Claire Adler

Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele is probably best known for her high profile appearances at the Cannes Film Festival, surrounded by the likes of Uma Thurman, Robert de Niro and Jude Law, not to mention a team of well-toned bodyguards.

Since Jean Claude Biver took over in 2004, he has transformed Hublot into a cult watch brand, having earlier revived the fortunes of Omega and Blancpain. When Hublot began in 1980, a Swiss watch that teamed gold with rubber was hugely original, and a myriad of imitations would follow. Hublot takes its name from the French word for porthole – the round look-out windows on boats – which explains the screws which pass through the cases of Hublot watches.

Ebel proves watches have more to do with architecture (and Madonna) than you might think. It’s the 100^th anniversary of Ebel this year. Ebel call themselves the architects of time, but few people know why. So here’s the story...

Raymond Weil, unerringly elegant and a constant presence at glamorous music events, is one of only a handful of successful family-owned Swiss watch companies.

Tissot’s T-Touch – the first 6 function touch screen watch and my favourite Tissot – came out in 1999, years before most people become addicted to gizmos from the likes of Apple. In fact, this affordable and sporty Swiss watch brand, part of the Swatch Group since the early 1980s, has a history of being ahead of the curve.

Elle MacPherson and Jennifer Aniston can often be found brandishing their man-sized Rolexes, while tennis ace Maria Sharapova is typically attached to her TAG Heuer Carrera. Viscount David Linley, chairman of Christie’s UK, is such a fan of watches, he sells handmade storage cases for serious collectors, while property mogul Nick Candy has a penchant for Hublot, Audemars Piguet and number 8 in limited editions. But with thousands of different watches on the market, what’s at the heart of a watch classic?

Juicy Couture stands for cheeky and unapologetically girly LA style. And as the watch collection goes to show, it’s far more than bubblegum velour tracksuits.

When TAG Heuer blogger Jeff Stein called Trevor Gnesin to tell him the President was wearing the Jorg Gray watch, Gnesin thought his friend was joking. Shortly afterwards, Gnesin found himself informally tracking the President’s whereabouts by watching where online orders for the watches were coming in from.

For an example of priceless celebrity endorsement, look no further than Jorg Gray’s 6500 Secret Service watch - worn by President Obama.