brothers succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. The "Dollar Watch" sold in its millions and around the world.

The latest collection for men remains reasonably priced, though rather more than a dollar, and with some striking designs, as above left. This one is priced at around £224.
They also offer some nice 'wardrobe' boxes for a man's collection.

COLOURFUL MOVEMENT

THE signature black associated with Porsche does not apply to all the brand's watches. Though there are plenty of matt black designs featured, there are also polished titanium and rose gold cases and other combinations, such as this red-faced model.

Latest watch design from Porsche, launched in 2009, is the Dashboard. This has three dials on the face and comes in titanium. Its special Porsche Design rotor, reminiscent of the Porsche sports car wheel, is visible through the sapphire crystal back.