Project भारत:

Project भारत: 

 (From Inception to Execution)

(Time Keepers of Bharat)

It's been quite sometime having been posted on various HMT watches. There has been many such posts that are pipeline but did not publish and the list has increased now. 

For past year and a half I have tried to consolidate my collection and also stopped buying from HMT website itself. The reason being the quality of the product being substandard (my personal opinion only). I even think; no thought process went in during the design phase of the dials. Price of these watches has also been jacked up to an extent that buying these watches would mean a big crater in one's pocket.

Meanwhile, I have been introduced to this group named TKB (Time Keepers of Bharat) which essentially is an ensemble of like minded people from Karnataka. There was an idea running in my mind to do a project watch just to up the curiosity of the group members. The answer was an yes from the group which laid the foundation to the concept 'भारत:'.

To go ahead with the project we required a team for the inputs and someone had to take care of logistics. The first step was to put together a team which also included the admins TKB. The ball started to roll once this team was set.

The first major decisions that were taken were to keep the concept simple, try to keep the cost as minimal as possible (people are going to curse me for this!) and also try to improvise the design of a known concept of HMT Pilot. The reason of selecting the Pilot was to bask in the glory of the legendary HMT Pilot and also do a slightly better job on the dial design. These decisions resulted in selecting the dial, case and hands. It also necessary to say once the watch was decided to be cost effective the movement was automatically selected as a HMT 0231.

After this a the TKB group was given a logo and it was decided to use the logo for the same concept.

Logo of TKB Group

The attempt was now to make a Pilot type watch for which the case was a domed case similar to that of Janata and hands that suited the same. Since the domed case is used the dial is a pie-pan dial of 29-30 mm size (Typically HMT Janata size). Some brain storming sessions happened over all communication means which led to some discussions and constructive arguments related the design and selection of spares for the concept watch. The end of the brainstorming session led to one decision, that was to develop a concept watch and not a group watch. The concept would meant to have all the desirable qualities of the project except there will be critical review by the team later on whether to continue or not. It meant the prototype watch was in the making first.

To start with the design the restrictions that we were facing were simple design and only printed dials. Various design features were suggested including Arabic numerals, Roman numerals, Devanagari, quazi Devanagari  etc... Finally it was decided to use Arabic numerals due to the reason that applying hand lume would be easy and look modest when compared to other designs.

The design was explained using a simple sketch by one of the team members.

Sample Sketch 😀

This was followed by making a sample design on CAD this would essentially be given to make a die for pad printing the dials. The name was selected to be 'भारत: - १ ' signifying one Bharat (Akhand Bharat). Once the drawing was made it was announced that the prototype watch would be released for scrutiny on 1st November 2018 (Karnataka Rajyotsava). There was another big release on that day too which was the ಕನ್ನಡ ಜನತಾ. Coming back to the developments the next was the selection of hands it was suggested to use sword hands or dauphine hands. It was a very simple selection since it was based on Pilot Arabic it was now clear it would be dauphine lumed hands (Pilot hands). 
Some of the hands inspected for the prototype

Hands in Consideration

Selected Lumed Dauphine Hands (aka Pilot Hands)

Center Second Hands Inspection

Then came the decision of the case, with two options in front of us whether to use a exhibition case back or traditional thread/push type case. The TBC craze going on at that movement resulted in picking the exhibition case back. It was also decided to etch the case back too with TKB logo. A new process of UV baking was used to bake the case back with colored logo.

UV Baked Exhibition Case Back

A the same time the dial also came into being and was shipped to us. Immediately the prototype assembled. 

Developed Dial

First Assembled Prototype

Lume Tested

The prototype developed was given to all team members and asked for their opinion on the prototype and also further released on ಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ and asked for the members to scrutinize the prototype. It was on the day of the launch of prototype we knew we have done a good job in making a prototype and the response was the indication.

Since this was the prototype watch suggestion that were given were incorporated to make the final version even better. One being let the name be just भारतः and increase the font size of the numerals. This would improve the aesthetics of the concept  भारतः. The team went back to the drawing board and started to redo the design of the dial. We also limited the numbers to 75 (would eventually be seen on the dial).

Final भारतः Dials

We tried to customize the case too this time by manufacturing the case ourselves and tried to etch the case back.

Press Back Case Manufactured

 An attempt was made to perfect the etch on a sheet then have a offset made then tried to etch the case back.

Logo Test Etching on SS Sheet

 

Case Back Etching

Custom knurled crown was used for the watch.

Knurled Crown (In the same lines of ADSL series)

Now dials were selected such that it fits the case and the 0231 movement and we went dial shopping for the same.

