Her heart leads to her wrist - this is what I gathered from talking to Rachna Wadhwa, Director of Time & Style (India) Pvt Ltd. Watch retailer Time & Style was established in 1995 in New Delhi. From the start, the store offered a mix of international and Indian watch brands, including Raymond Weil and Rado, alongside Indian brands such as Titan, Timex, and Sonata. The store also featured Opal clocks and a dedicated service centre—an essential part of the business, as no new store was considered complete without one. Today, having moved to a larger space at Delhi’s Greater Kailash Part 1, Time & Style’s portfolio has also grown to include prestigious names such as Rado, and Tissot. 

And Rachna has been an integral part of this growth, which has in turn fuelled her personal journey with watches as well. Wadhwa is also a vibrant content creator, talking about her love for horology on Instagram @rachnawadhwa_. Her watch box today includes names like Omega, Rolex, Chopard, Cartier, and Frank Muller and more. 

Interestingly, her path to becoming a watch enthusiast and collector didn't start with gears and springs. Originally a BSc student aiming for a career in medicine, her life took a turn when she married and decided to join her husband Satinder S. Wadhwa’s business. At that time, the Indian watch market was far from the luxury hub it is today. "In the era we joined the business, automatic watches were rare in India," she recalls. This was the 1990s, the heydays of quartz; also a time when the mechanical watch industry was still affected by the Quartz Crisis. 

Alongside her husband, Rachna was instrumental in bringing international flair to the Indian wrist. They introduced Esprit watches, a brand that treated timepieces as a fashion statement. Before Esprit, the market was dominated by gold watches; Rachna helped teach Indian consumers that stainless steel could be just as stylish. Navigating everything from distribution to retail, she liaised with  global names like Carrera, Pierre Cardin watches, and Seiko clocks in India.

Despite the technical nature of horology, Rachna found her stride by immersing herself in every detail—even the service side. "Over a period of time, when you are all the time sleeping, eating, doing everything with watches, it gets in your blood," she says. Today, she handles elite clients with the same sincerity and technical depth as any master watchmaker. She is particularly proud of the time Nayla Hayek, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors for The Swatch Group Ltd., visited the boutique. 

When it comes to her personal taste, Rachna is a "brand-conscious" collector who values the classic over the extravagant. While she appreciates diamonds, her heart belongs to the movement and the heritage. Her first love is the Omega Constellation, which she and her husband bought as a pair. It remains the watch she has worn the most throughout her life. A Rolex rose-gold was her second watch, followed by names like Chopard, Cartier, and Frank Muller. Currently, she finds herself reaching for her Cartier Ballon Bleu, a piece she has rediscovered and fallen in love with all over again. If given the chance, she has her eye on a full gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in rose gold. 

For women looking to start their own collections, Rachna’s advice is grounded and sincere. She encourages new collectors to start gradually rather than jumping straight to the most expensive names. "I always tell them, go first, start gradually, buy an Omega or a more premium brand... It totally depends on the budget they have.” 

Rachna points out that while the Indian market is deeply familiar with Rolex, Omega, Rado, and Cartier, she often recommends Breguet and other brands to those with the budget for it, citing its feminine elegance and sophisticated presence. Perhaps the most refreshing thing about Rachna is her honesty regarding how she buys. Despite her decades of experience, she remains an impulsive buyer at heart. "All the watches I bought... it’s never planned," she admits. "As soon as my heart was set on it, then I didn’t look back".