How Indian luxury watchmakers are celebrating India through their designs

Karan Vaidya has grown up around luxury watches Fortyfive years ago his father Biren Vaidya started the Rose Group a luxury jewellery and watches venture They craft timepieces for luxury brands including Chopard while also retailing international watch brands and building their own jewellery businessEarly exposure to this world still left Vaidya founder and CEO IST 1947 with a question Where was India in the stories these timepieces told It was this gap that led him to launch IST 1947 the newest entrant in Indiarsquos expanding microbrand watch category The name is inspired by September 1 1947 mdash the day independent India adopted the Indian Standard TimeRepresentational piciStockldquoI realised I rarely saw our time reflected in international designs Watches often drew inspiration from things such as the Swiss Alps and Japanrsquos cherry blossoms And while India too had inspired watch designs I felt there was room for a watch brand that truly told Indiarsquos story With IST 1947 I wanted to explore our distinctive relationship with time and translate the places stories and experiences that shape it into the watches themselvesrdquo he saysVaidya sees two broad audiences for IST 1947 seasoned collectors looking for something distinctive and buyers seeking their first serious watch The challenge is to offer considered design and quality at a price that remains accessible while building the trust that a new label needs to establish itself The prices start at Rs 9999A market finding its feetIST 1947 enters a segment that is seeing entrepreneurs explore different ways of making wristwatches relevant to Indian consumers in the digital age For Delhi Watch Company DWC founded by Anish Dandwani the journey has involved finding the right balance between price specifications materials and design while taking feedback from the watch community seriouslyPiciStockWhile seasoned collectors and communities exist many people entering the hobby are still learning about watches The pandemic years the company was formed in 2020 and the period since have brought a learning curve for both consumers and brands alongside a sharp rise in interest says DandwanildquoIndia is a pretty nascent market We have some seasoned collectors and communities but most people getting into watches are relatively new to the hobby But the interest and growth has been exponential Customers are willing to try out a newer brand now more than ever which not only encourages more brands to enter the space but also drives innovation in design and manufacturingrdquoIST 1947rsquos Arka series is inspired by the Konark Sun TempleFor smaller labels that openness creates opportunity but it does not eliminate the practical challenges of building a watch business Dandwani points to cash flow and the availability of movements internal engine as significant concernsMost Indian brands rely on foreign movement makers leaving them dependent on supply chains they do not control Dandwani saysPrice remains another consideration Dandwani acknowledges that Indian consumers are pricesensitive but believes the market is large enough to accommodate different price points and design languages DWC he says focuses on providing value for money while finding its place within the wider categoryBuilding an identityFor new watch brands standing apart from established international names requires more than competitive pricing Design product quality and a clear identity can help bring customers in but earning their confidence is a longer processThe Delhi Watch Companyrsquos Devanagari Chronograph series features a dial marked with Devanagari numericsThere is an aspiration attached to wearing a recognised international luxury brand says Gaurav Mehta founder Jaipur Watch Company ldquoBut imagine wearing a watch and someone asks you about it You explain that the coin inside is an original coin from preIndependence India or that the design takes inspiration from a particular part of our heritage Suddenly the conversation is no longer about how much the watch costs Itrsquos about a storyrdquoDandwani believes small labels need to engage directly with enthusiasts than rely solely on conventional marketing Vaidya says the brandrsquos digitalfirst strategy will focus on content around India and the different ways people experience time Alongside clear product communication the label is using a twoyear digital warranty aftersales support and opportunities for watch enthusiasts to experience the watches and share their independent views to build trustKaran Vaidya and Gaurav MehtaMehta of Jaipur Watch Company recalls that when he started in 2013 there were hardly any Indian microbrands to look up toHis early proposition was distinctive placing old coins inside watches and persuading customers that something so deeply Indian could also occupy the luxury space At the time there was no established market for the idea and convincing retailers and customers to take it seriously was difficult ldquoWhen I started convincing someone that an Indian company could make a luxury watch was incredibly difficult I remember approaching retailers who simply didnrsquot believe there was a market for what we were creating There were rejections plenty of themrdquoThe DWC Terrarsquos design is inspired by a carabinerMehta believes the Indian consumer has since become more confident and informed with greater willingness to consider homegrown luxury ldquoJaipur Watch Company has customers who already own international watches such as Rolex and Omega but seek our timepieces for their distinctiveness and connection to Indian heritagerdquo he saysCustomers he believes are increasingly willing to pay when they understand the originality and story behind a productThe companyrsquos growth has also brought its own lessons Jaipur Watch Company now has 20 stores and is working towards 100 but developing an ecosystem for specialised mechanical watchmaking and components and scaling in this segment is also difficult Mehta addsPhysical retail has played an important role in building customer confidence Mehta credits the stores with allowing buyers to handle the watches assess their detailing and experience the product firsthand Its appearance on Shark Tank also brought the brand to a wider audience while repeat purchases and recommendations have helped build trustIndian luxury doesnrsquot need to imitateThe three brands operate with different propositions but their founders share an interest in establishing a distinct identity for Indian watchmaking rather than simply replicating international brandsFor Vaidya the opportunity lies in creating watches that tell Indiarsquos stories ldquoIt is an exciting time for boutique watch brands in India Customers are increasingly open to homegrown brands with a clear point of view and there is room for more than one kind of Indian watchrdquoDandwani sees the potential to build an industry that can earn recognition beyond domestic markets ldquoI believe we have a chance right now in India to create a globally recognised watch market and industry We have legacy companies like Titan KDDL HMT that have set the bar high and itrsquos on us the newer brands to try and live up to this and push the envelope even furtherrdquoFor Mehta the opportunity is also about drawing on Indiarsquos own cultural and creative strengths rather than measuring success against Swiss watchmaking alone ldquoSwitzerland has centuries of watchmaking history and I have immense respect for that But India has thousands of years of art architecture craftsmanship and stories Why shouldnrsquot we build watches around our own strengths We are not trying to replace a Rolex or an Omega in someonersquos collection We want to give that collector a reason to own something Indian as well Indian luxury doesnrsquot need to imitate the world to earn its place in itrdquoRs 9999Starting price of IST 1947 watches the newest entrant in the microbrand sector