nitially Swiss timepieces were held in high regard by the British Elite and Indian Royals who perceived watches as luxury objects that represented wealth and aristocracy. Watches were imported through major ports, including Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. They were distinguished by their intricate designs, durability, and precision. Ornate designs, Hindu symbols, and vibrant motifs were frequently incorporated by high-end manufacturers to cater to Indian preferences.

Watches were frequently exchanged as prestigious gifts during marriages, festivals, and political alliances. They established networks of Indian retailers and agents who effectively marketed their products. This enabled the brands to establish a substantial market share. Numerous Indian Maharajas of princely states, British officers and nobles were avid collectors of Swiss timepieces, often commissioning custom designs and elevating their status.

Let us delve into the high-end brands that were favored by the privileged. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Cartier became well-known amongst Indian aristocrats for its jewelry and customized watches. Cartier’s excellent craftsmanship and ability to combine Indian motifs made it impossible for Indian maharajas, who aimed to represent wealth and sophistication, to resist.

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patialas fabeled Cartier necklace from 1928 incorporating a timepiece into the design

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala reportedly ordered the fabled Patiala Necklace in 1928, incorporating a timepiece into the design. In creating this necklace, Cartier used 2,930 diamonds, including a 234-carat De Beers diamond. He was best renowned for the necklace, but also owned sapphire- and diamond-encrusted Cartier wristwatches and pocket watches. His 18k Vacheron Constantin chronometer certified pocket watch adorned complications like a non-perpetual astronomical calendar, a single-pusher chronograph, an alarm function, and moon phase, which even went on to win the third prize at the Geneva Observatory precision trials in 1912.

Another well-known customer of Cartier was Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala, who was a Francophile and a lover of Western elegance. He commissioned custom clocks that combined Art Deco elegance with traditional Indian patterns. Cartier expertly blended precious stones provided by various Indian maharajas into customized watch designs. The brand was at the vanguard of the Art Deco movement, which peaked in the early to mid-20th century. The style, which fused contemporary design with traditional luxury, particularly captivated their targeted clientele. Cartier’s famous tank watch quickly gained prominence among Indian nobles upon its first release in 1917. Royals liked its sleek, contemporary style, which contrasted nicely with their elaborate traditional dress.

The Maharajah of Kapurthala commissioned 50 Reverso watches with a miniature painted portrait of his wife reproduced on the caseback in enamel.

Photo credit: Jaeger-LeCoultre

One of the founders, Louis Cartier, traveled extensively to India to meet up with Maharajas and learn about their cultural influences and preferences. Cartier was able to create watches that appealed to their customers thanks to this direct communication. They set up facilities in Paris and London that focused on creating unique pieces for Indian customers, frequently fusing European accuracy with traditional Indian patterns. Cartier also crafted jeweled wristwatches for Indian queens, such as Maharani Sita Devi of Baroda, known as the “Indian Wallis Simpson”. She owned Cartier timepieces set with pearls, emeralds, and rubies.

One of the most enduring legacies of Jaeger-LeCoultre in India is the creation of the Reverso watch; it was conceptualized in the country and introduced in 1931. When Swiss industrialist César de Trey traveled to India in 1930, British army officers had started playing polo. De Trey, who was challenged to think of a means to shield their watches’ dials and glass during matches, came up with the concept of a flip-over case. He approached his friend Jacques-David LeCoultre to produce it and, through their connections with Jaeger S.A., engaged René-Alfred Chauvot to design it.

The Reverso quickly became popular among polo-playing Indian maharajas and British officers. The former embraced the watch, viewing it as both, a practical and a stylish accessory. JLC offered personalized engraving on the back of Reverso watches. Many Indian royals had their family crests, monograms, or polo team insignias engraved, on the flip side of the watch, adding a personal and cultural touch.

