The Wrist Wardrobes

Global, a US $2 billion group, Divya Tongya learnt that style was all about courting elegance and this ideology reflects in her choice of watches. A graduate from the University of Southern California, USA, she had her first brush with the sparklers when her indulgent parents gifted her a diamond Chopard. “It was the beginning of a journey for me and a big spend for my parents,” Divya recollects. “When I married Rishabh, he took this interest further with his fastidious choices.” A Cartier watch—her steadfast consort—is one she bought with the money she earned building the Spice Mall in Noida. However, the Swiss luxury brand De Grisogono has also found a place with a rose gold beauty in her jewellery box. “I like ladylike hues—salmon pinks, cheery reds and pleasing peaches, so the strap is where the play begins,” she says. “I don’t buy watches often, but when I do, I wear them for a long time, as it becomes an investment piece.” New York-born and Jaipur-raised Rishabh Tongya, the creative director of jewellery brand Diacolor, is the one who understands movements, forms and structure of watches. No wonder he gravitated towards the Chopard Tourbillon, in 18-carat rose gold. “Chopard’s history is what makes this watch so special, as this Swiss brand has been a timekeeper since 1869, with humble beginnings in a little village— Sonvilier,” reveals Rishabh. “This watch, which I bought while I was on a trip to Basel, is also a favourite of the Scheufele family, which owns the company. It is simple—no diamonds or fuss—but impactful when you wear it.” In his collection, you will also find Patek Philippe, which he considers a great investment, but what he really likes is the ease of the folding buckle that keeps his wrist comfortable all day long. His engagement gift, a Jaeger LeCoultre, is his most prized possession due to the memories attached to it. Despite being in the jewellery business, of which he learnt the ropes after his graduation from Royal Holloway College, UK, Rishabh, who also worked with Gemfields, likes his watches to be erudite. He confesses to being in love with the DeGrisogono Doppio Tre in rose gold. “It is a masculine watch, and it's like wearing a mini-clock on your wrist," he smiles. "It has this alligator strap, appliqué Arabic numerical, three time zones and automatic movement, which won my heart.”

TIME FOR TWO Divya and Rishabh Tongya’s sizzling watch choices make them a couple to watch out for among the swish set, as they are true connoisseurs.

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Being the daughter of Bhupendra Kumar Modi of Spice 70 JUNE 2014 BEJEWELLED THE WHITE HOUR Designer Payal Jain reveals her love for all things white and understated, admitting that Rolex is what gets her boat sailing.

A watch is more than a timekeeping device for Payal Jain, whose tasteful collection of Cartier, Chopard, Rolex and Omega will leave you in a tizzy, not because of the shine, but rather the quiet glamour. Yes, you’re not likely to find a yellow gold ticker here. After wearing colourful Swatches through school and college, her father upgraded her to a classic Omega Constellation in white, when she turned 18, as she was gearing up to study fashion in the USA. “That was my first introduction to good taste, and it kind of stuck on,” chuckles Jain.

With her first big earnings, she bought herself a Cartier with an unassuming leather strap and a blue sapphire on the winding tip. “It was too expensive for me back then, but it felt good to buy something with your own money, she admits. "It gives you a high.” Now the tables have turned, as her husband Manish is the watch selector for the designer. “I wear a watch like a piece of jewellery, so you will never find me on a bling overdrive,” she says “Chunky diamond bangles, emerald rings or solitaire necklaces are abandoned when I’m wearing an evening gown with a dressy watch.” That’s why her Rolex Datejust Lady Oyster Perpetual in 18-carat white gold is a piece she has grown to love. It took three months to be delivered after placing the order as it had to be the right size for her wrist. Selfridges, London, couriered it to her in 2010 and since that time it has been her constant companion on nights-out. “I like the mother-ofpearl dial—it just kind of spoke to me, its simplicity was what enticed me,” she laughs. Jain had seen the same watch on a passenger on a flight from Paris to New Delhi. “I told Manish I had to have it, so he went on a hunt and got it for me as a birthday present,” she beams.

