HMT Watches: History of India’s first indigenous watch.

Hmt watches story: If you grew up in the 1980s or 1990s, then perhaps the glowing watch on your father or grandfather’s wrist, it is possible that the clock is of HMT. At that time, the HMT clock was not just a machine to describe time, but was a symbol of respect and status. On getting a job, giving a watch and getting a watch on retirement or on the occasion of marriage was considered a matter of pride. At that time, when everything was not easily found in the market, HMT gave people reliable and durable watches. But today there is no one left to name that brand. The new generation may have never heard the name of that brand, which used to be very special. Still it is interesting to know how that clock of India lagged behind the pace of time?

The full name of HMT was ‘Hindustan Machine Tools’. It was started by the Government of India in 1953. Its aim was to manufacture machine tools in the country, so that we can become industrially self -sufficient. But in 1961, when the company started making clocks with the Citizen company of Japan, a new history was written. This was India’s first indigenous watch. Gradually these watches became part of people’s lives. In HMT watches, clocks like ‘Janata’, ‘Pilot’, ‘Kanchan’, ‘Sonar’, ‘Kohinoor’ were becoming popular among people of every class. At that time, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru also wore the HMT watch and called it the Timekeeper of the Nation.

Why HMT’s watch was special

The specialty of HMT was its simplicity, sustainable and trust. From village to city, everyone had one HMT watch. It was not just a brand, but a feeling. Every employed person used to get an HMT watch on his first salary or promotion. This was an ideal gift in marriage. Gradually time changed, but HMT remained there.

After 1990, when new brands like Titan came in the market, the clocks were not just a need. Watches then became part of fashion. Titan worked a lot on design, marketing and style. Since he was a brand of Tata, people started liking him. On the other hand HMT neither changed the design, nor changed the technique over time.

Secondly, HMT was a government company, and it used to take a long time to approve every decision. The company felt that there is no need to marketing, because people trust the brand. HMT was overwhelming to ignore the competition and its watches slowly disappeared from the shops.

After 2000, the company started suffering heavy losses. Many factories started closing. Finally, in 2016, the Government of India completely closed HMT Watches and HMT Chinar Watches. Thousands of employees retired with VRS and a super brand of the country remained only in memories.

Now what does HMT company do?

The original company making HMT watches is still working in areas such as machine tools and tractors. Even today many watch lover collects old HMT models. Some startups sell these old watches by giving them new looks.

Although in 2016, HMT closed its watch division due to huge losses, but in 2019 the company started production of watches again. The demand of collectors and clock lovers behind this was given a big reason. Many types of models are still seen on HMT’s official website (www.hmtwatches.in). These include quartz, automatic and mechanical watches.