At BaselWorld, 2008, Seiko announced the creation of the first watch ever designed specifically for a space walk, Spring Drive Spacewalk.

The latest entries are from Louis Vuitton, which is introducing a series of watches and pens designed by the Italian architect Gae Aulenti.

Best watch: Highgear Axio Mini ($125) This lightweight watch, designed for women, wowed our gear judges with its excellent fit.

Keeping track of time with a watch designed for the blind, he played one concerto every hour in his head and pretended that he was in a concert hall.

Three other watches, designed by the film directors Robert Altman, Akira Kurosawa and Pedro Almodovar, commemorate the 100th anniversary of the motion picture.

The photograph shows a specialized 24-hour watch designed for finding directions using the Sun in the northern hemisphere.

During the 1960s commercial work in the oceans and seas created professional diving organisations that needed more robust watches designed for diving operations at greater depths.

The G6 is a watch designed specifically for golfers.

The lightweight, titanium-construction watch, designed to be worn while playing the game, incorporates numerous innovative design features to accommodate golf play.

These three rather homely watches by Alfred Hofkunst, designed to look like bacon and eggs, cucumbers and red peppers, were worth $300 a set that August morning.