When I meet Nisha Narayanan, the Director and COO of Red FM at her office in NOIDA, she looks every bit like she has walked out of her Instagram page – a bright floral saree whose end drapes around her shoulders, the gossamer fabric of a sleeve peeking from underneath, her hair falling in waves held back by sunglasses, and a mother-of-pearl Rolex on her wrist. Go through Narayanan’s IG feed, and you’ll find that she’s a fervent champion of Indian drapes from across the country, usually paired with her gold-and-steel Omega Constellation. It’s a style that’s distinct, but when I ask her about it, she laughs and says, “I really don’t know what my style is.”
It’s an aesthetic that Narayanan has developed over the 20 years that she has worked with Red FM, a top-ranked, leading private FM radio network in India. Her professional journey has moulded her sartorial choices, an important part of which is the watch on her wrist. Narayanan’s tryst with timepieces began as functional need that has today grown into deep love – she calls watches her emotional anchors, her mood lifters. Though refraining from qualifying herself as an enthusiast or collector, Narayanan has about 30 watches across genres and style, including btands like Omega, Longines, Tissot, Rolex, Junghans, Seiko, Sturmanskie, and more. Don’t ask her about their technical details or specifics or sematics. It’s a love that purely driven by how watches make her feel. While many were bought on a whim, and were a spur of the moment decision, there are several that mark professional milestones.
We caught up with one of the leading ladies of Indian radio to learn more about her affection for watches.
WatchTime India: You are one of the leading figures in radio today. How did you get into this field?
Nisha Narayanan: This is years ago. I was studying economics for an exam and was sick and tired of it. I felt like listening to some music – at that time there was only All India Radio – and put it on. A bit came on for auditions for announcers. The last thing I wanted to do was math, so I wrote down the details and eventually got called for the audition. I was one of two people who got selected from about 200 entrants. That’s where my journey of All India Radio and audio started. It was something very interesting and I was curious to learn.
This was about 34 years ago. I eventually into films, filmmaking, journalism, became a Chevening Scholar, dabbled in news and television. But I always loved the audio space. I loved that there was something anonymous attached to the medium. So, I came back to radio and became a media consultant for about 12 years. Then the FM auctions happened. I applied to help set it up. I did a very short stint in Bangalore with Radio City and then I joined the Sun Group for Suryan FM, which is now Red FM, to set up its station.
So, for the most part of the last 20 years at Red FM I have set up the radio stations across the country -- from people not knowing what FM was to tuning into it in their cars; from putting out ads in newspapers for auditions for RJs to training and identifying people from different walks of life and professions; building a radio network has been a great journey. And now I do the boring job of being a director and COO. I think it's great to be out there instead of sitting inside board rooms and doing Excel. I'm a creative person at heart.
WTI: You love watches and have about 30 watches. When did your love for timepieces start?
NN: It started off because when I was setting up all these radio stations, there was a lot of travelling. I would always wear a saree, which you're expected to accessorize. But I hate accessorizing. And I thought the best thing I could do is wear a watch. During that travelling phase I was waking up at 4:00 AM, catching the 6:00 AM flight, breakfast in one city, lunch in another city -- I was all over. The watch became my favourite companion, and it felt comfortable, felt like home.
Then slowly, I started to look for shapes, ovals, sometimes square. Also, I had short hair for at least 12 years of my life because it was a lot easier functionally, when I was travelling. So, at that time, I also started buying a lot of men's watches – bulky, big dials, et cetera.
I feel a watch is the best accessory that a lady can have. It doesn't have to be very feminine looking; it can be a men's watch as well.
WTI: What was this buying journey like?
NN: Initially, it was a lot of impulsive buying than really thinking it through. But over a period of time when you keep buying watches, then you discover the brands and what you like.
Over time, Longines became my favourite. I have maximum Longines in my collection because I love the tagline, 'Elegance is an attitude'. I could relate to that. I feel no matter who you are, elegance and grace needs to be celebrated. I feel that once you sit in a position of authority or leadership, you're expected to be very masculine, aggressive in many ways. Aggressive doesn’t need to be shown, it can be in the head. I think that's where a lot of women burn out because it's a tough act to sustain also.
So initially, the charm of wearing those masculine, big watches probably came from that. But as I moved up the ladder, I realised that it's absolutely fine to be feminine as long as you know what your job is. I used to wear only all-black sarees, all-blue sarees, solid colours, no florals, because I felt that they made me not look feminine. It came from the fact that as a society, senior women in senior roles are expected to be so aggressive that you try and maintain a certain look. And nobody tells you it doesn't matter, but you learn over time. And the mindset is still there. I don't think it's changed much in many boardrooms. But it changed for me about 15 years ago. I decided that it doesn't matter. Work speaks for itself. I changed to all kinds of sarees, even florals. And hence the choice of watches changed. Now, I'm happy wearing feminine women watches as well, which at some point I didn't. But I guess, that journey has been my choice of watches, and has changed along with the journey and experience.
