That means opportunity not only for Swiss, Japanese, and German watch brands, but also domestic producers from India, such as the Bangalore Watch Company, a seven-year-old brand that makes robust tool watches often based on India’s achievements in aerospace, aviation, exploration, and sport. Featuring Swiss-made movements, in-house designs, and local assembly, the Bangalore Watch Company plans to open its first boutique in its home city this year.
With its timepieces aimed at reflecting a modern and confident India, most of its customers are in its home country. But the brand’s co-founder and CEO Nirupesh Joshi says it remains a challenge to sell watches at its price point to some domestic consumers.
“It’s easier to sell a $1,500 watch outside of India than it is in India, because in India, you need the touch and the feel, the tactile and the practical sense of it,” he says. That’s one of the reasons for the new boutique, as a relatively expensive luxury watch is not something all Indians are comfortable with buying online.