While the category of watches ‘Made in India’ is slowly but surely getting stronger with each passing year, there are few brands, if any, which boast Indian roots while being developed in the hotbed of watchmaking in Switzerland. However, that is exactly what Nalla Neram is. With a name that means ‘auspicious time’ in Tamil, the brand born in Neuchâtel is the brainchild of watch enthusiast Krishnamani Raman. The name alludes to the idea that time is to be lived, celebrated, and remembered. 

A global watch brand infused with Indian heritage, Nalla Neram’s debut (and currently only) timepiece is the Kalaam Minutes Timer, a chronograph the brand says is not just for sports people, but made for professionals who lead and innovate. Having showcased prototypes last year - its Ref. 7077 was even nominated under the ‘Petite Aiguille’ category at the GPHG 2024 - the brand launched this year, with Ref. 7078 making it to the longlist of participating watches for GPHG under the same category. The Kalaam Minutes Timer is available today in four iterations: The monochromatic Ref 7077 with grained dials in black and blue each, and the panda dials Ref. 7080 in cream and Dark Blue Sky and cream and Red Earth each. There are 54 pieces per dial. 

The 39 mm 316L stainless steel case of the watch has a distinct ridged case middle, a smooth bezel, and short, wrist-hugging lugs, which actually bring up the size to 45 mm lug-to-lug. Tear drop hands in polished steel indicate the hours and minutes, while vibrant orange hands mark the timer functions, perfectly complementing the orange accents on the dial. The dial also has a unique display, featuring dual concentric minute tracks, marked from 1 to 60, where every third minute is in orange, a nostalgic nod to the trunk call era in India when long-distance conversations were limited to just three minutes. The running seconds are marked by a rotating chakra at 9 o’clock, a design that also appears on the bold, ridged, hand-polished crown. The chakra is, in fact, the brand logo, chosen to represent time, balance, and energy. A domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating fronts the dial, while an open caseback reveals a tungsten rotor with black PVD and the Nalla Neram logo, part of the self-winding column-wheel chronograph movement by La-Joux Perret, functioning at 4 Hz and with a 60-hour power reserve. 

Square hand-polished pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock control the timer - the elapsed minutes are displayed on the subdial at 3 o’clock, while elapsed hours are tracked at 6 o’clock. With 100 meters of water resistance and a Swiss cross discreetly set inside the lower-right lug, the watch balances durability and heritage in equal measure. The case is flanked by a thin steel mesh bracelet and is also offered with an additional mesh strap with a folding clasp, and an orange and a black/grey rubber strap. For its design innovations, the brand has also received a design patent from Switzerland and the European Union for its case, lugs, square pushers, crown, dial and numeric display on dial. Ref. 7077 retails for Rs. 4,86,000 (approx.) and Ref. 7080 for Rs. 5,06,000 (approx.), available to order on the official website, shipping worldwide. 

We caught up with the humble, reticent founder of the brand who refused to share his pictures for this story, citing “the watch is the story.” Here are edited excerpts from a telephonic interview. 

WatchTime India: What is the story behind Nalla Neram? 

Krishnamani Raman: We have been working on our brand for a considerable period of time. It's taken two and a half years to build the watch. We presented our first prototypes at Times to Watches and Watches and Wonders in Geneva, last year.  We have finally launched our watches in May this year. We have seen a long journey. We didn't do a full launch. We just announced on Instagram that our watch is available on the website. We are based in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, where, prior to launching our own brand, I have developed considerable knowledge in the watch business. I am originally from India, and we decided to launch a global brand, based in Switzerland, and because of our Indian roots and heritage, we have tried to embed some parts of our culture in the watch. It's a Swiss-made watch with Indian roots.  

WTI: What did you do before starting a watch brand? 

KR: I was working with multinational companies. Over the past several years, we have been in the “watch valley”, and gained a lot of knowledge among famous watch companies. 

WTI: How did your love for watches begin?  

KR: The love for watches began quite some decades ago. As you can imagine, it always started with collecting. After finishing the multinational stint, I had a considerable period of time that I could devote to the watch industry. So, that’s the time I spent learning about various aspects [of the watch industry] and then took the bold or crazy decision to launch our own brand. Which was a very, very tough process. But when you want to do something, you need to realise all the issues and problems which come with it. It’s taken a long time, considerable resources. But we are very happy with the outcome. Finally, we have a very beautiful watch, which can match any other watch in the market. We have been very lucky with god’s grace, we have been granted design patents in Switzerland and Europe.

WTI: What role do you play at the brand? 

KR: We are a family-owned enterprise, so basically everyone is involved in everything. There's no categorisation of tasks. We have to decide on various aspects [together as a family] and I'm involved in everything. 

WTI: What is the manufacturing of the watch like? 

KR: The watch is completely designed and manufactured in Switzerland. We have specialists here [ in Switzerland] for each component, so we have to source parts and specific things. We assemble it and present it. 

WTI: The logo of the brand is a chakra. What is the story behind that? 

KR: Chakra is one of the emblems of our Indian heritage, which we have incorporated into the watches. We believe that is a powerful force. The chakra has always been the eternal wheel of time. It is also positioned in such a fashion that you cannot see time, you can only feel time - the chakra is slowly and continuously moving without being flashy. We wanted to have a moving chakra and not just a symbol. 

WTI: What can we expect from the brand in future?

KR: We are working on several things, but it takes a long time. It is something which unfortunately cannot be done in a flash. 

WTI: Can we publish you in the story? 

KR: No, no, no. We are able to present a watch with Indian culture. That is the story. It's not about me. It could have been anybody before me.