The Top 10 Watch Brands In India

Before I get into the top 10 watch brands in India, it’s worth talking about the Indian watch market overall. This is because even in the face of some regional slowdown, India has become one of the fastest growing markets for Swiss watch exports with an astounding 25% increase in 2025, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. Brands like Rado, Longines, and Montblanc are as popular as ever in India, but what about the state of watchmaking in India?

Well, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, and there are a few things we need to understand before getting into the my selections for the top 10 watch brands in India. First, India is not yet at the level of having a watchmaking infrastructure like that of China. The basic history of Indian watchmaking begins with the nationalized HMT in the 1960s and '70s, but the quartz revolution had a big, negative impact on mechanical watchmaking in the country. I’d say 2015 marked a change in the landscape of Indian watches, when microbrands for enthusiasts began to pick up in popularity. Again, while the infrastructure to manufacture movement components and parts in India is still not there, the passion for history and design has propelled some brands as hometown enthusiast darlings.

I spent quite a bit of time researching this topic, and I do want to shout out YouTubers  WatchgyanHindi  and Watch and More India who are making some compelling Hindi content for the South Asian watch enthusiast community. In this list of the top 10 watch brands in India I go through India’s watchmaking giants, some of which have certainly fallen from grace but are still in the mix, and others that are making upmarket moves with serious GPHG contenders. And then there are a couple of vintage brands that are long gone but still hotly traded amongst the thriving community of Indian watch collectors. However, the most interesting category of best Indian watch brands has to be the microbrands. These small production passion projects are producing some very affordable and design forward products for an increasingly sophisticated market.

Top 10 Watch Brands In India: The Giants

HMT

You can’t really talk about Indian watchmaking and not start with Hindustan Machine Tools, aka HMT. Back in 1953 HMT was established to create tools and machinery to help with the industrialization and modernization of India, which had gained independence from the British Empire just six years prior, in 1947. In 1961 HMT partnered up with none other than Citizen to create India’s first watch manufacture in Bangalore under the leadership of Chairman M.K. Mathulla. Citizen’s reliable and hardy manual-wind movement Cal. 0201 would be licensed to HMT, at which point it was rebranded as the Caliber HMT 020. This would then be modified with several variants, like the Cal. 0233, with a sub-seconds dial, and the Cal. 1809, with a date function.

The first batch of HMT watches were a total run of 800 pieces, with 500 of the men’s HMT Citizen model and 300 pieces of the HMT Sujata for ladies. The HMT Janata would go on to be the company's most popular watch, which makes sense considering the name translates to “people” in Hindi. This was meant to be accessible to everyone, and there were tens of millions of these watches produced until HMT ceased operations back in 2016. The simple 35mm wide Janata cost the equivalent of about $15 back in 1972. In fact, there would be lines to buy these watches, with a limit of one per person. Even at the end of their production life, the Janata often retailed for under $100.

Image by @the_hmt_ catalog

Perhaps the most fascinating part of HMT’s history has to do with the watches it produced for the Indian Air Force starting in the 1970s. There are a few iterations of these that were made, with some being far more rare than others, like the tonneau-cased, broad-arrow model or the more common HMT Jawan.

Titan

After HMT, the big name in Indian watchmaking is Titan, which has been around since the mid 1980s. Titan is part of the massive Tata Group conglomerate and does not just make watches but also has its hands in wearables, jewelry, and eyewear, among other things. Titan certainly embraced and pioneered the then-booming quartz revolution in India. The last few decades have been marked by more inexpensive offerings that certainly appeal to mass consumers while not doing much for enthusiasts. That said, 2024 and 2025 show the brand taking more thoughtful watchmaking more seriously, in specific with three releases.

The first two come from the Titan Edge collection and both nabbed GPHG nominations in 2024. The Titan Edge Squircle is a very cool looking black ceramic watch that measures 38mm wide and just 4.4mm thick (yeah, it’s a quartz movement) with an integrated bracelet. Sleek and modern, the Edge Squircle was limited to just 10 pieces, priced at CHF 866, and competed in the Time Only category that was ultimately won by the H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel.