Beyond the Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre catered to Indian royalty with high-end pocket watches and table clocks, including the Atmos (powered by temperature changes). Like other Swiss brands, JLC adapted its designs to align with Indian preferences. Indian culture placed significant importance on astrology and the brand produced watches with celestial complications, such as star charts or zodiac indications, for its local clients.

Maharaja of Jodhpur, known as the “Polo King”, was an avid collector of the brand. His love for the Reverso cemented its association with the sport of polo and Indian royalty. The Jaipur royal family was another prominent patron of JLC, commissioning custom watches that combined the brand’s technical brilliance with Indian design elements. Maharaja of Alwar, a known connoisseur of luxury watches, reportedly owned multiple JLC pieces, showcasing his appreciation for fine craftsmanship.

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata commissioned this 18ct pink gold Patek Philippe pocket watch.

Photo credit: Patek Philippe

The extraordinary craftsmanship of Patek Philippe, as well as the incorporation of Indian elements into their designs, earned respect and admiration of high-ranking members of society. In the late 1800s, the founders of the Tata Group, Jamsetji and Nusserwanji Tata, commissioned a 18-ct pink-gold Patek Philippe pocket watch, before giving it to the English architect James Morris in 1890.

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata

Vacheron Constantin’s bespoke pocket watches for the Indian royalty were so popular that in 1869, John Roux, Jacques-Barthélémy Vacheron’s grandson, moved to Bombay to pursue his own business. His stay in Bombay lasted till 1872. In the years that followed, Vacheron Constantin’s demand skyrocketed.

An athlete who indulged in the brand’s products was cricketer Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Jadeja, who became Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar in 1907 and even had the Ranji Trophy, India’s top first-class cricket competition, named after him.

H.H. Maharana Thakore Saheb Shri Sir Daulatsinhji Jaswantsinhji of Limbdi

H.H. Maharana Thakore Saheb Shri Sir Daulatsinhji Jaswantsinhji of Limbdi, Crest

Son of Maharaja Sirdar Gulabh Singh, Sirdar Nihal Singh was likewise a strong advocate of VC. And the first Indian participant at Wimbledon. With a Vacheron Constantin pocket watch, he was believed to have celebrated second place in doubles in 1910 and third round in singles.

Other Indian royals who possessed Vacheron Constantin were Hari Singh, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, who donned a 1920s yellow and white gold wristwatch, and Maharaja Rana Bahadur of Dholpur, who acquired a diamond-adorned platinum wristwatch from the same manufacturer in 1931.

West End Watch Co, Bombay

West End Watch Co. was established in Bombay on 20th March 1886. During the period 1924-1929, the brand decided to project its market towards the upper-class. Cases were made of 18k solid gold and the bezels were set with pearls, rubies, and emeralds. Angelus powered the large half-hunter pocket watches in 18k cases with minute repeater movements. Gems such as rubies and emeralds, along with pearls, adorned the cases with colorful enamel scenes on both sides. Often, the enamel paintings on the back featured motifs such as tiger hunting, Leda, and the Swan. Lucine Mayland executed the decoration and the sets. These watches were cherished by the maharajas as well as the elite of society.

While Swiss watches were initially considered luxury commodities in colonial India, their popularity gradually spread to the developing middle class and professionals. Modernization infused a greater emphasis on punctuality and uniform timekeeping in governance and trade. Watches evolved into effective time management tools.

West End Watch Co. Queen Anne

This period witnessed the development of more affordable Swiss brands aimed at a larger audience. West End was one of the key players in the mid-range Indian watch market, serving as the authorized distributor for prominent Swiss brands like Mido from 1938 to 1951, Cyma and Longines and was the only brand authorized to employ Longines movements, notably the iconic 12.68Z.

West End Watch Co. Mido Multifort

West End’s Bombay and Calcutta offices served a diverse customer base, ranging from colonial authorities, Indian Railways, and the Civil Service of India to middle-class consumers, and supplied around 50,000 timepieces to British Indian soldiers serving in Iraq during World War I. West End tied up with Junghans in 1937 until the beginning of World War II to market alarm clocks. It sold a total of 5 million timepieces in colonial India.

