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HMT Watches once commanded over 90% of India’s wristwatch market, but when it shuttered its doors in 2016 few were left surprised. The watch division of HMT, the company first incorporated by the Indian government in 1953 as a manufacturer of machine tools, had been struggling financially for over a decade before its closure. Competition was eating away at valuable market share, and HMT was slow to respond. The Indian government made the decision to scale things down in 2014, and then two years later it was no more.
But now, according to The Hindu, in an effort to secure the important legacy of India’s one-time largest wristwatch manufacture, HMT is planning to erect a wristwatch and clock museum in Bengaluru, India that will celebrate the brand’s long and storied history. Construction on the tentatively named HMT Heritage Center and Museum is currently ongoing.
When it opens visitors can expect to be treated to displays of not some, but all models ever manufactured by HMT. Additionally, the museum will feature tools, machines, schematics, and all sorts of HMT-related ephemera from over the years.
Altogether, this is a pretty cool effort to make sure the story of one of India’s most important watchmakers continues to be told.
