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I got my first HMT watch only in 2014 as a starry-eyed 18-year-old. As a First-Year History Honours student in Delhi, I was absolutely fascinated with everything even closely vintage. I was ‘discovering’ music from the 1950s, the politics, the fashion–it all fascinated me so much that I went around telling people how I was born in a completely wrong generation! Or that I belonged in the 1970s. That October, as everyone was talking about Indira Gandhi as they do every October (she was assassinated on October 31, 1984), I came across an article that mentioned her love for a certain watch called HMT Janata. Apparently, she loved its simplicity. On probing further, I realised that it was not just Mrs Gandhi who was a big fan of these ‘HMT’ watches. “Must be a high-end Swiss or French brand customised to match her political agenda this ‘HMT Janata’... probably even a taunt at the Janata Party ... ooh, do I smell political drama? ... Hermes ... Michael Kors ... Time ... what does it stand for?”
*Google ... Google...*
“Hindustan Mechanical Tools? India’s first indigenous watch brand? Made in India? Not any kind of political drama, only generations and generations of love for HMT?”
So, basically, after churning an Ekta Kapoor style political drama in my head, I finally got to know about the real story behind everyone’s beloved HMT watches. I was amazed to see how so many people actually had different HMT fan clubs on Facebook–some of them, as I later found out from a video, also met one another in person and shared stories of their favourite HMT watches. I was obviously shocked when I hopped on to the next article and read that HMT was actually being shut. Apparently, only 50-80 watches were being made every day now and those factories were also being closed down. In a frenzy, I checked Amazon to see if HMT was still available. It seemed like if I didn’t get myself this one now, I would probably lose access to a very dear part of my own history. I quickly spent whatever pocket money I had and got an HMT Janata with a mother-of-pearl visage and a beautiful tan belt for myself. Upon going back home later that year, I got all of my parents’ and aunties’ old watches out– an old steel-chained Citizen, a rusted Gucci (probably a knockoff!), my mother’s golden HMT Kanchan, a thin black-belted-golden-faced Sonata, Papa’s golden Titan (probably one of the first ones), and began restoring all of them. Not all could be recovered, if I am to be honest, but at this point, I can say that it only helped intensify my love for old watches, and particularly HMT.
One of the more popular stories behind the Hindustan Mechanical Tools (HMT) watches is that this one time when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had been gifted a Swiss watch, he wondered if a similar watch could be made in India. Apparently, the thought was met with a curt scoff but the lore goes on that India then approached Japan’s Seiko to procure the technology. This too couldn’t work out. In a fortunate turn of events, Seiko’s competitor, Citizen agreed to come on board with India. They shared their technology and imparted relevant training and workmanship to Indian technicians and what came to be established in 1961 was the HMT watch manufacturing unit in Bangalore. The Hindustan Mechanical Tools company had been instituted in 1953. The first batch of hand-wound wristwatches manufactured here was also released by Nehru who dedicated its most famous series, the pearl-visage ‘Janata’ to the people of India. One can’t really verify the authenticity of the anecdote but what can never be untrue is the impact that HMT watches have had upon India.
A recently independent India was still trying to stand up on its own two feet, and discipline and proper work ethic were more than necessary. So was self-reliance and the creation of a citizen body that was inspired to build the country up, and that’s exactly what HMT watches came to represent. Hand-wound and later, automatic HMT watches became the epitome of achievement, hard work, and brilliance. While the initial assembly of the first batch of wristwatches was based on a hundred per cent imported components, within a duration of 10 years, that is, by the 1970s, the percentage of indigenous components was stepped up to 84 per cent. A short film titled ‘Theek Samay H.M.T’ or ‘Time is H.M.T Time’ created in 1976 by the Films Division posits that the assembly section was based out of “clean, dustproof, and air-conditioned rooms,” almost resembling a modern hospital.
A very interesting thing about the HMT watches was the way it was advertised. Apparently, in the 1960s, HMT’s posters, hoardings, and of course, watches used to be loaded in a mini-van and taken across the town. A projector and a makeshift screen used to be installed and people would be shown Rajesh Khanna’s and other celebrities’ films and these watches used to be advertised and sold during little breaks to the literally ‘captive’ audience!
I could only imagine a whole colony being set up around the HMT factory where all the employees could have gotten together, probably ‘matching’ their own HMT watches with a reputed-to-always-be-correct clock and wound it every 24 hours to be on time as the rest of India. Time must have moved a little differently in analogue. In becoming the perfect gift, the most trustworthy ally, the prize given by parents when their children passed their matriculation exams (usually an HMT Janata), the watch one gifted themselves (usually an HMT Pilot) on getting their first salary, and even a remarkable family heirloom, HMT came to be recognised as the embodiment of aspiration and achievement. HMT also diversified extensively as there came to be a watch for nearly everyone—be it a doctor or a nurse to latch it onto their lapel, a Braille watch (probably the first homegrown watch for the visually impaired), a waterproof pilot for the active youth, a his-hers set for the newly married couple, and even a snazzy low-budget watch for the spiffy teenager! What made these watches even more loveable was their name series. HMT used common Indian names like Sanjay, Kanchan, Prashanth et al. for their watches. In fact, in the video below, a fan credits namesake HMT watches for finally being able to get his in-laws’ blessings for an inter-faith marriage!
Up until the ‘90s, HMT came to be advertised as a watch filled with affinity and Indianness and it continued to be honoured as such. However, with liberalisation, increased competition, and the cheap manufacture of watches by quartz alternatives, HMT sales soon started to decline. Apparently, the employees had not even paid for quite a while. Come the 21st century, it started becoming more and more difficult for the national timekeeper to keep ticking, and apparently, a quick wound after 24 hours was not enough this time for HMT.
And yet, the love for HMT keeps living on. As most of the pieces have gone out of stock, it’s difficult to find the common man’s watch at the common man’s price. Most of the offline stores have also shut shop on HMT. However, HMT’s website still has a few pieces remaining and while it does seem like a race against time to hold on to the beloved timekeeper, it’s never too late to catch a glimpse of the past once in a while.
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