Beverly Hills Watch Company

The wings of time transport us too quickly, to be sure, but Angelenos still like to measure the passing hours in style. "Why buy a $250,000 watch? Because you can't drive your Bentley into your office," says Chris Eskijian, co-owner with his brother Armen of the 22year-old Beverly Hills Watch Company. Jodie Foster, Tori Spelling, and Sylvester Stallone, studio and music executives, and well-heeled locals rely on their expertise to secure the hottest looks from Ulysse Nardin, Movado, Concord, Baume & Mercier, and Maurice Lacroix.

For women, the must-have for the season is the French Technomarine, a striking oversize $2,100 diver's watch comprised of a 38-millimeter case featuring 1.1 carat worth of diamonds on the bezel and a plastic see-through band. "It's the hottest watch that every woman must have," per Eskijian. She can have it in powder blue, dark blue, pink, yellow, lavender, green, and clear -- or in a limited-edition version with black diamonds, a mother-of-pearl dial, and diamond markers for $2,500.

Agents from the William Morris agency nearby like Baume & Mercier's new Capeland stainless steel or 18K gold watch. Actors, singers, and musicians like the Officine Panerai, a huge Italian-built watch in titanium or stainless steel with a 44-millimeter case, a black dial with large numerals, and a black or yellow leather or rubber strap, retailing for $2,000 to $3,500. "The Panerai is to the watch what the Hummer is to the automobile," notes Eskijian. Huge men like Arnold and Sly like it too.

Lionel Ritchie and Celine Dion have fallen in love with Franck Muller's barrel-shaped Tonneau watches in stainless steel, white gold, rose gold and platinum. The ladies' Diamond Mini Curvex in white gold with diamonds is exquisitely retro and dainty while still making a fashion statement at $21,700. Ironically, the ultimate status symbol is perhaps the most discreet of all. Giorgio Armani, King Carl Gustav of Sweden, and members of the royal family of Spain are fans of the Hublot, a Swiss-made porthole-shaped watch with a black vanilla-scented rubber strap. Available in gold, platinum, and steel with or without diamonds, it comes in five sizes and two styles, Classic and Elegance, with prices starting at $2,600. The ultrathin water-resistant watch "has a secret cachet," says Eskijian, since only 15,000 are made each year. "It is for those who have everything."

The Eskijian brothers pride themselves on "making the impossible, possible," and that includes securing for you the Breitling Emergency. Designed for pilots and aircrews, it has a built-in micro-transmitter broadcasting on a 121MHz aircraft emergency frequency, which helps rescuers home in following a crash or forced landing. Celebrity bodyguards and actor Will Smith wear it. And so, in time, will you. One can never be too prudent. 227 South Beverly Drive, (310) 275-2213