Dials for भारतः

The amalgamation of all these resulted in a development of concept भारतः which was liked by many and appreciated by all.

Concept भारतः

भारतः  Lume Test

This watch was given on the next TKB meet to the members who had booked earlier and they had to wait patiently for a period of 4-5 months for the same. We also presented the भारतः to one of the ex-TITAN employees Mr. P.S. Bhat (person involved in making the thinnest TITAN edge movement) who graced the TKB meet.

Mr. Pathy RVC presenting भारतः to Mr. P.S. Bhat

Finally the watch reached other enthusiasts.

Picture Courtesy Mr. Rajesh Bafna

This ended our concept watch for the TKB group and credits goes to the members of TKB. Special thanks to भारतः team.

This project for TKB also ended up in more people asking for the भारतः 😃😃

Something for this great nation Bharat.

उत्तरं यत्समुद्रस्य हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम् ।

वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम भारती यत्र संततिः ।।

"The country (varṣam) that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhāratam; there dwell the descendants of Bharata."

आ ब्रह्मन् ब्राह्मणो ब्रह्मवर्चसी जायतामा राष्ट्रे राजन्यः
शूर इषवयोऽअतिव्याधी महारथो जायतां दोग्ध्री धेनुर्वाढानड्वानाशुः
सप्तिः पुरन्धिर्योषा जिष्णू रथेष्ठाः सभेयो युवास्य यजमानस्य वीरो जायतां निकामे निकामे नः
पर्जन्यो वर्षतु फलवत्यो न आषधयः पच्यन्तां योगक्षेमो नः कल्पताम् ॥

HMT Jhelum - Complete Reference

HMT Jhelum

The HMT collection is full of Janata, Pilots and Kohinoors there are few watches that stand out of this league and that is JHELUM.

Jhelum is a river that flows in Akhand Bharat (Undivided India). The Sanskrit name of this river is Vitasta (वितस्ता). Its a tributary to the river Indus and flows in northwestern India. 

Coming back to the watch, this watch was produced in the Srinagar HMT factory (Chinar - Watch Factory 3) in the late 70s in small batches. This watch was unique since it used a 21 Jewel movement rather than a conventional 17 Jewel 020/0231 movements. There are certain theories stating the movements came from Citizen Japan and the movements were re-badged by HMT and used in these watches (I leave this to one speculation).

This watch was first seen February 2015 posted by Ponnappa in the collectors group. There was a buzz during that period about the movement pictures and specifications. There was a speculation about the originality of the same. It was found it was a genuine watch with a re-badged HMT Citizen 21 Jewels movement. The dial is similar to Janata black dial with lume dots placed near the indices towards the center. The watch also has lumed pilot hands / dauphine hands.

HMT Jhelum (21J) - Picture Courtesy Ponnappa

 We were also of the opinion it must be a 21J winding movement like the picture shown

Citizen Homer 21J Movement

This confusion was removed with a post of HMT 21J movement. It is pertinent to note the HMT and Citizen badging. Also note Japan written on the balance plate / balance cock.

Citizen HMT 21J Movement - Picture Courtesy Tarun Agarwal

21J HMT Movement (Balance Damaged)

 This post by Ponnappa created havoc and all collectors were after this version. Few days later the collector universe came to know about other Jhelum variants. Few picture are shown below for reference. The next variant to be seen was the art deco variant in May 2015. The dial is similar to the Janata art deco variant with lines. Has a 21J movement with sword hands similar to Janata. 

Jhelum Art Deco Plain - Picture Courtesy Ponnappa

HMT always surprises enthusiasts with variants of the same watch. Further, a new variant of Jhelum emerged in December 2015. This variant was similar to black dial HMT Chinar with thich indices with lume placed outside. This variant also boasted the dauphine hands. 

HMT Jhelum Thick Indices - Picture Courtesy Ponnappa

During this period of one year quite a few had there hands on on of these variants. Sharing some here.

HMT Jhelum - Picture Courtesy Raviprasad

 

HMT Jhelum - Picture Courtesy Sachin Jayakumar

 I too had a some fair share of success in finding Jhelum art deco variant.

My Jhelum art deco - faded to grey

There were other variants too that were seen in the group. One from Rajesh Bafna in September 2016. This variant was similar to black HMT Chinar with sharp indices with lume and dauphine hands.

Jhelum Variant - Picture Courtesy Rajesh Bafna

Finally the last variant to be seen (September 2018) is the simple Jhelum with black dial (Similar to Janata) without lume.

