Over the past several years, the universe of microbrand watches has grown exponentially, a surge that’s showing no signs of slowing down. The global popularity and interest in microbrands is mirrored in enthusiasts in India as well, but what has been a challenge here is the local availability of these watches. Addressing this gap is a new e-commerce platform, No Hype Horology. Founded by watch collector Sarat Bhogavalli, the website currently stocks a curated selection from brands like Anoma, Arcanaut, Baltic, Earthen Company, Farer, Tourby, Nivada Grenchen, and Echo/ Neutra. More brands are set to join soon.
What sets the website apart is that not only does it largely stock brands that have hitherto not been available in India, but also that these watches and brands fall under the accessible luxury category. "If somebody wants to pick up a watch between Rs 50,000 and, say, Rs 1.5 lakhs, there's not much available [in India]. Longines or Rado is an option, but when someone is in the age group of 25-35, they also want something that is a bit younger. So I wanted to bring these brands into the Indian collectors's mind," says Bhogavalli, a Bengaluru-based technology entrepreneur.
Bhogavalli, who has been interested in watches since he was a child and has a formidable collection today (read more about it here), decided to launch No Hype Horology when he realised that there was a huge demand for accessible microbrands and no supply catering to it locally. At the watchmaking classes that he conducts regularly, he had a stream of people asking him the kind of watches they could buy, and where they could buy it. This planted in his mind the idea to curate the watches and brands that he felt provided the most bang for the buck and also introduced new names to the market.
Value proposition was key when he was zeroing in on the brands he could approach. “If you want to look at something off radar, there is a lot of value in these smaller brands. For example, Tourby is doing 37 mm, beautifully finished enamel dials for under USD 2,000, which is Rs 1.5 lakhs. And if you soup it up all the way, it's about USD 4,000 with an engraved balance bridge with your initials on it, all done by a single artisan sitting out of West Aalen, Germany. Young collectors should know this.” Given Bhogavalli’s deep interest in the subject, the brands on No Hype Horlogy are all that he personally loves and would wear, and, most importantly, where supply is not an issue. So you will find crowd-favourites like Anoma and Baltic rubbing shoulders with the Scandinavian design of Arcanaut and the colourful, craft-led dials of British brand Farer. There are also the more niche matte black ceramic cases of Earthen Company, founded by Johnathan Chan, also the co-founder of watch community, The Horology Club. The 40-50 watches currently on the site are primarily unisex, between 37 mm and 40mm.
An important aspect of No Hype Horology is the cost of the watches – it is nearly at par with international prices. Bhogavalli worked with the brands personally to ensure the cost remained as low as possible, off-setting the GST charged with the import duties levied on the watch. "I only wanted to bring the brands that are willing to work with me on this because I don't want to bring something into India that is two times the retail price. Why should we be penalised just because we live in India? So, given the current exchange rates, some brands on the site might be 10 % above retail, and some brands will be exactly the global retail, depending on what I'm able to get from the individual brands and with our duties. So overall, it will end up becoming a very, very fair price," he says. The servicing of the watches will also be routed through No Hype Horology.
Bhogavalli says he has been working on the idea for a little less than a year now, and directly liaised with founders to on-board the brands. He is looking to add a few more brands to the roster - Traska, the vintage-inspired tool watches, are set to go live soon, while Sartory Billard and Fears are what Bhogavalli is hoping will join the platform soon. "I feel that there is a lot that you can have with these watches. In fact, a collection is most fun when there is diversity. With No Hype Horology, the collection that I have listed, that's what I am aiming to do."
Images: Courtesy Sarat Bhogavalli and No Hype Horology
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