The HMT Watches store on the fourth floor of Abhivriddhi building on D. H. Road is in stark contrast to a modern-day watch store. There are no shiny, crystalline display counters, no air-conditioning, nothing to indicate that it is 2014. The wood-panelled cabins and the 1970s advertisement material pasted on the walls hint at some past glory. HMT may not have a glamorous ambience and turnover to match, but the watches continue to keep time for some who stay true to its legacy.
“There are a lot of customers, including youngsters, who swear by the brand. They come asking for particular makes and models,” says T.V. Mohanan, manager of Kerala’s only Hindustan Machine Tools’ watch branch. “There was a time when our sales figures swung between 10,000 and 25,000 watches in a single month. Then it declined. Now, of course, it is just the sentiment that drives customers,” he says. Mohanan, who joined the company in 1981, has been in the showroom for the last 20 years and has witnessed its slump. Though Allwyn came soon after, it was really the arrival of Titan in the 80s that spelt trouble for the brand. “People slowly forgot about HMT,” he says.
But not the hard-core fans. For them, it is more than just a watch — it is a priced possession, a tradition, something that invokes nationalist pride. “It is about the swadeshi sentiment,” says Ranjit M., an IT professional based in Kochi. Ranjit, as a matter of policy, wears his Pilot (one of the most popular models) to work and says it has generated considerable interest among his colleagues.
Businessman Mathew M. Joseph says his relationship with the brand began in his childhood, seeing his father use an HMT watch. “In any other part of the world, old classic models would cost a fortune. But even a vintage HMT piece is affordable,” he says. Mathew treasures his Pilot, Jawan and Elegance watches.
India being one of the most sought after markets for international luxury watch brands with price ranges easily touching crores, affordability may not seem a defining factor. But HMT watches start at Rs. 350 and the most expensive watch is only Rs. 9,500.
Hand-wound watches fetch top price in the luxury segment. HMT, the only manufacturer of hand-wound watches in India today, sells them at reasonable rates. “I was inspired to look for an HMT after I came across my late grandfather’s decades-old Jawan. I wound it and it was working perfectly. It is like owning a piece of history,” says S. Kailas, who works for a content writing firm. He loves the morning ritual of winding the watch. “It is like mentally gearing up for the daily grind,” he says.
A typical vintage watch lover takes care to maintain it, too. “There are people who still come to us with HMT’s old mechanical watch models. Cleaning can be done. But sometimes we discourage them because the parts are not available these days and it involves a lot of work — a day on a single watch,” says Ramesh T.G., of Ganesh and Sons watch repairing shop at Valanjambalam. “Old timers still prefer the mechanical watch. It is heavy, and the feel of it on the hand cannot be replaced by the new automatic watches,” he adds.
According to Kashmiras M.X., who owns Jidin Times in Tripunithura, the availability of watches at throwaway prices also contributed to the decline of the brand. “When I started watch-repairing at the age of 13, HMT was king. Now, I get to see it once in a while.”
The public sector company today is a mere shadow of its past, unable to make a profit in the cut-throat industry. “There is no sales promotion and revenue is almost nil. There is no brand visibility. Many of the company’s rules work against it today. Modern marketing techniques would do it a world of good, as many are unaware of the existence of the brand,” Mohanan says. However, in 2013 alone, the company has introduced 85 models, which includes multifunction chronographs and automatic skeleton watches.
HMT’s automatic models are popular too. While Pilot and Jawan are the most loved mechanical ones, Kedar tops the automatic category. An automatic watch has to be worn eight to ten hours for it to function normally and the quartz series is battery-operated. Colourful models aimed at children and the youth (Track and Euan series) are also available. HMT manufactures Braille watches for men and women, too. The glass top of the dial can be opened and the user can feel the time. Limited edition pieces such as the Janata in Devnagiri script are a collector’s dream. The pocket watches, too, are in demand, but mostly out of stock.
The company gets bulk orders from government offices. Thanks to the internet revolution, sales are brisk online. Leading online marketing portals stock a fair collection. HMT watch loyalists’ groups on social networking sites, too, keep the love going. As Mohanan says, “It is an emotional bond with the brand that will never die.”
