The ‘Pilot’ is flying high and is carrying along the ‘Janata’ and ‘Kohinoor’! Well, Pilot, Janata and Kohinoor are the iconic models brought to the wrists of thousands to keep time by HMT.
Amid doubts over the future of the public sector watchmaker, the demand for these watches has soared so much that HMT has doubled the price of the Pilot model from Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 2,400, with effect from Wednesday. The Janata is also burning a hole in the watch-loving janata’s pocket as the cost has gone up from Rs. 1,050 to Rs. 2,000, while the cost of the Kohinoor has gone up from Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 2,150.
Despite doubling of prices, these watches were still in demand with a large number of customers in the waiting list at HMT authorised showrooms. On Wednesday morning, even before the outlets opened, customers had queued up. “Today, most of the purchases are based on emotional connect that people had with HMT watches. Some are also buying for its vintage value. Others are buying just to have HMT watches in their collection,” an HMT source said. The source added that though there was a lot of demand for the Pilot and Janata, the supply did not match the demand. “The watches are manufactured in Nainital and later supplied to showrooms across the country. With a lot of demand, there is a long waiting list at the showroom,” he added.
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The prices of other mechanical and quartz watches have also increased. According to Eshwar Naik, HMT’s Deputy General Manager (South), the watchmaker witnessed a similar rush of customers buying mechanical watches in 1991.
“Sales were so good that mechanical watches found favour over automatic watches. Without any advertisement, the sales have gone up. The new generation is also appreciating the different kinds of watches that we have.”