I Bought an Indian Watch on eBay.
Mumbai Special? Franken-watch? Whatever you call the proliferation of watches being sold out of India on eBay, they kept calling me. I decided I would spin the wheel and see what I got.
I decided that the best chance of getting a decent little watch was to buy an Indian brand. So, no Seiko or Casio frankenwatches. I went with HMT.
I found the one I liked the best, although I don't really care for it too much. It's a "Pilot" watch. 17 jewels mechanical movement. Acrylic crystal. And a blue ring around the dial. 37.5mm.
According to the seller, this is a vintage (1971-1983) watch with a refurbished dial. At the same time, they say it's "100% authentic and original." It came with a very cheap blue NATO strap.
I called up Zurich and moved some money around and then pulled the trigger on this $17 beauty -- shipped.
And honestly, it's not bad -- if a bit cheap. It's not my style, but I think it's neat to have. I popped open the back to see the movement. It has a very clean looking HMT 020 caliber movement, which is 18000 bph based on the Citizen caliber 0201.
What do you think?
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NightWatch
@NightWatch
LCMS Pastor, radio host, pen maker, and fledgling watch collector. www.buhepens.com www.kfuo.org/thystrongword
Minnesota, USA
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Last active: 4 hrs ago
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I am a big fan of Indian Watches made by HMT. I prefer the Kohinoor over the pilot but both have their appeal. I have actually bought a few to give away to fellow watch enthusiasts because I think their horological history is interesting and important for to he hobby.
I think a lot of collectors end up with an India special at some point. I did. Runs very well.
What I really like about it is the effect of the high-domed crystal on the chapter ring. It looks like you have a completely separate domed bezel at first glance, but no, it's just an optical illusion. I like it.
I am a big fan of Indian Watches made by HMT. I prefer the Kohinoor over the pilot but both have their appeal. I have actually bought a few to give away to fellow watch enthusiasts because I think their horological history is interesting and important for to he hobby.
Agreed. That's why I went for the HMT. I figured even if I didn't like it, it represented something more than a cobbled-together Citizen/Seiko.
Yeah, anytime I see Citizen or Seiko on Ebay, I check shipping origin. Their cobbling skills may be great, but I'd like the real thing. Also, I knew that Seiko Tank just couldn't be $30.
Its a working Citizen based watch for a bargain price. nice!
Cool find! I love tinkering with these cheapo watches. I don't feel so bad when I over oil the movement or get a speck of dust on the dial. And I love them that much more knowing I worked on them and that there's a bit of my personality in the watch.
Yeah, anytime I see Citizen or Seiko on Ebay, I check shipping origin. Their cobbling skills may be great, but I'd like the real thing. Also, I knew that Seiko Tank just couldn't be $30.
Yeah, the price frequently sends me to the "ships from" section. :(
That looks pretty good
"I called up Zurich and moved some money around and then pulled the trigger on this $17 beauty -- shipped."
Best line!
Love HMT. I have a couple of legit factory watches and this obviously hand-painted dial that I dig just as much.
I’ve got 3 HMTs (one’s for parts, none currently functional) and the big problem is parts scarcity. The movement was a licensed version of that in the Citizen Homer from the late 50s/early 60s and parts just don’t exist anymore. Citizen doesn’t carry anything for it anymore, not even the stem. I wish you luck, luckily I’ve a friend starting watchmaking school this spring and he has a unit where they have to make stems from scratch. He’ll service them properly too 😊
I tried. One didn't show up at all, the second one had a bad balance and the stem snapped off the second time I wound it.