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Uncommon postage stamps, pictures, work and structure… the Jaipur Watch Firm explores bespoke luxurious watches
Uncommon postage stamps, pictures, work and structure… the Jaipur Watch Firm explores bespoke luxurious watches
A home made watch with a picture of Hanuman on the dial took the artisans engaged by the Jaipur Watch Firm eight months to make. The Jaipur-based artisans usually are not conventional watchmakers; their forte is to engrave on swords and weapons. One other custom-made watch with a dial of mom of pearl used a 200-year-old coin and a picture of Shiva, with the palms of the dial designed like a trishul. Divinity-themed watches are one of many highlights of the Jaipur Watch Firm’s bespoke timepieces. Uncommon cash, postage stamps, motifs, insignia and pictures that vary from private pictures to structure are included within the bespoke watches made with treasured and semi-precious metals.
“After we rolled out our first assortment in 2013, I discovered that there was no different Indian watchmaker specializing within the luxurious bespoke phase. Watch retailers would hesitate to show Indian-made watches alongside a Swiss assortment, since they felt the standard and aesthetics wouldn’t match up. To an extent, now we have managed to interrupt that barrier,” says Gaurav Mehta, founder-designer, Jaipur Watch Firm.
Hanuman watch | Picture Credit score: Particular Association
A primary technology entrepreneur, Gaurav noticed watchmaking as a chance to carry collectively his two hobbies – numismatics and horology: “As a pre-teen, I used to open a few of the watches to see how they perform and put them again collectively, blended with outcomes. In the future after I was at my desk, I acquired a courier of a British India coin I had ordered. The coin had a gap and it struck me that I may incorporate it on the dial. It was a crude experiment; utilizing an adhesive I pasted the coin on the dial.” The watch fetched him consideration amongst family and friends.
A Commerce graduate who then pursued danger administration within the UK, Gaurav labored with an insurance coverage agency in London. When the curiosity in watchmaking acquired the higher of him, he realized there was scope for custom-made watches in India and returned to his hometown: “My father is a chartered accountant and plenty of of my relations are lecturers and docs. Enterprise was a brand new terrain however I wished to provide it a attempt.”
The Jaipur Watch Firm was established in 2013 and the primary assortment was promoted by a Fb web page: “Only a few gamers explored social media advertising and marketing at the moment. A gentleman from Delhi acquired in contact and wished to purchase two watches. That was the beginning.”
A peacock-themed watch that makes use of an actual, fallen peacock feather within the dial | Picture Credit score: Particular Association
The design vocabulary expanded with time. {Couples} got here up with requests for made-to-order watches to mark particular events, engraving a date (marriage ceremony, anniversary) with {a photograph} or their names/initials in opposition to a treasured or semi-precious metallic background. Consider a gold watch studded with diamonds and a mom of pearl dial, with a personalised picture or textual content.
There have been different requests that posed design challenges, corresponding to incorporating a small idol of Ganesha on the dial and the palms of the dial having to be designed with out piercing the idol.
Design inspirations additionally got here from arts and crafts. Artists specializing in miniature pichwai work helped render related imagery on watch dials for the model’s pichwai watch assortment.
For a pendant watch, the corporate used a postage stamp from the British India period.
Requests additionally got here in from Authorities our bodies: “The Uttarakhand Authorities wished specifically designed watches for the Kedarnath and Badrinath temple boards. For the Kedarnath assortment, we used a mom of pearl background to replicate the snowy terrain and for Badrinath, the design was impressed by the coloured facade of the temple. Lots of our watches are rooted in custom and are items of artwork.”
Gaurav Mehta, founder, Jaipur Watch Firm | Picture Credit score: Particular Association
On-line orders by the corporate web site (jaipur.watch) and social media pages proceed to drive the enterprise. The model has shops in Jaipur and Delhi and retails by 9 five-star accommodations throughout India, along with partnering with Nykaa and TataCliq on-line lately.
The {custom} watches in treasured metals are priced ₹2.5 lakh upwards whereas made-to-order stainless-steel watches start at ₹20,000. “At our shops, we plan to launch the idea of designing your personal watch in quarter-hour,” says Gaurav. Plans are additionally underway to launch in West Asia, starting with Dubai.
Taking inventory of the final two years, Gaurav shares that there was a pattern of revenge shopping for after the preliminary phases of the pandemic: “The gross sales are higher than the pre-pandemic years. We launched the Bagh assortment in Might this 12 months and by mid July, 75% of the gathering was bought out. A watch displays the character of a wearer and it’s good to see the potential for luxurious {custom} watches rising.”