Rajiv Ranjan's list of favourite watch brands reads like a luxury watch shop catalogue with names from Bulgari to Patek Philippe to Richard Mille making the cut, but when he is out and about at a club or a supermarket, he would not be caught dead wearing one of them.

Instead, the director of Allied Medical Association would rather put on a watch from Italian fashion house Gucci or his current favourite, a Chanel J12 ceramic.

'Many serious watch collectors would probably never buy a fashion watch, but I'm different,' says the avid watch lover.

'I may be more inclined towards watches with complications but I also have a number of fashion watches that I can wear out to casual events.

'After all, if I put on a $250,000 Patek Philippe, for example, I'm going to have to look after it all night. Plus, fashion watches are more fun, hip and thus more appropriate in certain settings.'

Watch expert Bernard Cheong agrees that although most serious collectors would walk away from fashion watches, 'there will be a certain breed that look at a watch without looking at the brand'.

'I would buy a fashion brand watch if I liked the interpretation of the designer's vision of what wristwatches should be like,' says Dr Cheong, who singled out a Dior Homme Chiffre Rouge as a watch that he would buy.

'Also, fashion houses break rules - they create things and are much more relevant when it comes to aesthetics.'

According to industry players, fashion brand watches look set to give serious watches a run for their money, having grown steadily in popularity over the last seven years, because they usually have higher aesthetic value than watches with complications. They cater mainly to the younger professional crowd aged 30-35 who appreciate beauty over technology.

Mr Ranjan cites the example of watch label Jacob & Co as a good indication of where the watch market is heading.

'A Jacob & Co watch by no means has serious complications but people are still willing to fork out $150,000 to $200,000 for one because Jacob & Co watches are so fashionable and immediately stand out as statement pieces. Surely, this is a sign of how important aesthetics are in the watch market these days.'

A huge influx of fashion watch brands flooding the market also helps up the ante - a trend noticed by Citimex's spokeswoman. The company is the exclusive distributor of Valentino watches in Singapore.

'As brands face greater competition, they realise the importance of protecting and building their brand by creating sub-brands,' she says. 'Watches are a natural progression as it is an accessory that complements fashion apparel. If brands don't do so, their existing customers could migrate to other brands that fulfil their need for a complete look.'

A good example, of course, would be the Italian fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo, that launched its timepiece collection only early this year. 'Ferragamo as a brand has been around for a long time, but we wanted to expand - we decided to enter the timepieces market when we saw how big the luxury watch market was becoming both in Asia and all over the world,' says Ferragamo regional marketing director Valeria Azario.

Despite the economic climate, the brand has received favourable response from consumers. 'By expanding into timepieces, Ferragamo now has a bigger variety of items for its fans, which is important because of the need to keep things fresh in these times,' says Ms Azario.

More importantly, fashion watch brands are also getting increasingly serious about their mechanics. With exclusive watch factories in Switzerland and an extensive repertoire of Chronographs and Tourbillons or collaborations with world- renowned watchmakers, there are fashion houses out there that are giving watchmakers a real run for their money by combining their strong fashion sensibilities and proper mechanics.

Louis Vuitton and Chanel are strong examples of fashion houses that want their watches to be taken as seriously as possible and, in fact, frown upon the label 'fashion watches'.

Killing two birds with one stone? Definitely. But a new trend? 'These days, it's getting more difficult to predict a market trend,' says Citimex's spokeswoman. 'Fashion brands will work with serious watchmakers, but watchmakers too may eventually venture into fashion to protect their brand.'

She adds: 'It will take time for serious watch collectors to take fashion brands seriously as they are single-minded about the craft of watchmaking. However, fashion brands could surprise us all.'

Fendi

Launched in the late 80s, Fendi Timepieces was deemed a natural extension of the business where watches were redefined as fashion statements like the rest of their accessories. Aimed at the Fendi woman aged 25 to 40, the watches are a hit with Fendi aficionados who love the integration between the watches and its fashion goods. After all, what's the point of a woman having a B Fendi bag if she doesn't have a B Fendi watch to match?

Look out for: The B Fendi Milanese Pave

The year 2008 saw the launch of a new star - The B Fendi Milanese Pave. Based on the similarly new B Fendi Milanese that features a woven mesh Milanese bracelet, the Pave features 225 high-quality diamonds (VVS, Top Wesselton). And there is only one piece available in Singapore, so catch it while stock lasts.

Gucci

Gucci's watchmaking factory is situated in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, the shrine of clockwork craftsmanship, and over the years has managed to combine state-of-the-art technology and traditional watchmaking to create cutting-edge timepieces.

Aimed at clients who identify with Gucci's brand values and interpretation of what is modern, youthful and sexy, Gucci's watches are marketed as sleek, hip and chic, blending Italian style and Swiss watchmaking craftsmanship.

Like a true fashion house, several Gucci collections come from iconic Gucci themes such as horsebit, bamboo and twirl, and plans to continue developing seasonal watches as fashion accessories to complement Gucci fashion.

Look out for: The new Chiodo collection that is based on the iconic square head nail that Gucci has employed since the 1960s.

Salvatore Ferragamo

Conceived only last year and launched this year, Salvatore Ferragamo is the new kid on the fashion watch block. But unfazed by its relative inexperience, the Italian fashion house already has big plans for its watches, after having launched four main collections. The Gancino is inspired by Ferragamo's Gancino buckle, the Vara takes its cue from Ferragamo's famous bow shoe, Salvatore is a watch interpretation of a '30s platform shoe, while the F-80 was conceived to celebrate the fashion house's 80th anniversary.

Look out for: The F-80

Famed actor Tony Leung was presented this watch (pictured at top of page) in celebration of the fashion house's 80th anniversary. It is also considered a throwback to Asian culture where eight is considered a lucky number. Clean and linear in design, the watch is only produced on demand and pieces are limited.

Dior

As Christian Dior once famously said: "Luxury accepts all the whims of the imagination." So, it came as no surprise in 1975 when the Parisian fashion house decided to join the watchmaking game. A unique combination of Dior's creativity and swiss watchmaking technologies, Dior's watches are today the expressions of its three top international designers - John Galliano, Victoire de Castallane and Kris Van Assche. De Castallane's link with Dior Joaillerie is refined and sophisticated, while Dior Homme Chriffre Rouge range by Assache comes fully equipped with automatic movements and understated masculinity. But the collection to really look out for is Galliano's Christal collection. Famed for subverting the conventional use of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, the collection represents a breakthrough by giving a traditionally functional material a new creative impetus in watchmaking.

Look out for: The Dior Tourbillion

Entirely crafted in 18K white gold, this timepiece is set with diamonds selected from the purest and whitest gems totalling 15.82 carats. It is a "Grand watch", which took 1,600 man hours to achieve the rhythm of 21,600 alternations per hour. Master watchmakers have bestowed their finest know-how to assemble the 165 fragile components. At $750,000, there are but just 10 pieces in the world, so only connoisseurs need apply.

This article was first published in The Business Times on Nov 22, 2008.