After a long couple of years' anticipation, last Tuesday a pair of Airavata's arrived in the post.
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I'm sure everybody here knows the story of these watches, but just in case you missed it, read this:
https://www.watchuseek.com/f71/complete-ongoing-history-bau-40mm-project-airavata-1888986.html
I'm seriously loving these watches. They start with all that's best of the classic Janata/Pilot shape and then make it into something more remarkable through increased size, vivid colour and a myriad of subtle details.
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Mind you, I must admit that they're not all perfect. The blue one stopped briefly on Wednesday morning. It restarted when I turned it over for a look. Hopefully it just needs a bit of use, but on the other hand there is debris visible on the movement even under moderate magnification. And the movements on both watches, although they sound and feel excellent, really do look like the last items left in the HMT inventory.
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For many people here, those comments would be a damning indictment disqualifying this watch from consideration on the wish list. And that's why I'm saying it, as I also know there are some who are inclined to rush in any buy whatever is trending without really considering if it is the right thing for them. I love these watches because they're my kind of thing. The roughness inside is not bothering me because it is all part of the story. This project was conceived as a potential renaissance for HMT, but as it turned out it wasn't even a swan song. The factory closed but the project continued externally under the most trying conditions. These watches, whatever their flaws, are a worthy tribute to all those who laboured hard to complete them.
Incidentally, neither watch has missed a beat since Wednesday, and they are keeping good time.
Moving on to more things that I love about these watches, just take a look at that blue dial! It is so incredibly vivid:
![Image]()
This is right on the limit of how bright I like a watches to be, but that blue changes subtly in response to ambient lighting from almost purple under certain artificial light through to laser beam brightness when sunlight catches the radial brushing. For comparison with other famously blue watches, here's a photo with the blue dial variants from the Russian forum's Vostok 5/6 Mission project and the Chinese forum's ST-5 project:
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By contrast, the green dial is rather more understated, and less changeable according to the light:
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It's certainly less in-your-face than the famous Luch Big Green (of which I happen to have one of the lighter, shinier dial variants):
![Image]()
You may notice that I have not changed the strap on either watch. Nor do I intend to for a while at least. I really like the stock strap (which would be a first on an Indian watch).
So that is all I can think to comment about the Airavata watches for now. I hope you like the pictures. Here are a couple more:
![Image]()
![Image]()
I'm sure everybody here knows the story of these watches, but just in case you missed it, read this:
https://www.watchuseek.com/f71/complete-ongoing-history-bau-40mm-project-airavata-1888986.html
I'm seriously loving these watches. They start with all that's best of the classic Janata/Pilot shape and then make it into something more remarkable through increased size, vivid colour and a myriad of subtle details.
Mind you, I must admit that they're not all perfect. The blue one stopped briefly on Wednesday morning. It restarted when I turned it over for a look. Hopefully it just needs a bit of use, but on the other hand there is debris visible on the movement even under moderate magnification. And the movements on both watches, although they sound and feel excellent, really do look like the last items left in the HMT inventory.
For many people here, those comments would be a damning indictment disqualifying this watch from consideration on the wish list. And that's why I'm saying it, as I also know there are some who are inclined to rush in any buy whatever is trending without really considering if it is the right thing for them. I love these watches because they're my kind of thing. The roughness inside is not bothering me because it is all part of the story. This project was conceived as a potential renaissance for HMT, but as it turned out it wasn't even a swan song. The factory closed but the project continued externally under the most trying conditions. These watches, whatever their flaws, are a worthy tribute to all those who laboured hard to complete them.
Incidentally, neither watch has missed a beat since Wednesday, and they are keeping good time.
Moving on to more things that I love about these watches, just take a look at that blue dial! It is so incredibly vivid:
This is right on the limit of how bright I like a watches to be, but that blue changes subtly in response to ambient lighting from almost purple under certain artificial light through to laser beam brightness when sunlight catches the radial brushing. For comparison with other famously blue watches, here's a photo with the blue dial variants from the Russian forum's Vostok 5/6 Mission project and the Chinese forum's ST-5 project:
By contrast, the green dial is rather more understated, and less changeable according to the light:
It's certainly less in-your-face than the famous Luch Big Green (of which I happen to have one of the lighter, shinier dial variants):
You may notice that I have not changed the strap on either watch. Nor do I intend to for a while at least. I really like the stock strap (which would be a first on an Indian watch).
So that is all I can think to comment about the Airavata watches for now. I hope you like the pictures. Here are a couple more:
