Karan Vaidya has been around watches since he was five. His father, Biren Vaidya, MD, House of Rose, was among the first entrepreneurs officially importing watches into India after the country’s economy opened up; hence, trade shows, store openings and merchandising meetings were a large part of Vaidya junior’s childhood. While he doesn’t exactly remember when he fell in love with watches, he says that his fascination with this world developed long before he could verbalise what he was feeling. Now, after a career spent at The Rose Group of Companies, Vaidya has fulfilled a childhood dream – launching his own brand, IST 1947, named after 1 September 1947, the date when independent India adopted its own time.
Two weeks ago, Vaidya and his team hosted a packed house full of watch connoisseurs, media personalities, UHNIs and socialites at the striking House of Rose store situated inside Mumbai’s heritage Darabshaw House in Ballard Estate. There, the Columbia University graduate showcased the IST 1947 universe, composed of three collections – ARKA, named after the Sanskrit word for the sun and inspired by the Konark Sun Temple, VANYA, which celebrates India’s ancient forests and wildlife, and VIJAY, which pays tribute to five of India’s biggest cricketing victories.
Vaidya, of course, has a childlike fascination and enthusiasm for watches – it was evident from the way his eyes sparkled as he pointed out the minute design details that make IST 1947 an instant power player in the global watch market. Take, for instance, the small-seconds display in the ARKA variants, which is sure to be an instant icebreaker, fashioned as it is on the Konark wheel. Two of the cardinal points on the VANYA variants (3 o’clock and 9 o’clock) pay tribute to the wildlife region on which they are based - Ranthambore Bagh, Gir Sinh, Jawai Tendua, and Kaziranga Gorh.
In an exclusive interview with Esquire India, the young founder shares his thoughts on India’s watch market, the story behind IST 1947 and, of course, what makes him tick.
You have such a giddy enthusiasm about watches; it is so evident when you speak about them. What about them fascinates you so much?
I love how much a watch can hold within such a small object. There’s the design, the mechanics, the way it feels on your wrist, and what it says about the person wearing it. It serves a practical purpose, changes the feel of an outfit, and can carry a very personal story.
Two people can own the same watch and have completely different relationships with it. For one, it might mark their first salary; for another, it might be something their grandfather wore. That combination of engineering, design, and emotion excites me.
In your experience, does India look at timepieces differently than the rest of the world? If yes, how and why?
I think our relationship with watches is connected to our relationship with time itself. In India, time often moves around people and occasions. A family lunch stretches into the evening, a quick chai becomes an hour-long conversation, and somehow a whole day can disappear into a wedding. Time here can feel elastic and chaotic, but unmistakably ours.
In my experience, many Indian customers also attach a great deal of meaning to a watch. It can mark an achievement, celebrate a milestone, or become something they hope to pass down. That helps explain the lasting appeal of classic designs. With IST 1947, I wanted to bring familiar Indian stories into that emotional relationship.
The story behind the name IST 1947 is beautiful. Do you remember when you first decided to name your brand that?
The idea behind the brand was clear before the name was. We wanted to create watches rooted in India and the way we experience time, but it took us a while to find a name that captured that feeling. IST 1947 is named after 1 September 1947, the day independent India adopted its own time, its own half-hour, its own clocks and, in a sense, its own chaotic but unique relationship with time. When we arrived at the name, it felt like everything we wanted the brand to stand for.
Coming to Arka, the timepieces are gorgeous, especially the White Noise, which is the perfect dress watch, but what is more interesting is that this is a watch that tells a story. I can imagine wearing it to an event and the seconds display becoming an instant ice-breaker. Do you think the future of luxury, or purchase in general, is more about the power of storytelling and the story a piece tells than, say, the make, craft, or material of the thing itself?
Thank you. We’ve put an enormous amount of thought into these watches, so when someone like you appreciates that, it means a lot to us. I think storytelling and craftsmanship have to support each other. A beautiful story creates interest, but the product has to live up to it every time someone puts it on. Materials, finishing, and reliability are the foundation. With Arka, the Konark wheel becomes the small-seconds display, so the inspiration is part of how the watch functions. That’s what excites me: finding ways for an Indian story to shape the design. I’ve always felt Indian customers are value-conscious. They want to understand what they’re paying for. Once the quality is there, the story and emotion give them a reason to choose that particular watch and, over time, make it part of their own story.
Finally, you have priced the watches very competitively. What was your reasoning behind it?
I wanted IST 1947 to reach people who appreciate good design and watches, including those buying their first considered timepiece. That meant being deliberate about both the quality we wanted to deliver and the price we could offer it at. The aim is to make watches people feel proud to buy, wear and eventually collect. We’re building different collections for different tastes and occasions, so I also wanted customers to feel they could come back for another Indian story that speaks to them.