The second is the Titan Edge Ultraslim, which is a Bauhaus-inspired piece with a round case measuring 40.5mm wide and an even slimmer 3.3mm thick due to the 1.5mm-thick Titan Edge Calibre T9081 quartz movement. I am sure this is the kind of watch that is much more stark and properly appreciated in person, though it’s also limited to just 10 pieces with a price of CHF 975. This Edge Ultraslim was nominated in the Challenge category that was eventually won by the Otsuka Lotec No.6 from Japan. It is a bit of a bummer that both of these watches were produced in such limited quantities, considering how large Titan’s output is.

Finally, we have a watch from Titan that was just recently launched in mid-2025. The Titan Jalsa is Titan’s GPHG submission for this year and it’s quite different from the aforementioned, simpler and more affordable Edge watches. The Jalsa is a pink-gold tourbillon that has an absolutely stunning marble dial hand-painted by famed Indian artisan Padma Shri Shakir Ali. The vibrant dial depicts Jaipur’s Hawa Mahal which is celebrating its 225th anniversary this year and is the second flying tourbillon from the brand’s Nebula collection. It will be interesting to see how this piece fares, but it’s undoubtedly a much higher-end offering considering its CHF 38,200 price tag.

Top 10 Watch Brands In India: The Upstarts

Bangalore Watch Company

I’ve been following Bangalore Watch Company since the brand was launched in 2018 by the husband/wife team of Nirupesh Joshi and Mercy Amalraj in the brand’s eponymous hometown. I would certainly say this brand is the leading indie watch brand out of India and carries some measure of national pride for several South Asian collectors I’ve met. While parts are sourced from all over, the watches are all in fact built in Bangalore. BWC stands out because it takes a more contemporary stance in incorporating its Indian identity in their watches rather than leaning too far into its admittedly rich traditional history.

What does this mean, exactly? Well, there is the MACH 1 pilot watch collection that launched in late 2019, which is inspired by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and specifically the MiG 21 Type 77 fighter plane that was the backbone of the IAF for over 50 years. I am fond of this collection because, though it debuted with a day-of-the-week and date window, the brand iterated the collection to a cleaner dial with just a date window at 6 o’clock. The case measures 40mm wide and 10.8mm thick (100 meters of water resistance) and it uses a Sellita SW200 movement with a 40-hour power reserve. Price for this comes out to just around $1,100. Then there’s the Cricket-inspired Cover Drive collection that has a bezel which allows you to track the number of overs in a match. This uses the same Sellita movement, though the case is a little beefier, at 40mm wide but 12.5mm thick. Price for the Cover Drive is just around $1,080.

The Bangalore Watch Company Apogee is really interesting, as it is inspired by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and actually went into space for testing. The Apogee has a very cool 40mm wide and 12mm thick tonneau-shaped case with twin crowns and a Sellita SW200 movement. This watch starts at about $1,000 for the base model but goes up to $2,850 for the limited-edition Karman Line, which has a La Joux-Perret G100 movement and a beautiful blue meteorite dial.

Finally, we have the BWC Peninsula, which is the brand's latest collection inspired by India’s natural landscape. Done in a pebble-shaped case that measures a deceptive 44mm wide and 13.75mm thick (200 meters of water resistance)  but with a no-lug design that makes it just 31mm tall. I love the clean, legible dial and fun themes on the 3 and 9 o’clock indices, as well. The Peninsula starts at around $1,300 for the standard steel models and goes up to $2,150 for the limited-edition model with a lovely black mother-of-pearl dial.

Ajwain

Ajwain is another interesting microbrand coming out of India and it’s not hard to see why local enthusiasts are into it. Founded by Vikram Narula in 2017, Ajwain has a distinctly thoughtful design sense that is at once provincial and universal. In specific, two Ajwain watches caught my attention. The first is the Kakori 8 Down Centenary Edition which pays tribute to the Kakori train robbery in which Indian freedom fighters robbed a train and went on to become anti-colonial folk heroes. It’s quite a story and I recommend reading more into it if you’re so inclined.

