#Timeless watch series#

Ramesh, who worked abroad for several years, says it was a вЂњmatter of prideвЂќ to show the вЂњprestigious watches of IndiaвЂќ to foreigners. I also got watch with Modi on the dial, probably brought out when he became PM.вЂќ Other top picks include Sainik, Jawan, Pilot, Kohinoor, Sona and Janata, including one with Devnagari numerals and another one featuring Mahatma Gandhi. вЂњNoting my interest in HMT watches, even my doctor once gifted me an old HMT Rajat watch. After the company wound up, I bought some models via eBay,вЂќ he says. вЂњI have been collecting HMT watches for 25 years, and have 15 mechanical pieces. If you look at the top models of brands such as Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre or Audemars Piguet, they are all mechanical wonders.вЂќ Ramesh MathewДЇormer journalist Ramesh Mathew, based in Kochi, says his love for HMT started in the late 70s when he bought his first watch - Jayanth. They still ask whether I have more to offer, as they know the real value of classic, hand-wound watches. My uncles, who are settled in the US, whisked some pieces from my collection. вЂњI still remember rushing to the HMT retail store (now closed) in Kochi on hearing the news of the company closing down,вЂќ says businessman Martin M Joseph.В вЂњI picked as many models as I could. Though there is a huge demand for reviving the watch unit - including online petitions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi - only assembling of pending stock to be cleared takes place at HMTвЂ™s Auxiliary Business Division in Bengaluru, says an HMT official. Over the years, however, HMT struggled to catch up with competition and started accumulating losses. Interestingly, some models like вЂKanchanвЂ™ were part of dowry for bridegrooms. Old-timers recall there used to be booking and вЂwaiting periodвЂ™ for HMT watches. What makes these watches special is the much-cherished nostalgia around them, similar to Ambassador cars and Bajaj scooters of yore. Not just in India, but also among watch collectors across the world. Subsequent models such as Jawan and Pilot, too, have a huge following.

#Timeless watch series#

Notably, the Janata series has a huge fan base even today. ItвЂ™s like wearing a piece of historical art on oneвЂ™s wrist,вЂќ he says. вЂњIt is several decades old, but still works perfectly. Mention HMT and a colleague here gushes about his vintage collection, especially his grandfatherвЂ™s вЂJanata DeluxeвЂ™. Then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru launched the first batch, which was produced with technical assistance from JapanвЂ™s Citizen. Absence, they say, makes the heart grow fonder.В ItвЂ™s been 60 years since HMT Watches, incorporated in 1961, unveiled its first manual-winding masterpiece, the Janata.