WTI: What are the watches you have today?
NN: I have about 8 to 10 Longines of different shapes and sizes starting with the Hydroconquest. There’s a Rolex, a lot of Tissots, big, bulky ones. An Omega Speedmaster. Junghans, Seiko, an AVI-8
The Rolex Datejust that I'm wearing has an interesting little story. When Sun TV completed 25 years, Mr [Kalanithi] Maran, the founder, gave everyone two-months salary. And I wanted to splurge, to celebrate being a part of a network that allowed me to grow as a person – I wanted to celebrate my journey. So, I went and bought this for myself. I have had it for 8-9 years now. I just love it. It's a mother of pearl dial, beautiful, on a jubilee bracelet. And it's got Roman numerals.
I treat myself to a watch at the end of every decade that I finish with Red FM. At the end of 25 years, I got myself a really nice Omega on a black strap.
The story behind my Omega Speedmaster is slightly different - I was in a very rebellious mood at some point, and wasn’t in a position to take out my anger or frustration. I thought, “Okay, well, I have all the choice of watches to buy.” So I bought the Speedmaster. I'm also this impulsive, moody buyer who buys watches not by thinking it through. In much a similar way, I was grumpy one day going from office, and saw one of those hoardings in which a yellow Tissot was on display -- it had been there was quite a few days. I had yellow shoes, and I thought, ok that's a pick-me-up, and proceeded to buy that watch.
I also feel that when you're in a certain position, it's very difficult to emote. You need to show strength and cannot be emotionally wired, because if you don't show a lot of strength, the team loses hope. Brands are built by the managers who run it. So, when I have been going through a lot, internally struggles of sorts, I think I do these impulsive buys. To me, it's an expression of the moment I'm in, and what I'm going through at that phase of my life, be it personal or professional. A mood lifter -- that's a watch for me.
WTI: What kind of watches appeal to you?
NN: I'm a big fan of leather straps. I also love Roman numbers. And rectangles. That's how my love for Longines began, besides its tagline. Longines has a lot of Roman numbers. I'd pick one up, wear it for a few months, and get another one soon after. And then realise I already had something similar.
WTI: And you would still pick up a men's watch?
NN: I think today a lot of watches are unisex in many ways because the dial size is not as big, so I would love to wear it.
WTI: Which are some of your favourite watches in your collection?
NN: Wrong question. They’re more for the emotional value. I'm attached to watches for the emotional value of it, not really for the brand.
WTI: How do your watches tie into your style?
NN: I would say I'm married to my work first, and then my family. When you're a 73-station network, there's always something happening in Pune or Kashmir or Delhi at the same time, and so you're multitasking all the time. And because of that, I don't socialize much -- I like to be left alone after my work. In all of this, the saree gives a method to the madness. And I don't wear bangles or accessories, and that's when I started wearing watches to work. And that's been the choice -- I've never looked at it in any other manner. If I have my way, I'll sleep wearing a watch.
I've seen a lot of my friends and their mothers, grandmothers, homemakers, wearing a watch at home all the time, and it looks beautiful. And I used to admire these women. You don't have to be in a corporate job to wear a watch. They would be at home, and they would wear this thin black strap watch, and they would look so elegant. These are the memories I grew up with, and I think in a subconscious way I imbibed that.
WTI: What are some of your earliest memories associated with watches?
NN: I would always flaunt my dad's watches. I loved the rectangle HMT he had. Every time I would wear his watch, I would talk animatedly, moving my hand around for everybody to see. It was joy I was wearing -- daddy's girl wearing daddy's watch.
WTI: Do you have a watch in mind that’s your next buy?
NN: The Tank Louis Cartier. Classic timepiece on a leather strap in either green or blue strap. It’s a forever classic, and I can relate to elegance in all those pieces.
WTI: What do watches mean to you?
NN: I say this as a working mother to a lot of women who work with me -- don't work for the sake of working, work to build a legacy that you're proud of, and take pride in your body of work. My watches are symbolically “forever”. I think time is the most precious thing. I have spent many years working, during which my kid grew up. He's an adult now, and I never got time to spend with him through school and college. That guilt is there. There's nothing more precious than time, and watches are a reflection of that.
Images: Kritajna Naik
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Women’s Day Special: Laetitia Hirschy on normalising women as equal, knowledgeable participants in the watch industry
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