WatchTime India Magazine - January - March 2025

In this issue

For our first issue of 2025, we have on the cover the Grand Seiko SLGA025G - High-Intensity Titanium 9RA2 Spring Drive 5 Days ‘Atera Valley’, which mimics the emerald blue waters of the Atera river that flows through South of Shiojiri, the location of the Shinshu Watch Studio, where Grand Seiko makes its Spring Drive timepieces. Grand Seiko’s rich repository of nature-inspired dials are hugely popular, and the Atera Valley watch builds on that with not just a striking hue but also engravings that resemble the movement of the water. This new issue also has a wide variety of features that showcase stories and people who are constantly approaching watchmaking with zeal. In ‘For the Love of the Game’, Praneet Rajsingh, CEO, Horologer Ming, talks about what it takes to walk the line between innovation and independence; and ‘Watches of the Norden' details Nordic brands that have created a unique aesthetic driven by minimalism and inspired by inherently local elements. We also speak with the King of Steampunk, watchmaker Vianney Halter, about his one-of-a-kind timepieces, and also write about the new Universal Geneve Polerouters and the significance - both horological and aesthetic - of the original. In our history section, we revisit iconic German brand Junghans's Max Bill watches. For our collector feature, we met with the Delhi-based Sandeep Nair, whose watch box houses names like Rolex, MB&F, Audemars Piguet, apart from several gold and sporty timepieces. We delve into the customisation of watches, look at Bulova’s 150-year-rich history, and review Laurent Ferrier’s Classic Moon Silver and Yema’s Skin Diver Slim.

Horological Multiverse: Albishorn Maxigraph

Book author and head of innovation and marketing at Sellita, Sébastien Chaulmontet, has launched his own brand: Albishorn (named after a mountain near Zürich) aims to “build vintage watches that never were”.

1 min

The Value of a Name: JC Biver Automatique

Last July, Biver announced James Marks as its new CEO.

3 mins

Head Turners

A round-up of the latest ladies watches that have hit stores

2 mins

Will the Ref. 3970 Please Stand Up

The last of the classic perpetual calendar chronograph references, the Patek Philippe Ref. 3970 may now be ready to step out of the shadows of its illustrious predecessors

3 mins

HIT REFRESH

Just like athletes have to constantly get better, the watch industry has mastered the art of modernising its classics. Here's a look at some of the more recent releases that prove that even a small change can make a big difference.

3 mins

IT'S PERSONAL

A look at the people and ateliers that will undertake the kind of watch customisations that few will

6 mins

SECOND NATURE

Grand Seiko's SLGA025G - High Intensity Titanium 9RA2 Spring Drive 5 Days 'Atera Valley' makes you look deep into the emerald blue waters of the Atera river in the Nagano Prefecture, where the brand's watches are made. We dived straight in for a close look.

4 mins

Watches of the Norden

The Nordic region, comprising Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, is home to several watch brands that have created a unique aesthetic driven by minimalism and inspired by elements that are inherently local

8 mins

COMING BACK TO LIFE

After Breitling's acquisition, Universal Genève recently unveiled three new models that join its historic Polerouter line. We recap what makes the brand, and the line, iconic.

6 mins

BULOVA TIME

In 2025, the New York-based watch brand is celebrating its 150th anniversary. There are not only a lot of groundbreaking innovations to look back on, but also several new releases to look forward to, for example, five new Accutrons and two MIL-SHIPS in bronze.

4 mins

Running His Own Race VIANO

Always a step ahead, independent watchmaker Vianney Halter is a true artist whose creative pursuits have given birth to fantastical designs

6 mins

BORN TO SERVE

The interaction in design between military watches and their civilian siblings

9 mins

TIME AFTER TIME

A view of the innovation of pioneering German watch brand Junghans, and its Max Bill collection that has a legion of fans

6 mins

Walking Through Glashütte, Part I: The Foundation Of a Legacy

Glashütte's journey to becoming Germany's watchmaking capital reads like a good novel. It is a story where tremendous effort and risk go hand in hand but where resilience is eventually rewarded, only to have to do it all over again.

6 mins

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

Built under the stewardship of Ming Thein, independent brand Horologer Ming SA is known for its distinct design and an approach that is constantly trying to 'find the new' in watchmaking. With 2024 proving to be a milestone year, we spoke to its CEO Praneeth Rajsingh on what it takes to build a brand like Horologer Ming.

10+ mins

ALL OR NOTHING

Rolex, MB&F, and Audemars Piguet, not to mention gold and sporty timepieces-we look inside Delhibased collector Sandeep Nair's watch box

5 mins

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WatchTime India Magazine Description:

Launched in 2012, WatchTime India is the result of a collaboration between America's most-read watch magazine, WatchTime and India's leading media house, Malayala Manorama. With an aim to popularize and celebrate the evolving watch culture of the country, the publication is your one-stop destination for everything related to fine luxury watches. From the latest tests to reviews, to exclusive features on the history and horological heritage of some of the most spectacular watch brands of the world, WatchTime India has a lot to offer.