Jaipur Watch Company unveils its most artistic watches yet
Gaurav Mehta of Jaipur Watch Company just launched its debut collection called the Premium Baagh. Here, Gaurav took the symbol of royal Indian sovereignty, the golden baagh (tiger), and set it within a multi-layered artistic canvas. The dial features a backdrop of hand-cut turquoise stone brickwork mosaic, set in vivid contrast against an off-centre time display wrapped in authentic pink muslin khadi fabric. A miniature 3D chhatri inspired by Rajput architecture is set with a genuine ruby and framed by delicate courtly filigree. He also launched The Gates of India collection, which celebrates architectural monumentality through interactive design. Gaurav takes us through his labours of love.
How did you navigate the creative tension between that rugged functionality and Fauvism’s vivid, emotion-driven world?
Navigating that creative tension meant for finding harmony between two inherently opposing philosophies: Fauvism teaches that colour should be used liberated from reality to convey raw emotion, whereas fine watchmaking demands absolute mathematical precision and structural coldness. Rather than muting these contrasting forces, I chose to treat vivid colours and raw textures as structural engineering components. In the Premium Baagh, stainless steel and Swiss mechanical engineering provide the rugged, technical backbone, but we injected an unapologetic, high-emotion palette into the dial layout. The electric sky-blue of the turquoise mosaic intentionally clashes with the soft, organic warmth of the pink muslin khadi fabric, echoing the expressive intensity of Fauvist colour theory.
Could you walk us through the design and engineering challenges of creating a reversible watch that houses structural architectural elements?
Engineering a reversible flip-case mechanism is notoriously complex in its own right because even a fraction of a millimetre can directly affect the watch’s silhouette and balance. When you introduce high-relief, three-dimensional architectural structures into that equation, the physical tolerances become microscopically thin. Our primary hurdle was managing vertical clearance without sacrificing ergonomics. Sculpted micro-carvings of towering stone monuments like the Red Fort or Charminar require physical depth, so we had to completely re-engineer the internal layout, movement positioning, and crystal heights to keep the watch sleek and comfortable on the wrist without flattening the intricate relief artwork.
How does the Gates of India collection elevate your philosophy of quiet luxury compared to your previous edits?
Where our previous creations made bold, immediate visual declarations, the Gates of India elevates our philosophy into the realm of interactive, quiet luxury. Brides of Jaipur was a celebration of bridal opulence through heavy filigree and gemstone grandeur. At the same time, The Baagh Collection embodied raw royal sovereignty through bold, high-relief golden sculptures and visible open-heart mechanics. Both of those edits were designed to capture immediate attention from across a room. Gates of India, by contrast, understands that true modern luxury lies in personal intimacy and subtle discovery. On the surface, the watch presents a clean, sophisticated, high-horology aesthetic that fits effortlessly into formal occasions. The true magic remains hidden until the wearer chooses to engage with the piece, using the proprietary flip mechanism to reveal the sculpted national monument on the reverse side. It transforms wearable history from an outward visual statement into a private, tactile experience shared exclusively between the watch and its owner.