Franck Muller Unveils ₹31.25 Lakh Ram Lalla Watch, Limited To Just 108 Pieces

Apart from John Wick who knows how to bend time, the watchmakers who truly have never shied about bending time are Franck Muller. The Genevan house has built its name on complications, on the Cintrée Curvex's barrel-shaped sweep and has spent decades insisting that a watch should have a point of view.

The new Vanguard 'Ram Lalla' Limited Edition, made with Kapoor Watch Co. and unveiled at the brand's Delhi boutique, applies that conviction with devotion.

The subject is Lord Ram in his childhood form, the presiding deity of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The edition runs to 108 numbered pieces, a figure that carries real weight in Hindu tradition, from the beads of a japa mala to the names recited in prayer. It is a rare case of a limited-edition number that means something beyond scarcity.

Start with the case, because the Vanguard's case is the point. It is curved along both its length and its width, so the profile reads as sculpted. The curvature carries through to the dial and the appliqués, which means nothing on the face sits flat. Here it is cut from a solid block of 18-carat rose gold and measures 41 mm by 49.95 mm. That is a statement on the wrist, and the warm gold gives the devotional theme a fitting glow. Moreover, the figure of Ram is rendered in laser work, and each dial needs roughly 30 hours of processing. Relief engraving adds depth, while precise electroplating and careful finishing complete the appliqué. The numerals are hand-applied and hand-painted, a small act of human patience set against all that machine precision.

The details around the edges are just as considered. Two side inserts are colour-matched to the strap. The strap itself is a blend of rubber and grape-based vegan leather, finished with edge stitching, and it takes about 15 minutes to produce. Rather than conventional spring bars, it is fixed by two concealed screws, so the strap flows into the case and follows the Vanguard's curve without a visible seam. Inside, a Swiss automatic mechanical movement does the quiet work of keeping time. The watch is listed for ₹ 31,25,000 and is part of the Vanguard collection

The launch drew sitarist, composer and producer Rishab Rikhiram Sharma, alongside Erol Baliyan, CEO of Franck Muller Middle East, Africa & India, and Raunaq and Pratiek Kapoor, directors of Kapoor Watch Co. The Delhi retailer, founded in 1967, now runs 18 showrooms across Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Pune.

For collectors, the appeal is layered. It is a Vanguard with real hand-finishing on the dial. And it is a piece made specifically for India, in a run small enough that most enthusiasts will only ever see one in a photograph.