The story of the rise and fall of HMT Watches of India as told through the HMT Janata. Wall Street Journal: Clock Is Ticking for Indian Watch Company: • Clock Is Ticking for I...
Your content is truly outstanding. The views you get really do not reflect the quality of your channel. Thank you, and please keep making videos like these.
@@sumanth13 9028968868 - Mr Zubair , His family owns one of the most iconic watch shop in Bangalore , Huge HMT Watches collection. For Reference tell him - Siddhartha from Calcutta given us your number & you might avail some discount.
@@rohitbisht8246 HMT was terrible in quality and so is the Titan which uses Chinese Quartz movement. HMT used to die within years so it's miracle if that watch is running for so long,. HMT made copy of Citizen movement under license but the quality control and finish was bad from inside out.
Great video, short and apt. There is a nostalgia associated with hmt amongst us Indians (mostly from the 70/80s) as we have grown up seeing our parents wearing hmt watches. Even thought they are still assembling some watches vide the leftover inventory, the qc is no longer the same. Thanks for the video. 👍🏼
I remember as a kid, that my father bought a Janata watch. We had to pay a token amount and wait for it. 1965 if my memory serves me right. I bought half a dozen various watches from HMT showroom in 2014. My regret was I didn't have enough cash to buy some lovely automatics with various complications for they wouldn't accept a credit/debit card. 😣. I gave the Rajat day date auto to my daughter and regularly use the Pilot mechanical winding one. I have a pocket watch too from the collection, and hardly use it 😁😏
Thank you very much for introducing this watch (to me). I‘m a watch addict and consider my travel to India in 2017 as the best vacation of my life, so getting this watch was a no-brainer. I already featured it on my channel. You‘re filming/watch editing skills are just phenomenal! Keep up the good work! Greetings from Germany
Thank you very much for this video! Just got me and my wife Janatas to remember the great time we had in India in 2017 during our first holiday as a couple and just ordered another one (I‘ve been a watch addict before/already…) to give to my daughter when she’s old enough. You do a great job with your videos and are an inspiration to me with my little watch channel. Thanks and Greetings from Germany
That last line... India , a place I love.... sounded like from the heart.... as an Indian I felt touched and that tabla and esraj music.. You remind me of indophilia which took world by craze once .... good times
I have a few HMTs like pilot and Sona. This one looks nice on you, thanks for thoughtful review of my country's watch company and respecting my country's culture.
Beautiful video and a great homage to HMT! I know families who got their bread and butter from the brand. This watch definitely represents history, change and importance of timepieces
The watch factory is 4 kms away from my home. Whenever I visit Ranibagh, the factory buildings and residential complex reminds me of good old times.. very few people resides there now.. many left looking for other jobs. Its sad that we Indians warm welcomed western way of living that arrived with a price. I wish HMT just gets revive again. The new generation need to be aware of masterpieces HMT once made and was known for back then.. I still wear my dad's 'HMT Sona' watch and it still ticks beautifully like it use to in 1995! 😌🌼❤️
Bhai mere liye inquiry karoge kya ke original watches hai kya factory mein abhi bhi like Janata, Kohinoor and Pilot?? Because I want original Vintage watch. Amazon pe available hai but original nahi hai so
Yeah. True. I bought a hmt kohinoor for rs 2500 and my uncle was like why are you buying this watch for so much. He told me spend a few more and buy a quartz watch. He doesn't realize mechanical watches are not so ubiquitous as they were before.
I used to collect HMT watches in 2012 and 2013. I was so excited to get a Hindi dial Janata with the red seconds hand. I was able to get a new, fresh from the factory one from a Indian guy on Watchuseek. It was extremely hard to wind at first, and then it stopped running in about 2 months. I was very peeved. My vintage Janatas worked fine.
Yesterday, I used the money I earmarked for a Timex to buy an HMT Pilot off their website. Also, yes they are still in production albeit in limited capacity.
I agree with you about the size. The first time I wore my HMT, it felt small and ridiculous as all my other watches were above 40mm. But within a couple hours, it felt just right and looked a million bucks!
