The Indian Watch Microbrands Having A Moment Right Now

It's difficult to make a watch in India. There are exorbitant customs fees which make it difficult to import parts and machinery necessary to build a world class homegrown watch. No wonder, then, that the homegrown watch conversation usually stays limited to two or three majoy brands.

Slowly but surely, though, that is changing. A new run of homegrown microbrands is turning coins, cricket, folk art, and even the country's space programme into wristwatches, and collectors abroad are starting to pay attention. One of these labels has scaled the Everest, another has sent a watch to the edge of the atmosphere. Here are five names worth knowing, and what makes them stand out.

Kala Watch Company launched out of Vijayawada only last year, but it has alreadfy captured the attention of the Indian watch community. Their debut Worli Art Edition features Maharashtra's tribal Warli art on a meca-quartz chronograph dial, using a stamped and etched dial construction. It the brand's only release, with Kalamkari and Pichwai editions planned next.

Vikram Narula founded Ajwain in Mumbai in 2017, after years spent admiring his father's watch collection. The brand built their ethos around fewer releases and deeper research, with designs tied to a documented moment in Indian history. For example, their most famous piece, the Kakori 8 Down Centenary Edition, tributes the 1925 Kakori train robbery with its vintage dial engraved hinged caseback. Do check out their Sholavaram III Vintage Panda and Black editions.

Anish Dandwani founded Delhi Watch Company in 2020, tracing its roots to two HMT watches his grandfather once gave him. The brand began with design experiments testing cases and movements within tight budgets, which grew into collections like Havelock, Heritage, and Everest. The Everest field watch had its biggest moment in May 2024, worn to the summit of Mt. Everest by Sherpa Kami Rita.

Nirupesh Joshi and his wife, Mercy Amalraj, founded Bangalore Watch Company in 2018 out of Bengaluru. The brand built its name on Indian-themed sports watches: MACH 1 for Air Force aviation, Cover Drive for cricket. Its biggest moment came with the Apogee, launched in 2021 to mark 50 years of India's space programme, later becoming the first Indian watch qualified for actual spaceflight.

The Baagh, Jaipur Watch Company's antique coin watch with the golden tiger, is probably the most famous homegrown watch on this list, especially since the Prime Minister was seen wearing the Roman Baagh through late 2025 and into 2026. Built around a scarce 1947 one-rupee coin, it turned Gaurav Mehta’s niche microluxury label into somewhat of a household name. Coin dials have since become a signature of JWC, but do check out their stamp collection and intricate jump hour watches.