If you are an Indian or a Sri Lankan, you will instantly know the meaning of the term Nalla Neram – “a good time” or an “auspicious time”. Now, this famous Tamil term has become a brand name for a watch made in Neuchâtel, Switzerland by passion-driven Indian watch aficionado Krishnamani Raman.
Raman, after a long career in multinational companies across different industries, has expressed his love for watches through this new micro brand. His intention is not just to present another watch, but to infuse his creations with personality. Besides its architectural case, elaborate dial and column-wheel chronograph, the brand’s first model, the Nalla Neram Kaalam Minutes Timer, also brings references to the founder’s country of origin, India, with thoughtful details.
Distinctive design
The first thing that grabs the eye with the Nalla Neram Kaalam Minutes Timer is its elaborate and distinctive design that stands out even among well-known Swiss watches. Fashioned out of 316L stainless steel, its 39mm case stands out with its sophisticated architecture. It blends together a rounded bezel and shrouded lugs, with a sculpted recess on their side – one of these features a small Swiss cross in a nod to the watch being crafted in Switzerland. Its profile shows bead-polished ridges, hand-polished square pushers and a crown with a laser-engraved chakra (wheel) symbol.
It also features box sapphire crystals on both sides of the watch, which is also a bit unusual. The front one protects the dial, while the one at the back aims at allowing the chronograph movement to be admired in detail. This unusual choice also proves to offer great wearing comfort. The watch is water-resistant up to 100 metres, making it suitable for an active lifestyle including swimming and snorkelling, but not deep/SCUBA diving.
Available in either anthracite or blue, the grained dial of the Kaalam Minutes Timer stands out with its original layout. The two chronograph counters (30 minutes and 12 hours) feature a concentric pattern.
Instead of a running second, the constant flow of time is displayed by the rotating polished chakra wheel. As Raman explains, “like time itself, the chakra never stops slowly spinning, moving us forward from the past, through the present, and into the future”.
At the periphery of the dial, minutes are indicated on two concentric rings to provide enhanced legibility. Each third minute is highlighted in orange printing with reference to the days of “trunk calls,” when long distance phone calls in India were limited to just three minutes.
The term Nalla Neram serves as the brand’s key inspiration and guiding principle, with the goal being to make watches that allow their wearers to take control of their precious time.
In the words of Raman, the Kaalam Minutes Timer is a watch that is “all about harnessing the power of our minutes each and every day to live the best life possible. Time is the most valuable resource any of us has – and it should be valued as such. Lost time cannot be retrieved, but we can thoughtfully spend our time better as it passes, if it is managed properly”.
The watch is powered by the Swiss La Joux-Perret L112 calibre. This self-winding integrated chronograph is upgraded with a column wheel to control the chronograph functions instead of a cam-lever system. It beats at 28,800 Vibrations per Hour (vph) and boasts a 60-hour power reserve if not worn. According to the brand, it is regulated to an accuracy of +4/-4 seconds per day in five positions, though it does not have official COSC certification. The decoration is rather traditional with Geneva stripes and blued screws. The blackened tungsten open-worked rotor (with a Chakra wheel) brings a more contemporary touch to the watch.
The Nalla Neram Kaalam Minutes Timer comes with three different straps – a steel mesh bracelet fitted with quick-release spring bars and two rubber straps fitted with a pin buckle.
The Nalla Neram Kaalam Minutes Timer is delivered in an original Japanese-made Paulownia wood box that includes a cool set of tools and accessories: the spare straps, a loupe, a Bergeon spring-bar tool and replacement spring bars. The watch is priced around CHF 4,000 (LKR 1.4 million approx). Look out for more releases from this brand soon.
(Nalla Neram Via Monochrome)