Jhelum Similar to Janata Applied Indices - Picture Courtesy Udhaya Shankar N

 Somewhere down the line some dials also swept the market for some time. I was lucky to find one Jhelum in pristine condition. These watches did not have a 21J movement but rather a 0231 (17J) ones. These must have been assembled outside the factory. (Not sure)

My other Jhelum Art Deco - Assembled

There is one more variant with the same art deco variant with dauphine hands and lumed dial which will be shared in due time. Hope HMT surprises us with many more variants. Till then let lots of water flow through the river Jhelum.

Something for this great nation Bharat.

उत्तरं यत्समुद्रस्य हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम् ।

वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम भारती यत्र संततिः ।।

"The country (varṣam) that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhāratam; there dwell the descendants of Bharata."

आ ब्रह्मन् ब्राह्मणो ब्रह्मवर्चसी जायतामा राष्ट्रे राजन्यः
शूर इषवयोऽअतिव्याधी महारथो जायतां दोग्ध्री धेनुर्वाढानड्वानाशुः
सप्तिः पुरन्धिर्योषा जिष्णू रथेष्ठाः सभेयो युवास्य यजमानस्य वीरो जायतां निकामे निकामे नः
पर्जन्यो वर्षतु फलवत्यो न आषधयः पच्यन्तां योगक्षेमो नः कल्पताम् ॥

HMT Janata Black (Art Deco variant)

HMT Janata Black (Art Deco Variant)

It's been a long time since I have stopped blogging. I intend to add more posts to this blog hereafter. Since 2014 my collection has increased exponentially have added many variants of a given watch and also added some unseen watches too into my collection.

This post is about Janata Black variant(s). My collection of HMT is now based mostly on Janata variants and the quest continues. The HMT quest started with a Janata art deco and I started adding watches to my collection. Somewhere in 2014 there was a post in one of the prominent HMT groups about existence of a black dial Janata art deco (Collectors and enthusiasts might laugh at this as black dial art deco are available now. During those days it was finding a needle in a hay stack). So thus started the search for a black dial art deco. I wanted a distant cousin brother for the white dial art deco variant. Some of the Janata black art deco variants from HMT Watch Collectors Group. We must agree the hue effect on the dial is simply excellent. Some of the first art deco black variants were shared by Prashant Pandey and Ashutosh Anand. Here are few pics from their respective collection.

Janata Art Deco Black (Picture Courtesy Prashant Pandey)

Janata Art Deco (Picture Courtesy Ashutosh Anand)

The search for this variant led me to a small shop in Bangalore. The mechanic showed me a janata art deco variant which was different to the ones shown in the picture above. It had few lines in-between on the dial. This resulted in a confusion whether to buy the watch in the first place. With a firm mind to buy the watch I did buy the watch.

Janata Art Deco Variant (First Art Deco Lines Variant) 

 The quest for plain dial did not end with this the lookout continued. Finally a few months later found a Janata Art Deco in a small shop.

My Janata art deco (Black Dial)

It was incorrect to think that all variants of a watch has been seen in HMT. HMT is full of surprises. Few years later this variant of Janata was posted by Ponnappa which led to crazy hunt again.

Janata Art Deco Black (Graphic Matte Dial) - Picture Courtesy Ponnappa

 There are many other variants of the smame Janata art deco will document the same later.

Something for this great nation Bharat.

उत्तरं यत्समुद्रस्य हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम् ।

वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम भारती यत्र संततिः ।।

"The country (varṣam) that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhāratam; there dwell the descendants of Bharata."

आ ब्रह्मन् ब्राह्मणो ब्रह्मवर्चसी जायतामा राष्ट्रे राजन्यः
शूर इषवयोऽअतिव्याधी महारथो जायतां दोग्ध्री धेनुर्वाढानड्वानाशुः
सप्तिः पुरन्धिर्योषा जिष्णू रथेष्ठाः सभेयो युवास्य यजमानस्य वीरो जायतां निकामे निकामे नः
पर्जन्यो वर्षतु फलवत्यो न आषधयः पच्यन्तां योगक्षेमो नः कल्पताम् ॥

HMT Jawan

HMT Times (Jawan forever and ever)

Watches that have a military connect has always fascinated me.  Few years back I was working on a research project where I got to see a HMT Pilot with a certain person (would not like to take his name). I enquired the person about the watch he was wearing (I knew it was a Pilot) and came to know that it was given to him by his father who was working for HMT Bulbs and Tubes division that existed some time back (now closed) and also educated me on the existence of the watch which I consider to be a distant cousin brother of Pilot it was called HMT Jawan. He also showed me the pictures of the Jawan that he owned. I did some research myself and was startled by the looks of the watch especially the dial. Thus made a resolve to some how get this watch. This watch also made such an impact on mind that is very hand to explain. The HMT Jawan went on to become the best watch in my inventory. 

