Pforzheim, Germany - A watch should give the time, no more, no less.

But which watches will delight women's hearts and capture men's tastes is a question of design - and that changes over time. This year's line-up of watches feature glistening new colours, although some are transparent, prominently displaying the inner life of the timepiece.

This year, the trend in watches includes gold-plated rose-coloured finishes that have a technical look and feel, said Melanie Dummin of the jewellery chain Christ in Hagen, Germany. Alfred Schneider, director of Germany's jewellery and watch association in Pforzheim, agrees. Rose and reddish gold are the trendy colours for watch casings this year, he said, adding that copper alloys are responsible for the colour.

Seiko and Swatch are two watchmakers featuring the look. Meanwhile, Rado, which in the 1970s took a new direction with the plating of glass, is trying out colour accents to go with the dominant black in its Ceramica Jubile Collection. The palette ranges from indigo and violet to mint green.

Quite a few watchmakers this season are turning their attention to the interior of the timepiece. While entertainment electronics focus on user-friendly features, watchmakers are returning to their origins: Watches are allowed to be complicated.

Once again, a man's enthusiasm for technology has significance. Tissot has expanded its T-Touch Family, a line available since
2000, with the new T-Touch Expert. This outdoor watch has eight additional functions, including an altimeter, to name just one.

Aside from rose, the colours black and orange are prevalent on watch faces in shades that match the watch's band. As currently popular in apparel, elegance and sportiness also go hand-in-hand in watch design. This year's watch trade show in Geneva dedicated an exhibit to the relationship between sports and timekeeping and sporty watches.

Many of the sporty designs come with black or brown leather bands with stitching down the side. Stretch or expandable bands, often combined with precious metals, are also available. The watch casing tend to be wide - diameters of up to 48 millimetres are not uncommon.

Watchmakers also have done a lot with the metal materials. Aluminium, titanium and palladium are three of the most popular materials for the inner workings and casings, said Schneider.

The themes in ladies' watches are fun and colour. Watches on large or delicate chains dominate, but wide leather bands also can be found. There are designs featuring colourful rhinestones or diamonds set around the face of the watch dancing in time with the second hand. Mother-of-pearl faces also are in the line-up.

As every year, many watchmakers are showing special collections alongside their trendy designs. Swatch, the world's largest producer of watches, has come out with a 007 Villain Collection coinciding with the release of the new James Bond film Quantum of Solace. The 22 watches in the collection have the images of Bond films' bad guys - a nod to the characters Dr. No, Blofeld, Dominic Greene and other villains.

Fashion makers long ago discovered the watch market for themselves - especially luxury apparel and sport clothing designers. Classic gold and silver are found among brands such as Michael Kors, while Adidas has come out with oversized numerals, flexible armband watches and colourfully accented details.

Other brands have bolstered their clothing collections by collaborating with watchmakers. Alessi is offering various watch collections in cooperation with Seiko this year. Similarly, Miriam Mirri has introduced the Millennium Collection whose bands are accented by red, grey and violet tones along with aluminium and leather. (dpa)