Beyond the story, it is the design of the Ajwain Kakori 8 Down that makes it a noteworthy watch. The regulator-style enamel dial is in a wonderful white with an hours subdial with red accents and a floating seconds subdial. It’s a really attractive package that is chock full of references to the heist that inspired it without being overtly gimmicky. The 38.5mm wide steel case has a really nice hinged casebook with an engraved depiction of the train beneath, which is a very cool polished steel cover with an aperture window. Inside is the Miyota 82S7 movement with a 42-hour power reserve. The price of Rs. 29,025 comes out to about $335, which really does seem like a great value for such a cool watch.

Photo credit: @thephysicsgrad and @miester_tit0

The second watch is the Ajwain Shovalaram III, which has the cool distinction of being India’s first mechanical chronograph (albeit with a Seagull ST1901 movement). There are a few iterations of this watch but the basics are a 40mm wide case with an exhibition caseback showing off the aforementioned ST1901with a price of Rs. 31,950 or just about $370.

Jaipur Watch Company

If Bangalore Watch Company is focused on contemporary India, Jaipur Watch Company looks back to the days of the British Raj. JWC was founded in 2013 by Guarav Mehta and initially gained notoriety with its coin watches, but it has expanded to offer a large variety of styles, including using vintage stamps on the dial. These JWC watches are all about artistry and tradition, with prices starting at around $200 and going up to the five-figure territory for some precious metal bespoke options.

Delhi Watch Company

Delhi Watch Company (DWC) was founded in 2020 and is a neat microbrand that is all about design-forward affordable offerings. Interestingly, the most common thing I learned about DWC while researching it was the fact that its biggest problem is just how quickly it sells out its stock due to the aforementioned watchmaking infrastructural issues in India. The DWC Everest is one the company's standout watches, inspired by the Rolex Explorer that was with Sir Edmund Hillary when he climbed Mount Everest in 1953.

I like that it's inspired by the Explorer but not just a knockoff, as it’s got a cool floating dial and circular date window. The 37mm-wide case has 100 meters of water resistance and uses a Seiko NH35 movement. It’s not hard to see why the first few iterations of this watch were limited to 500 pieces each and immediately sold out priced at Rs. 8,999 or just $105 each. It’s great to see a small brand offering the local enthusiast community something unique and thoughtful at this price point and let’s hope DWC is able to increase its output.

Argos

It’s fascinating to learn about the granular quirks in a market as big and relatively underserved as India (when not counting Swiss imports, that is). For example, up until recently there was just no option for an Indian watch with a power-reserve indicator on the dial. That is until yet another microbrand called Argos dropped its Olympus collection. This watch has something of a Grand Seiko-inspired design, with its 40mm wide case (45mm lug-to-lug) and a Seagull ST2530 movement priced at around $200. There’s also the Argos Apollo III which has a really nice-looking sector dial design in ice blue, and what looks to be fairly impressive finishing quality, for a little bit less than the Olympus. And something I noticed and really appreciate is the fact that Argos allows you to get a lifetime warranty on the movements for a minor fee.

Top 10 Watch Brands In India: Gone But Not Forgotten

Allwyn, Timestar, and Jayco

Back in the mid 1980s and early 1990s, Allwyn Watches was a very popular Indian watch brand that benefitted from a relationship with Seiko and was a competitor to HMT for some time. Indian watch collectors are really enthusiastic about these old Allwyn watches though fakes and "frankenwatches" are an issue. The brand has been out of business for some decades now but there is a healthy community of resellers and traders sharing some very cool retro-styled pieces, many of which are less than $100.

Timestar is a brand that was a collaboration between India and some French watchmakers like Lorsa. Mostly operating during the 1960s, Timestar stuck mostly to manual-wind dress watches that were powered by the Lorsa Caliber P-62 movement and are pretty popular amongst collectors of vintage Indian watches. And finally, there is Jayco, which is a defunct watch brand that produced timepieces from the 1970s through the 1980s and was partnered with Bifora Watches from West Germany. These were largely manual-wind dress watches and the Jayco Jupiter appears to be one of the more beloved and collectible models, which is not hard to believe when looking at that really elegant dial design.

This wraps up the top 10 watch brands in India. You'll notice it was different from my previous list about Chinese watches with fewer higher end independent watchmakers. Again, this is likely due to the fact that the infrastructure just isn't there yet but I have a feeling we will see some interesting developments out of the Indian Subcontinent in coming years.