HMT Jawan (First Edition Manufactured in Bangalore) - photo courtesy mazzsgp

From my study on the HMT Jawan I came to know that the first edition Jawan was manufactured in HMT WFT 01/02 (Bangalore - Jalahalli Factory). Initially it had luminous sword hands and later shifted to boat hands. Used a HMT 0231 movement which is considered the time proven workhorse from HMT stable in 17J movement category. The initial edition used a screw type case back but later shifted to a press fit one in late 90s and early 2000s. Existence of 020 citizen movement or other variants are still not confirmed for this watch. I had also seen few Jawan dials (pics) with a broad arrow which also mentioned Jawan. The case back had an etching that stated that these were used by the defence and part of military inventory. I had some few friends in the defence who categorically rejected this theory and also told me few things:

1. Watches were never issued to Indian army from the inventory.
2. None other than Indian military are authorized to used the broad arrow.
3. Even if the watches were issued then if  these has to given then it has to   decommissioned meaning the military etched inventory numbers need to be removed which was not the case.
4. HMT watches were sold in defence canteens and also some were certified by a certifying agency (and these were same as other normal watches except for some testing conducted for shock proof and quality control).

 With this knowledge I started my search for the HMT Jawan. Those days the social media was still booming and concept of HMT Brotherhood and HMT Watch Collectors were still not conceptualized and I was all alone in the hunt not knowing were to start. My first few watches were easy as my source was a local shop but now the owner of the shop had told me that he cannot help me anymore with respect to HMTs. Finally my instincts told me to search in central Bangalore. One evening I was back from work early and immediately went in search of HMTs. There is no place in central Bangalore that I have not gone for this watch. All along, the market was filled with Janata art decos, Janata inserted indices, SONAs, Avinash and Kohinoors and I was not interested in any of those. My research guide always used to emphasize on focused approach to solve a problem thus my focus was just Jawan Jawan and only Jawan. That day I was very sad and drew a blank. In a few days frustration crept in and thought of giving up the Jawan hunt also was doing rounds in my mind. I later became busy with my official work and Jawan went into the stack memory of my mind for a fortnight. Few days later I met my friend who was also my senior at masters. We had a casual talk and sometime during the talk he mentioned Mumbai. I don't know why but my instincts asked me to tell him about HMT Jawan. I told him about my HMT story and my friend also later said he was going to Mumbai on some official visit. I requested him whether he (a Kannada speaking person from Mumbai settled in Bangalore - interesting right) can ask search or ask someone in Mumbai to find a HMT Jawan. He simply did not give me any hope and also discouraged me saying you are collecting junk. I simply lost hope and in the mean time accumulated other HMT models but the Jawan was always pricking my conscience and had become a mental torture (even though my conscience was saying no but I was willing to pay a premium. I did not find one I think destiny had something else in store). I waited for 2 to 3 months with a hope of finding a Jawan  on my own and if I get it from my friend it would bonus. One fine morning I got a call from the same friend of mine saying he had picked up a Jawan for me. This was the happiest day the wait and frustration that I went through was immense though it was worth it. I immediately applied leave to pick up the watch. I inspected the case back and came to know it was now Ranibhag (WFT-05) made watch produced in 2005 the watch came with proper bill and warranty. That night I could not sleep and kept my most cherished watch beside my pillow looking at it the whole night (I even got hear a word or two from my grandmother saying what is so special about the watch to which I promptly told my story like a kid to which she started laughing and also encouraged me further). This find ended the mental torture that I had underwent to get the most cherished watch in my inventory. But I was wrong I became mesmerized something more beautiful Jawan full lume.

One of my professor always says you need to have patience, perseverance and persistence to reach any goal this became the mantra for future watch hunting endeavors.

HMT Jawan on the day of unboxing

My HMT Jawan wrist shot (my personal favorite and cherished )

Dedicated to the great nation Bharat. A vedic national anthem

आ ब्रह्मन् ब्राह्मणो ब्रह्मवर्चसी जायतामा राष्ट्रे राजन्यः
शूर इषवयोऽअतिव्याधी महारथो जायतां दोग्ध्री धेनुर्वाढानड्वानाशुः
सप्तिः पुरन्धिर्योषा जिष्णू रथेष्ठाः सभेयो युवास्य यजमानस्य वीरो जायतां निकामे निकामे नः
पर्जन्यो वर्षतु फलवत्यो न आषधयः पच्यन्तां योगक्षेमो नः कल्पताम् ॥