I am just learning about HMT and I'm surprised how many fakes and redials are out there for an already low budget watch. They are all really cool none the less
Just bought this model myself. I love it because of its uniqueness. It definitely stands out from the others. And it’s always nice to wear something that’s different now and again. A definite conversation starter for sure. Thank you for doing this short video. 👍🏻
I have a hmt sanjay watch my grandfather gifted my mother when he was having camos at 2010 till then it was kept safely by my mother in this occasion of durga Puja she gifted me this wonderful piece of history and heritage . It is still ticking nice and sound
The train wheel bridge always reminds me of the Chicago cubs! It looks like a bear cub which is one reason I love this little mechanical movement! Great video !
These watches have created a niches market in India nowadays. The company still makes new watches but in very low quantity and it's very affordable. So it is like collectible item that people like to collect in various colors since they are actually really good for the asking price, the looks are unique vintage but beautiful nonetheless and it's limited quantity coupled with lower prices has generated cult following among Indian millennials.
I am a hardcore fan of casio G-shock having 7 models but this machine is something else...may be its not 20 bar water resistant or shock resistant its neither a divers watch iso certified 200 meter ...it don’t have any hi-tect instruments to call it a hi end wrist gadget but this HMT especially JANATA is an immortal beast I still have this model in perfect condition...it was of my dad’s who expired on 2014 his age was 65 at that time and this watch was a gift to him when he was in college at 1st year...i still wind up the crown to make it run every alternate days...love you dad and this watch and the brand as well 😇🧡 Regards from INDIA
Word on the Street HMT is coming back! I have been in the business for quite some time and I have been talking to some key players over at Citizen. Basically what they have decided to do is revamp the website, and sell the old-new stock. I'm not sure if they will be putting out any new content, but I was in a board meeting with them and I mentioned your video. I think your video will be on the website with your approval. I love your stuff and I just wanted to give you heads up, in case someone reaches out to you.
That would be to cool...I adore these watches. They remind me of the watches I wore in the Army in the 80s...Casio had invaded my unit and I kept my timex handwind,I like the stainless steel case better than the pot metal. If they could bring back something similar to the 020 movement it would be nirvana for a old salt like myself.
I am one of those waiting eagerly (and hoping against hope) of HMT making a comeback and starting production again. I have seen many people who are sceptical because they have become somewhat important and known on the basis of their collection. And HMT producing again would mean many of these collectors becoming irrelevant. So they keep on cribbing new watches are not like old. It's just not the same even if they come back it will not be same blah blah blah. I had an HMT since 80s and I purchased one recently. From NOS. And I find absolutely no difference. So let's keep fingers crossed and hope many more people get the opportunity to experience them as opposed to a privileged few
I am a proud owner of HMT Kohinoor wine 🍷 red sunburst dial! I believe that watches are perfect time capsules .. and I after having collected various Swiss , German and Japanese time capsules ; it was time I owned one from my own country.. it is amazing that HMT still makes these watches using the same case and movement which was in use 50 years back.. that’s taking neo vintage to next level !!
Users and buyers connect with their HMTs on an emotional level. I cannot say the same for collectors who just go and buy with the intention of having the largest collection or X number of watches which then are lying in their display boxes just to be shown. I have heard one really moving narrative of how a person who purchased a HMT for Rs 300/- in 1990 in South India, For him (in his words) it was like a festive occassion and later they went out to a restaurant to celebrate. Similarly I purchased the same model my mom used to wear in 1984 and I am gifting her on her 75th birthday after 36 years. These emotions and memories, you cannot get just by collecting. More than the watches it is these stories and these memories that make HMT watches what they are. They are a link with our past. They are a link with our childhood memories. Irreplaceable.
Great video. Few people know how to wear a mechanical watch anymore. Very few understand that it speeds up during the day and it slows down when you are not wearing it so it averages out every week. Hardly anybody has the time to understand them.
I love my refurbs,,true out of 5 I've had to borrow parts to keep two working. I did get a nearly new original one today from Mohamed in Detroit,movement is brand new.
Thank god and thank you for not including that cliche Indian/Bollywood music most westerners use for their Indian themed videos! And what a lovely watch!
There's so much variation of quality with these on eBay, but your's looks absolutely stunning. I'm also like you where I'd rather have a refinished one over trying to find an original (which is apparently almost impossible since eBay is just stuffed with frankens). Would you happen to have the name of the seller or a link to the listing that you purchased from? I'd love to get the same one with the white dial, Hindi numbers, and mesh bracelet.
