How the pandemic shaped India’s watch community

A young and growing collectors’ community, better sales figures, and the entry of brands such as Seiko, Czapek and Bovet 1822 are helping focus global attention on India

In August 2020, watchmaker Jaipur Watch Company launched the Jumping Hour watches. The timing — right in the middle of the first wave of Covid-19 — could have jeopardised founder Gaurav Mehta’s plans, but his company ended up selling 150 of the 200 stainless-steel wristwatches. “I was surprised,” says Mehta, 52, whose business took a couple of months to pick up after the March 2020 lockdown. “I call it a case of ‘revenge buying’ [as people were splurging when the market reopened]. We added more variants to the collection to meet the growing demand, and now only about 23 pieces are left.” Priced at ₹50,000, with a special movement feature for every time the minute hand struck 12, they are available on the brand’s website and Tata CLiQ.

Mehta’s success came thanks to the fast-emerging cult of watch collectors in the country. To make the sales, he reached out to potential buyers through his top 50 clients and a network of watch collector communities, such as RedBar Bombay, the first Indian chapter of the international group RedBar, Watch Enthusiasts India (WEI), and Horology Talk.

While India has three significant independent watch brands at present — Jaipur Watch Company, Bangalore Watch Company, and Titan (HMT, whose watch division shut down in 2016, sells its stock on its website) — the demand for international luxury watches is growing among new and seasoned collectors. This applies to the big brands like Hublot and Omega as well as the independents and micro-brands. The list of global names who are eyeing our market includes Grand Seiko, Czapek, Girard-Perregaux, and Bovet 1822, says Preetika Mathew, editor of WatchTime India magazine. “There’s news of more brands coming,” she adds.

The Indian market is big, shows data. According to market and consumer data company Statista, our revenue in the watch segment is ₹13,312 crore this year. The market is expected to grow 10.24% every year till 2026.

India’s watch communities — rather close-knit, with members joining only through invitation or credible referrals — are a recent phenomenon, but the numbers are rising. RedBar Bombay is considered one of the most reputed among them. Born out of 34-year-old Punit Mehta’s Bombay Watch Enthusiasts in 2021, it is India’s first official chapter of RedBar, which claims to be the largest watch collector community in the world.

The official count of the Mumbai chapter is a little over 100 members who meet up to discuss new releases, rare timepieces, brands and personal collections. Karan Anshuman, creator-director of Emmy-nominated show Inside Edge and of Mirzapur, is a member.

While watch collectors are usually seen as older men, this trend is changing, says Mehta. The average member of RedBar Bombay is between 35 and 40. There are a handful of women too, like Karishma Karer, editor of Hands On Time and co-founder of The Hour Markers, a media platform for watches. Mehta calls Karer a supporter of their community whose “guidance and connections have helped us grow”.