Unique collection (Clockwise from right top) Durai Vijayapandian with his collection, Favre-Leuba used by actor Saroja Devi, a rare Rolex watch and Westend Watch Co., Sowar, the oldest of the collection | Photo Credit: R. ASHOK When 40-year-old Durai Vijaya Pandian was a high-school student, his father gifted him an 'HMT Sanjay' watch with a leather strap. “It costed Rs.700 back then and sowed in me the love for watches. My younger brother got a model named 'HMT Sundar' with a black dial. I still have a fresh memory of the small watch shop we were taken to on West Masi Street. It opened a whole new world for me. Getting back home, I rummaged through the cupboard and dug out three old watches that were a family legacy. One among them was a model christened as 'Garuda', a Swizz watch which had to be wound daily. There was a key to keep the watch running and it showed day and date as well, apart from the time. The other was an Allwyn with a broken chain. I was fascinated by the designs and mechanisms and ever since I have been collecting wrist watches,” says Pandian, who has added over 250 timeless pieces to his personal collection in the past two decades. “Much of my collection was sourced from family and friends. A lot of them would give away old watches and I would pay them the market value. I sourced some special pieces through sellers in Kerala, where many foreign antique watches land,” says Pandian, who is also an avid philatelist and numismatist. Including 20 gold-plated special edition pieces, many Swizz and Japan-made watches, Pandian's collection is vast and rich. “Part of my inspiration came from old movies where stars like Sivaji Ganesan and MGR would wear brands like Favre-Leuba and Henri Sandoz.” “It was a long-time craze for me to find one of those. Finally, through a friend in the cinema industry, I managed to get a watch worn by actor Saroja Devi,” adds Pandian, showing a delicate watch with black-straps. “Many of the watches have a history background. For instance, the Hmt Janata was a model that company launched to honour the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who also inaugurated the factory in Bangalore. Likewise, the subsequent collections also bear significance,”says Pandian. “Watches have been a symbol of opulence and honour in the society. In companies like TVS and Madura Coats that were based in Madurai, the staff were honoured with specially made watches in recognition of their service. Till date, watches remain a favoured gift option.” “My grandfather was a military man and a disciplinarian who valued punctuality. All of us were brought up in the same way and time management is a value that runs deep in my family. That way watches are more relevant to us,” says Pandian. “Over the years, wrist watches have also became a fashionable accessory apart from a utility thing. For instance, Seiko released a model inspired by the TV. The prominent square dial resembled the television which was getting popular then. Editions with unbreakable glass and shock proof features are also milestones of innovation in the watch industry. Some of the early sets of digital watches were launched by Casio. However, Analog watches continue to have a charm on watch lovers.” Pandian has also added alarm clocks and pendulums to the collection. “My personal favourites are the Westend Watch Co's Sowar edition and HMT Vijay. The former is a classy slim watch with a stone-studded dial and the latter I like for the reason that it bears my name” he says. “In future, I plan to visit Switzerland and some old watch manufacturing factories there. Watches for me mean a part of our legacy. It also reflects the philosophy of life, as time is intangible and invaluable!” Expensive luxury watches like Cardin, Patek Philippe, IWC and Montblanc remain on Pandian's wishlist. KEEPING A WATCH In 1960's, HMT's steel watch costed Rs.60 and gold watch came for Rs.90. In 1965, a basic model from the luxury brand Favre-Leuba costed Rs.170. HMT launched a limited edition of 'Kanchan' watches in the 1970s, which was known as the dowry watch. Often preferred as a gift to the groom, the watches saw a very high demand that it required a recommendation letter from VIPs to buy a piece from the showrooms. Seiko was one of the first companies to launch wrist watches with an alarm and it was named 'bellmatic'. Orient watches were among the early pieces that came with radium dials. The most expensive watch in Pandian's collection is a 1980 Rolex that's worth Rs.75,000. Apart from that, he boasts of Rado and tissot watches that range around Rs.25,000 and made from the rare rose-gold metal. The oldest in his collection is a side second model by Westend watch co. The piece is 100 years old and manufactured for the military. A Rico watch with diamond shaped dial, a Fitron watch made of Tungsten with sapphires and a Humbert watch with railway timing indications are some of the special items in the collection.

Stay updated with all the Latest Madurai headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.