"Seeing as how we spend so much of our lives rotating our wrists and checking the time, we may as well have something beautiful or cool or interesting to look at."

The words of America's leading capitalist magazine Forbes sum up the idealody of haute horlogerie - while the primary function of watches is still to tell time, the type of watch you choose to wear can also be a personal style statement, or the affirmation of your status. The magazine also likens mechanical watches to high performance automobiles due to their sophisticated movements - without the hassle of maintenance.

Forbes notes that the volume of watches available at retail is nothing short of daunting as low-end quartz brands introduce hundreds of models every year while makers of fine watches maintain multiple collections. Even fashion designers, sports franchises want a slice of the cake - see Tommy Hillfiger and Calvin Klein's line extensions.

Keith Strandberg, watch editor of InSync, a consumer and trade publication, told Forbes, "It's relatively easy to get started in the watch business. Simply contract a movement from an established watchmaker and put your name on it. You might not be selling timeless creations, but if you catch a trend they'll sell."

Current consumer trends

Big is in - and according to Forbes - the bigger, the better. Pair a Breitling dive watch with an Ermenegildo Zegna suit - or an aforementioned big and clunky timepiece to adorn a lady's slender wrist.

Gem-encrusted watches from the likes of Piaget and Van Cleef & Arpels tickle the fancy of women nowadays, according to Forbes. Colour is also hot with watch companies Cartier (above) and Michele introducing interchangeable straps in rainbow colours in their fashion watch lines.

Lastly, Forbes pins down the complicated watches with sophisticated movements as the timeless classic. The ingenious Opera Three from Girard-Perregaux (right) plucks Tchaikovsky and Mozart tunes on a miniature interior music box - but it's price tag might stagger you for a bit. It retails for $475,000 but is manufactured in such a limited quantity that it's virtually unavailable - adding to the beauty of the watch.

Forbes also got word from a spokesperson from Patek Philippe, who noted that a number of the company's Grand Complications have buyers long before they are even finished - often at the rate of just a few per year.

Indulge in the finest examples of watchmaking with Forbes's list of 18 fine watches that will stop time, otherwise dubbed "The World's Best Watches". The timepieces come in a range of styles - from sports and fashion to complex and over the top. View the Forbes slideshow and let the world of only the finest haute horlogerie blow you away.

The world's 18 best watches, according to Forbes:

Dress watches
Hamilton Ventura
Cartier Roadster
Vacheron Constantin Royal Eagle Day & Date

Fashion watches
Baume & Mercier Hampton City
Panerai Luminor Base
Jacob & Co. Five Time Zone Watch

Sport watches
Suunto X6-HR
TAG Heuer 2000 Aquagraph
Breitling Bentley Motors Chronograph

Cool complications
Tissot T-Touch
IWC Spitfire Chronograph Automatic
Zenith Grande Chronomaster XXT Open

Over-the-top
Patek Philippe Grand Complication 5059
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Day-Date
Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Tourbillon

Ladies watches
MW by Michele Deco Diamond
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duetto
Blancpain Flyback Chrono

Adapted from Forbes.com