They say diamonds are a girl's best friend, but slap them on a watch and chances are the gents will take to them just as well. Or so one might reasonably assume, given the rising interest among men for bling-encrusted timepieces.

According to Cortina Watch regional manager, Jeremy Lim, 'more men appreciate and accept jewelled timepieces', which is a key reason why the upcoming Jewellery Time exhibition - to take place from Oct 30 to Nov 9 at Paragon Shopping Centre - has placed 'greater emphasis on men's watches'. (The biennial showcase of gem-studded editions from the world of haute horlogerie, organised by Cortina Watch, has traditionally been skewed towards women since its launch eight years ago.)

'We see a growing trend in men wearing jewellery watches,' he says. 'And since Jewellery Time is a platform that showcases the current trends worth exploring for watch aficionados, this year's show will have more specially-commissioned men's pieces that have been flown in exclusively for it.'

He's referring to the unprecedented number of products designed especially for men that Jewellery Time 2008's 16 participating brands - which include the likes of Audemars Piguet, Girard-Perregaux and Patek Philippe - have rolled out. Most of these feature a more masculine cut of diamond. Says Mr Lim: 'We are seeing baguette diamonds taking on greater importance now in terms of gem-settings as compared to solitaires. The use of other gemstones such as rubies, emeralds and sapphires is also picking up.'

When it comes to watch faces, size is no longer an indication of whether the watch was made for a man or a woman.

Timepieces with larger faces are 'the most obvious trend you will see at this year's Jewellery Time because over the past three to four years, fashion has swung towards larger-face timepieces - and this is regardless of gender throughout the industry', notes Mr Lim.

In a first for the event, Jewellery Time 2008 will include some 50 pieces out of total 320 on display that were commissioned exclusively for the exhibition. Two brands - Milus and IWC - will also be on show for the first time. The main highlight, though, will be the Asia premiere of three 'world-eminent and sought-after million-dollar jewellery timepiece collections'. These are the Le-Lierre Montre by Jaeger LeCoultre, Piaget's Polo Relatif and Van Cleef & Arpels' Midnight Tourbillion Exclusive.

Jewelled timepieces will always be in fashion, says Mr Lim.

'It is very difficult to dismiss the fact that diamonds have been around for millions of years,' he asserts. 'What is interesting is that when Jewellery Time debutes in 2000, the industry was focusing more on mechanical or complicated watches.

'Despite that, the show was a stunning success, leading to subsequent shows in 2002, 2004 and the award-winning 2006 installations. This clearly shows that jewelled timepieces are here to stay.'

This article was first published in The Business Times on Oct 18, 2008.