In My Own Time

of Patiala commissioned Vacheron Constantin,the famous Swiss watchmaker,to craft a pocket-watch especially for him. Not only did the company make him his preferred timepiece,they ensured it boasted of a slew of features an alarm and chronograph with the minute counter that had passed the chronometer tests at its Geneva and Teddington UK observatories. Singh is one among the brands illustrious clientele who has indulged in its enduring legacy of customising watches. The labels Atelier Cabinotiers created in 2006 aims to revive the Victorian tradition of made-to-order watches for prestigious clients directly from the cabinotiers watch-making craftsmen.

In a world where the demand for personalisation is growing,bespoke clothing and accessories are becoming more popular than ever before. In India,there is no paucity of celebrities endorsing watches. Be it Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan for Rado,filmmaker Karan Johar for Timond or former tennis player Vijay Amritraj for Rolex,the allure of custom-made luxury watches is hard to resist.

Most luxury watches offer personalisation services where one can pick out every detail right from the size and number of diamonds to designs on the bezel. Jaeger-LeCoultre is also known to have created special watches for actors Saif Ali Khan and Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire fame. In 2011,to mark the 80th anniversary of the Reverso,Jaeger-LeCoultre opened a virtual museum to invite patrons to share their inspiration with other lovers of the Reverso. As part of the celebrations,Khan was gifted a personalised Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Grande Taille with the Pataudi family crest engraved on the reverse side of the watch.

Patel wears a JLC Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute with an engraving of a tree on the steel back of the case. For years,I have had an obsession with doodling trees. It started in high school,when I would grab a book and spend hours perfecting my scribbles. Over time,the image just stuck with me. Today,Id say that a tree symbolises many qualities that one associates with a leader,or even a great partner. They trees also represent new beginnings, Patel said in a press statement.

Another brand,Zenith recently developed El Primero Stratos, a unique prototype watch for Australian skydiver Felix Baumgartner,who wore it when he became the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power on his descent. El Primero Stratos was made resistant to sudden changes in pressure,temperature as well as to extreme vibrations to withstand the hurdles of the skydive.

Some watch companies are even launching special collections to appeal to the Indian luxury lover. Two years ago,when the inaugural edition of Formula One was held in the country,TAG Heuer launched a special India Racing edition that was customised to incorporate hues from the Indian national flag. The Carrera Tachymeter Chronograph wears Indian colours,saffron and green,apart from a car-shaped logo on the dial.

Richard Mille,a Swiss manufacturer known to custom-make watches for tennis star Rafael Nadal and F1 champion Felipe Massa  made its entry into the Indian market around the same time with a RM 011 Felipe Massa watch. The Flyback chronograph has a special serial number and the words Felipe Massa First Indian Race engraved on the back,apart from the Indian tri-colours green and white on the dial rounded off with a deep saffron.

Needless to say,having the company personalize your timepiece doesnt come cheap. There is no official word on it,but insiders say it can set you back a few crores.