India jointly by ‘Time for SA’ and ‘Watch Market Review’
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 17, 2005: India’s watch connoisseurs and collectors will get a ‘never-before’ opportunity to embark on a fascinating journey through the world of horology. For the first time ever, ‘Time for India’, a collector’s table-top issue that constitutes a valuable set of reference works in the horological field, will be available in India. The first of its kind concept is dedicated to cultivating ties between the great names in Swiss watchmaking and India, a swiftly developing land, where time never stands still.
This collector’s issue will showcase some of the best high-end, upscale luxury Swiss brands.
The ‘must-have’ (with a title that connotes layers of meaning) will be given to the elite consumers, aficionados and customers across the country, who aspire to be own the best and expensive brands in the world. The first edition of ‘Time for India’ showcases a sample of the most eclectic Swiss watches and evokes a notion of elite luxury that is entirely in keeping with the Indian penchant for embellishment in adornment. The outstanding products featured herein clearly demonstrate that jewellery watches can be considered as one of the most precious possessions of all. And yes, they come coupled with superlative quality and cutting-edge excellence.
This pioneering initiative has been conceptualised by the Geneva-based Time for SA, the publisher, and Heinz J. Heimann as the editor. Watch Market Review (the long-established authoritative Indian horological magazine, headed by its Managing Director and Publisher, Sunil Karer) will be in charge of the distribution for India.
Heimann, one of the respected watch connoisseurs in the field having published several books emphasizing on the industry, says, “We are proud to be publishing this first-of-its-kind book destined for the prestigious Indian market. The decision to launch this series is particularly significant in light of India’s huge potential as a watch and jewellery market; coupled with its cultural wealth and legendary gemological heritage. Each volume is destined to serve as a magnificent showcase for the skills cultivated by the brands, which craft these exceptional timekeepers, many of which represent works of art in themselves. As one is right to expect from an upscale publication, special care has been devoted to printing so as to ensure its quality corresponds to the superlative timepieces it will be presenting.”
Karer, who has been associated with the Indian and international horological industry since decades, adds, “India’s connoisseurs and trade constituents have felt the need for something like ‘Time for India’ since a long time. It denotes that it is truly time for India to take its rightful place within the growing international circle of horological connoisseurs. A positive feedback, encouragement and a desire to continue learning more about the mysteries and intricacies of this prestigious and complex art have led us to dedicate this issue to jewellery watches. It will definitely appeal to people, who appreciate the art and science of fine watch-making.”
Each edition of ‘Time for India’ deals with the history of watchmaking, the art of mechanical watchmaking; the technology of timepieces, the subtleties of watch components and the beauties of jewellery watches. Each edition comprises three main parts: the first is designed to present a particular aspect of watch-making in considerable detail; explaining and illustrating the given theme in such a way so as to inform, fascinate and serve as a reference work for connoisseurs of fine watch-making. The second consists of the brand’s individual product presentations, providing a
sweeping panorama of creations signed by some of the most prestigious names in the business. The third section will take the form of a handy index of “who’s who” in the horological sector and in the country.
The models presented in ‘Time for India’ illustrate the full range of technical know-how in the field of horology, exercised on noble materials and combined with exquisite decorative skills and often breath-taking expressions of the finest hand craftsmanship. These models are glamorous timepieces and works of art, which embody universal values that transcend time and space. They carry a powerful emotional charge and are becoming an increasing source of fascination for collectors around the world in terms of passion and investment opportunities.
In a pioneering effort, ‘Time for India’ also features the list of all the authorised retailers, dealers and distributors in India, where the brands will be available. It also features a section called ‘Time for Museums’ where a list of all the watch museums in Switzerland is provided. Readers can get a chance to discover the places where they can immerse themselves in the world of clocks, watches and other time-measuring instruments.
The Time for SA-Watch Market Review team has developed a carefully conceptualised distribution plan. The intent is to ensure that it reaches out to a select circle of readers with a genuine interest in the finer points of watchmaking. Its purpose is purely educational and to provide meaningful insights into the various aspects of this fascinating field. The circulation will be augmented by a personalised direct mailing exercise targeted at individuals recognised as belonging to an elite group of high net worth consumers with high purchasing power.
Since India is already in the midst of a retailing revolution, the prime target will also include the high-end malls, shopping plazas and department stores. It will be distributed amongst the members of the horological fraternity that deals with Swiss watches including the watch and jewellery retailers, dealers and distributors. It will also be available in leading five-star hotels in the main metropolitan cities. Sunil Karer adds, “The response has been phenomenal. We are already looking forward to pursuing this stimulating journey through the watchmaking world next year with another theme. The second edition will be scheduled for publication in the lat spring of 2006.”
