As we stroll into Gaurav Mehta’s retailer in Jaipur, situated inside the Rambagh Palace, Jaipur, we anticipate a big, swanky setting befitting the founder-designer of Jaipur Watch Firm (JWC) and his newest assortment, Brides of Jaipur. However it’s an intimate house (lower than 100 sq ft) with none exterior branding, tucked right into a nook of the sprawling early Twentieth-Century palace, now operated as a five-star resort by the Taj Motels Group.
It evoked the attraction of the small, family-run retailers nestled within the bazaars of conventional Jaipur. Rambagh Palace is, nonetheless, a first-rate location for Gaurav’s clientele. Those that can afford ₹3 lakh per evening for lodging will possible purchase a ₹30,000 wristwatch (the beginning value of watches within the Brides of Jaipur edit). That is maybe why, regardless of having different shops, he secured the house inside a couple of hours after the earlier tenants vacated. “Time is luxurious,” says Gaurav as we sit throughout the desk, discussing his newest assortment.
Brides of Jaipur attracts inspiration from the intricate jaali work present in Jaipur’s iconic Metropolis Palace. Whereas the gathering’s identify suggests bridal put on, Gaurav explains that Brides of Jaipur is for any lady who appreciates conventional Indian apparel. “Weddings are just one event; India has numerous festivals the place conventional put on is widely known,” he says. “We referred to as it ‘Brides’ as a result of the bride is at all times the main target of consideration, however the watches are designed for all ladies who embrace their tradition.”
Gaurav’s fascination with watchmaking stretches again to childhood. As a boy, he was intrigued by the mechanical precision of hand-wound watches. His first watch, a present from his grandfather on a visit to Switzerland, ignited this ardour. But it surely was a easy Indiglo watch, bought along with his mom, that cemented his love for watches.
Malaiaka Arora carrying a Brides of Jaipur watch
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association
Keepers of tradition
JWC’s watches typically replicate historical past and tradition. “India has a wealth of mythology and historical past that many individuals don’t know sufficient about,” says Gaurav. “I need to promote Indian tradition by varied mediums, be it stamps, cash, or watches.” He sees the preservation of historical past as a key operate of his watches, which he likens to artefacts that join wearers to their heritage. “Watches can inform tales, similar to previous cash or stamps evoke nostalgia and cultural recollections.”
The watch on his wrist is from one other current JWC assortment, the Rajasthan Polo Version, which pays tribute to the game’s heritage. Crafted with stone dials — tiger eye, malachite, lapis lazuli, and aventurine — the watch additionally presents a customisable again. “Polo gamers can have the again engraved with textual content or pictures and put on the watch face inward throughout matches to keep away from injury,” he says.
Polo has a wealthy historical past in India, notably in Rajasthan, the place it developed from a royal pastime to an internationally celebrated sport. Launched by the Mughal emperors, the sport was later adopted by Rajput kings, who embraced it as a logo of valour and status. Jaipur, with its royal heritage, turned a big heart for polo beneath Maharaja Sawai Man Singh, who was an avid participant and helped popularise the game each inside India and overseas. Right this moment, town is house to among the most prestigious polo tournaments, preserving the legacy of Rajasthan’s equestrian tradition alive.
Relationship with time
A watchmaker, maybe greater than anybody, is intricately related to the idea of time, shaping units that mark its passage. Requested if he sees time as inflexible or fluid, Gaurav replies after a pregnant pause, “Time is a pal to me; it’s important for self-discipline, however I don’t like being consistently tracked by know-how,” he says. This paradox — reverence for time but a need to flee its grasp — finds expression in his watch designs, which regularly mix custom with modernity, providing wearers a momentary escape from the frenzy of every day life.
A timepiece from the Brides of Jaipur assortment
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association
Gaurav additionally goals of travelling again to the previous. He needs to go to the Forties, a interval he views as a time of rebirth for India. He regrets not assembly Gérald Genta, the legendary watch designer whose retrograde leap hour design he deeply admires. “I want I may have recommended a polo theme to him,” he muses, imagining a inventive collaboration with the Swiss designer. He additionally cherishes a watch handed down from his paternal grandfather, a Waltham piece from the Nineteen Thirties that he painstakingly restored. “It took six months to search out the proper motion and arms,” he says, recalling the method of bringing the watch again to life.
“Watches to me are extra than simply instruments for timekeeping,” he says. “They’re carriers of recollections, symbols of historical past, and, typically, only a approach to begin a dialog.”
The author was in Jaipur on the invitation of Jaipur Watch Firm.
Printed – October 21, 2024 12:24 pm IST
