This is an archive article published on August 6, 2023

Know Your City: Souvenirs of a bygone era tick away on display shelves at HMT museum in Bengaluru

Visitors can buy pieces from the remaining stock at discounted rates in the attached souvenir store at HMT Heritage Centre and Museum in Jalahalli.

For those who like to walk down this chapter of memory lane, HMT Heritage Centre and Museum in Jalahalli is the place to go. (Express photo by Jithendra M)

By: Express News Service

4 min readBengaluruAug 7, 2023 08:35 AM IST First published on: Aug 6, 2023 at 12:36 PM IST

As India came into its own in the 1970s and ’80s, certain homegrown classics came to define some products. For cars, it was Ambassador. For children’s comics, it was Amar Chitra Katha. And for the middle-class professional just coming up in life, his wristwatch was most likely a piece made by Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT).

For those who like to walk down this chapter of memory lane, HMT Heritage Centre and Museum in Jalahalli is the place to go.

HMT Heritage Centre and Museum in Jalahalli (Express photo by Jithendra M)

The museum’s first room takes visitors through the history of HMT’s various factories – the manufacturing of the iconic watches began in 1961 in Bengaluru, tying up with the Japanese firm Citizen Watch. A certificate on display also commemorates the inauguration of the third HMT factory at Pinjore – signed by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself.

Nehru

The museum then progresses on the various minuscule parts in the “movement” or mechanical core of the watch – available for viewing under magnifying glasses and microscopes. The progression of watch dials over time is also apparent – from the simple coin dials of the early 1960s to the multifunction displays of the early 21st century. The tools of the watchmaker’s trade are also on display, from fine brushes and magnifiers to larger horological jigs.

Besides dials and disassembled pieces and tools, hundreds of the watches that HMT made its name with are also on display, including the classic Janata model. (Express photo by Jithendra M)

Further in, HMT has also put its history as a heavy manufacturer on show – from a quaint attendance punching machine common to factories of the time, to heavy tractor engines and even a hand-operated printing press dating back to 1886. The importance of these industries today might seem mundane – but as is apparent from a photograph of Sir Visveswaraya examining the production floor, this was once a matter taken seriously at the highest levels.

(Express photo by Jithendra M)

Besides dials and disassembled pieces and tools, hundreds of the watches that HMT made its name with are also on display, including the classic Janata model. Some of them are unique as watches go – from the gem-studded Utsav watches made for women, to a watch that sports a 1-gram gold biscuit in the middle of the dial. HMT later went on to build watches that recorded the phases of the moon, and other models with detachable displays with Braille lettering. But it did not last – by 2016, HMT had ceased producing watches as financial losses finally caught up.

The company has had its impact on the city in other ways as well – the Clock Tower at Omkar Hills, for one, and the floral clock near the entrance of Lalbagh. (Express photo by Jithendra M)

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The company has had its impact on the city in other ways as well – the Clock Tower at Omkar Hills, for one, and the floral clock near the entrance of Lalbagh. But the watches, at least, are not entirely lost – visitors can buy pieces from the remaining stock at discounted rates in the attached souvenir store. Entry to the museum is priced at Rs 30 per adult.

# Know Your City