Jaipur Watch Company aims to put India on the global map for specialised ‘coin’ watches

With the quest for creating something exceptional, Gaurav Mehta, who holds a master’s degree in risk management from the UK, started Jaipur Watch Company in 2013. Harbouring the hobby of numismatics and turning it into a passion to create the extraordinary led to the establishment of Jaipur Watch Company, and its premier collection -- the coin watches.

Gaurav had always been passionate about collecting coins. Gaurav says,

It is this interest combined with my love for study of time that gave us the concept of coin watches. We realised that India was not yet recognized globally for specialised fine watchmaking.

‘Make in India’ effect

Following the ideology of 'Make in India' helmed by the Central government, Jaipur Watch Company is the country’s first bespoke watchmaker and aims at celebrating India’s craftsmanship through uniquely crafted timepieces.

Pulse of the market

Bespoke watches are a fairly new concept in India as there are very few indigenous bespoke watchmakers. Tailored watches have a huge potential in the luxury market and India is slowly growing beyond the ‘brand’ phenomenon. People are willing to experiment and pay the extra dime to get something which resonates with their character.

The Indian watch market is capable of becoming a hotspot of bespoke brands. The global market has its share of a decent number of brands that make bespoke watches on a larger scale.

Traction, pricing, and collections

So far, the Jaipur-based company has sold more than 250 watches. The company offers Prêt, Imperial and King collections for men and Envika collection exclusively for women.

The Prêt collection starts from Rs 23, 000 and goes upwards depending on the bespoke features a client wishes to embed in the watch. The Imperial wrist wear collection is the premier collection and the brand’s forte, priced at Rs 22,000 and upwards. The collection embeds a 70-year-old King George VI coin in the dial.

The King wrist wear collection houses one piece coin in its dial. The one piece coin is symbolic of the economic adaptation that the country underwent during World War II and is available at Rs 50, 000 onwards.

The Peacock Feather watch, embedding a real peacock feather in its dial, is symbolic of the royal national bird. Envika is an exclusive women’s range that has a variety of Swarovski crystal-studded watches and the collection price starts from Rs 18, 000.

Businesses can’t afford to ignore online channel anymore

Gaurav says,

Most of the sales for us is offline as the customers want to get a feel of the product. It’s always better to sit with the client and get a sense of what they really require. At times, clients have a basic idea about the product they desire to create and we sit with them along with our designers to create something more concrete.

After the personal consult, the company renders 3D sketches for the client to take a look at and suggest changes, if any. Gaurav adds,

The online market cannot be ignored. In the last few months we have initiated the sale of our Prêt collections through some select partners online and the response has been staggering. Inspired by these reactions, we are taking our bespoke watch making to the next level.

The company is in the process of launching an app which would empower clients to customise with their choice of case, dial, movement, strap and even the material, and translate the his/her idea into an image.

Manufacturing process & road ahead

The process of creating a watch starts from the initial design and sketch. Gaurav explains,

For our bespoke watch range the idea comes from our customers who want to create a bespoke timepiece reflecting their individual personalities. We then create sketches of their ideas and suggest changes befitting the mechanics etc.

The company is in the growth stage and currently operates through 13 physical stores across India and two online platforms. It plans to open 25 new stores in the next six months. Gaurav concludes,

Additionally, we are developing new models within our Prêt collection and will be launching our first automatic watch in a few months from now.

Website: Jaipur Watch Company