For more information: Contact Ms. Karishma Karer, Watch Market Review, 91-22-23446856 or 23438195; E-mail: (watchmkt@bom3.vsnl.net.in) or send a fax to 91-22-23427288.
Contents of ‘Time for India’
For the first time ever, ‘Time for India’, a collector’s table-top issue that constitutes a valuable set of reference works in the horological field, will be available in India. The first of its kind concept is dedicated to cultivating ties between the great names in Swiss watchmaking and India, a swiftly developing land, where time never stands still. This collector’s issue will showcase some of the best high-end, upscale luxury Swiss brands such as A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Chopard, deGrisogono, Girard-Perregaux, Gucci, Harry Winston, Hublot, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Omega, Panerai, Parmigiani, Paul Picot, Piaget, Richard Mille, Rolex and Vacheron Constantin.
Perhaps more so than any other timepiece, jewellery watches are the culmination of a team effort in which a broad range of specialists are able to express the best of their skills in writing these poems. To remain in the artistic field, others have described them as “symphonies”, in the performance of which the composers (designers), musicians (technicians and craftsmen) and instruments (traditional tools and state-of-the-art machinery) all play a determining role. These products have virtually infinite possibilities and continue to evolve over time. Such masterpieces call for the exercise of infinite patience and consummate art. A world away from the decorative arts per se, these are no longer merely pieces of jewellery. Going far beyond their most obvious task of adornment, jewellery watches take us into a very special world involving the human quest for excellence, constant research and perpetually varying forms and means of expression. All those who conceive, craft and finish these mysterious marvels, as well as those who acquire them, are moving forward along the paths of art, determined to capture sheer beauty and striving for perfection.
The first section of ‘Time for India’ looks at the history of jewellery watches, the evolution of designs and materials, focuses on the techniques that give life to stunning creations in noble metals, precious stones and glowing enamels. Some of the chapters include:
‘India and its Eternal Love Affair with Embellishment’ — Through history, Indians have been obsessed with precious gemstones, embellishments and adornments. From the 19th century onwards, watches were produced specifically for the Indian market. The art of miniature enameled portraits, cultivated from Geneva, became a favourite with India’s dignitaries and royalty.
‘Timeless Expertise Lavished on Timekeeping Beauties’ — Before launching into the exploration of the bewildering array of materials and sophisticated craftsmanship involved in making jewellery-watches, this chapter takes a little historical detour to tie this art in with the longstanding traditions it perpetuates.
‘Enhancing the Precious Nature of Time’ — This chapter plunges into the history of jewellery watches and how their destiny has been inextricably linked with that of wearable timekeeping instruments in general; encircling dainty wrists; blurring the borders between jewellery and watchmaking;
‘Design Reigns Supreme’ — This chapter shows that when Haute Horlogerie meets the art of the lapidary, the gem-setter and the goldsmith, watches bud and blossom to become jewellery creations. To speak of jewellery watches, their shapes and lines, implies entering the very heart of the world we live in.
‘The Inestimable Value of Noble Materials’ — In recent years, watchmakers have become increasingly innovative in the field of materials, and the frontier between those considered as precious or noble and those seen as “merely” high-tech is becoming increasingly hard to define.
‘The Magicians That Make Dream Watches Come True’ — When one considers all the different variations that, right through the history of watchmaking, have been composed around such a simple item as the dial with its hour-markers or numerals and a hole in the middle, one cannot help but marvel at the creativity of the artists behind them; involved in enamelling, engraving and various other fine arts in watchmaking.
‘Enamelled Cases: a World of Their Own’ — While on the topic of enamelling, we must not forget to mention the miniature masterpieces which only a very few people are able to execute. In fact, the enamel miniature painters in Switzerland can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand.
‘The Spellbinding Alchemy of Gemstones’ — For the owner, precious stone-set watches are usually more than just timekeepers, they are truly jewels that tell the time. Their high cost derives not only from the precious materials used, but primarily from the special skills that are necessary to produce them. Gemstones are probably the most fascinating materials found in the bosom of the earth.
‘The Intricate Mysteries of Gem-cutting’ — Nowadays cutting stones has become a very specialized business practised in historical centres in Europe – and of course in India. There is even a distinction between those ‘lapidaries’ who cut diamonds as opposed to those who cut other precious and semi-precious stones.
‘Ways of Wearing Jewellery Watches’ — The 20th century saw the establishment of wristwatches as the most widespread form of timekeeping instrument. Paradoxically, in the early 21st century, now that the hegemony of wristwatches has been clearly asserted, we are witnessing an upsurge in an entire range of different ways of wearing the time. There is a spectacular return of certain traditional types but also the emergence of highly attractive and original variations!
The second section offers insights into the brands mentioned above. The third section comprises the list of Indian retailers and distributors. The fourth section lists the famous watch museums in Switzerland.
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