Each timepiece has a memory attached to it, like the square-dialed Santos De Cartier that she spotted in a small window on a holiday to the Rock of Gibraltar. “The watch, which again comes with a white dial with diamonds, caught my eye” she reminisces. “I wear it mostly with jeans as it keeps my look cool in the height of summer. I have a weakness for white and it shows in my admiration for chikankari also,” she adds. The only exception to this rule is the animal-print-strap Chopard with dancing diamonds. “It is one of my loudest pieces, so I just leave this one alone when I am dressing it up with a gown—nothing else is added as this timekeeper grabs all the attention,” she laughs. JUNE 2014 71 size and look as I wear very few expensive things, but they must be synonymous with my design aesthetic,” she adds. Her current obsession is a Tag Heuer Carrera that she was gifted by the brand. Inspired by racing, it is a tribute to the Carrera Panamericana race in Mexico, by Jack Heuer. “It has this undeniable sexuality that is subtle yet formidable,” she adds.What she has recently acquired is an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in steel and chrome. “Its complex mechanism, with an octagonal bezel, is what intrigues me and yet, on the outside, it looks so facile,” says Dhaka. “I like things that have a historical flavour and this Swiss watch company was founded in the late 1800s by Jules Louis Audemars, who also made the world’s thinnest pocket watch and self-winding ones. To work with such small pieces of machinery in Le Brassus and to give them such a superlative form is what makes this one my all-time favourite.”

Not an avid collector, Rina prefers the classics. But she also likes to indulge her free-spirited side by sporting the Italian-made Toy Watch—huge, colourful and crazy, with crystal-embedded bezels. “They are so much fun, and I think they help you effortlessly spice up an outfit,” she concludes. “Because I don’t wear much jewellery, they help me add zing to my daily dressing even though they are fashion watches with plastic bracelets for bands.”

ONE OF THE BOYS She may seem delicate, but the petite Rina Dhaka admires strength and power, so when she picks a full-bodied timepiece, she knows it has to be a man’s watch. Gone is the wild child who rocked minis and bandanas as a school student. Rina Dhaka is now as chic as they come. Growing up in the ’70s, she sported a Swatch her parents got her from the USA—till she was introduced to men’s watches. “I am a big fan of the bold and the beautiful, so my husband’s muscular watches are what I tend to gravitate towards,” she says. “I do not like the delicate ones as they fail to make an impact,” she smiles as she shows off her Cartier Tank, the history of which dates back to 1919. It was created for General John Pershing, a US Army officer who led the forces in World War I.

The Tank Louis Cartier’s leather strap sits gently on Dhaka’s wrists, even though she will tell you she is quite careless and has lost many timepieces she got for her wedding. “I have misplaced so many valuable watches that when I think about it, it breaks my heart,” she exclaims. “My purple gunmetal Patek Philippe, which I wore every day was one such.” She will also tell you that the kind of watch she is aspiring to buy has to have a mother-of-pearl dial with only a single ring of diamonds on the bezel. “It must be the right 72 JUNE 2014 BEJEWELLED MAKE MINE QUEEN-SIZE So well known for her personal style quotient and her looks and curves, Mandira Wirk is addicted to her succulent Vallée de Joux hand-crafted Breguet.

She used to wear a Tommy Hilfiger she had picked up at the New York duty-free. But Wirk succumbed to the charms of a Rolex on her tenth wedding anniversary—it was a gift from her loving husband Hardy. The Rolex 178341 was launched in 2010 at the Basel Watch Fair and has an elaborate mother-of-pearl pattern with gems set in the dial. “It has a striking bezel in everose gold, graced with a scattered pattern of diamonds,” Wirk says. “It sits on my wrist effortlessly, as the size is 31mm. The function of the iconic Datejust Lady 31 is a date window at 3 o’clock and the Cyclops lens on the crystal magnifies it 2.5 times for easy reading.”

Rolex is ideal for Mandira, as she needs something powerful and androgynous. “It courts delicate ness with immortal style, which makes it ageless, so I can pass it on to my daughter Kiara without thinking about whether she will like it or not—it is like an heirloom,” says Wirk. This watch, besides special memories, has art, history and culture associated with it, and that is why Wirk wears it every day.

Few know that she wears two watches, her beloved Rolex in the right hand and her Fitbit Force on the left. The Fitbit Force helps you lead a healthier life, as it counts the calories you are burning daily. “It is basically an activity tracker watch—I have a mission to complete 12,000 steps daily and this watch helps me keep a count and motivates me to work harder,” she grins. “It tracks my steps, distance, calories, stairs and sleep, too. It is made of elastomer material,so I can also wear it for a swim,as it is waterproof.” If Rolex is her day partner, her stunning Breguet Reine de Naples is the timepiece she treasures for the night. It is dressy without being ostentatious, and it is only incidental that it was Marie Antoinette’s favoured piece, too. “This one was commissioned for Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister Caroline, who was the Queen of Naples. I like the motherof-pearl dial and the interchangeable straps. I have two— black and fawn, so for the evening, rather than wearing solitaires, I prefer just this watch,” she reveals. “It has an oval shape and raised bezel diamonds, which go with any evening gown, embellished or embroidered. It is fully handmade and you can see the exquisite craftsmanship that makes it a prestigious timekeeper.”