Favre-Leuba, like West End, had established a strong reputation in India as a supplier of long-lasting, high-quality timepieces. The brand not only marketed its own watches, but it also played an important part in the establishment of the Swiss watch industry in colonial India by serving as the sole authorized dealer for several prominent Swiss brands, including Zenith, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Bovet, Doxa, Vulcain, John Barrel, Sandow and even Patek Philippe.

This distinct function cemented Favre-Leuba’s position as a cornerstone of the Indian watch business in the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. The collaborations enabled major brands to enter the Indian market without requiring a direct presence. Favre-Leuba guaranteed that these watches were not only available but also serviced on a consistent basis by maintaining an extensive network of dealers and service centers.

Double signed IWC Favre-Leuba

Double signed Eterna Favre-Leuba

One of the flagship Favre-Leuba showrooms featuring Eterna & Zenith on their signboard

Double signed Doxa Favre-Leuba

Favre-Leuba’s tin signboard

Zenith Favre-Leuba advertisement

The most famous Zenith pocket watch sold by Favre Leuba, as far as Indian history is concerned, was owned by Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation post-independence. Despite his reputation for abstinence from material wealth, he occasionally deviated from this rule. It was gifted to him by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. Zenith also supplied watches to the employees of the Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway of Hyderabad. NGSR was a railway company that operated in India from 1883 to 1950. It began with a railway line built privately by the HEH, the Nizam, and owned and operated by the company with a guarantee from the Hyderabad State. The line’s capital was raised by issuing redeemable mortgage debentures.

Double-signed Zenith Favre-Leuba pocket watch with Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway (N.G.S.R.) etched on the case-back

Sandoz, Camy, Juvenia and Norexa also independently sold exquisite timepieces at reasonable prices. Eastern Watch Company-Bombay was the official dealer of Lemania, while Lund & Blockley, were the authorized dealers of Rolex, besides quite a few Swiss and British brands. Omega, Tissot and Tradition were marketed by CH Abrecht, Calcutta & Bombay.

CH Abrecht Omega, tin signboard

Tradition watch marketed by CH Abrecht

Despite the embargo on imported watches after independence, West End, Sandoz, and Camy maintained a foothold in the country. The brands printed or etched “MADE IN INDIA” on the dials or case-backs respectively. This continued until the early 1980s, when they discontinued imports.

Swiss Camy watch with INDIA MADE printed on the dial

Sandoz had authorized agents and service facilities across India, as shown in the photograph. West End also maintained their authorized dealer shop in Bombay until the early 1980s, where around 70% of their watch dials were printed with MADE IN INDIA.

Swiss Sandoz with INDIA printed on the dial and etched on the case-back

Sandoz had authorized agents and service facilities across India, as shown in the photograph.

The nostalgia of owning a Swiss watch from colonial India lives on in family stories and cherished heirlooms. These watches are not just historical artifacts; they are touchstones of an era where identity and aspirations were shaped by the tensions between colonial power and indigenous pride. For collectors today, such timepieces represent a bygone era where craftsmanship and history converged in the lives of those navigating a rapidly transforming world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After accumulating more than three decades of professional experience as a watchmaker and archivist, Aashdin Billimoria spent more than four years composing and designing his self-published landmark book, A comprehensive guide to vintage Swiss watches.

Richly illustrated, this 21-chapter publication covers not only the best-known icons and Haute Horlogerie, but also mid-range timepieces and heritage gems waiting to be discovered. It is largely based on the author’s personal experience: from the age of six, Aashdin K. Billimoria began collecting timepieces, a family passion. His private collection is meticulously preserved.

He is also the author of Nivada Depthmaster - A true diver’s watch and Nivada Antarctic - The History of a Legend.