5 watches under Rs 2.5 lakh that are absolutely worth it

The golden enamel dial on Anordain’s Model 2 Flax is complemented by the blue hour and minute hands that feature Super-Luminova tips. The Model 2 is available in 36mm and 38mm brushed steel cases.

It is possible to acquire solid, well-made, and attractive watches for a lot less money than you’ve been led to believe. These five timepieces from popular independent watchmakers are proof.

Straight off the bat, let's warn you that there’s an awfully long waiting list for Anordain’s watches – as much as five years, according to some reports. But the wait will be worth it. Founded in Glasgow, in 2018, by former electronics entrepreneur Lewis Heath, Anordain is among very few watchmakers in the world that create the ethereally beautiful grand feu enamel dials in-house. Grand feu enamelling is the art of applying ground crystals of soft glass or enamel to a metal disc base (or dial) and then firing it in a kiln at temperatures over 800 degrees Celsius. The result is watch dials with remarkable depth and vividity and in the most extraordinary of colours, from plum to teal.

Anordain’s Model 2 Flax is just the right kind of timepiece to be obsessed with. The golden hue of the vitreous enamel dial is complemented by the blue hour and minute hands that feature Super-Luminova tips. The field-watch inspired Model 2 is available in 36mm and 38mm brushed steel cases and you can choose between a hand-winding movement from Sellita, or a Le Joux Perret automatic movement.

GBP 1,995 (around Rs 2.1 lakh)

The 10th anniversary edition of Autodromo Vallelunga.

Autodromo, founded by former product designer and petrol head Bradly Price, offers several delights such as the Vic Elford 1969 edition, which honours the eponymous British racing driver, and the Prototipo Chronograph. But its brightest star, in my opinion, is the Vallelunga, the timepiece it debuted with over a decade ago.

The 10th anniversary edition of the watch, which is inspired by racing tachymetres of the 1960s and named after the famous race track outside Rome, gets an automatic movement, has a case size of 40mm, and is water resistant up to 50m. Autodromo offers three colour options for the dial – grey, black, and white – and the watch comes with a channelled leather strap.

$695 (around Rs 58,000 at current exchange rate)

Bangalore Watch Company’s latest launch, Admiral, is inspired by India’s nautical heritage. More specifically, the iconic INS Vikrant R11 aircraft carrier. The 40mm Admiral features a stainless-steel case with black PVD coating and sapphire crystal on top, and the caseback is decorated with an image of the Vikrant’s anchor chain. The grey dial, made from steel recovered from the Vikrant, evokes the aircraft carrier’s hull and sports a silhouette of the naval vessel at 9 o’clock. The limited edition watch is powered by a Le Joux Perret automatic movement with a power reserve of 68 hours, and has a water-resistance of 100 metres.

Rs 212,000

BWC Mach 1 Admiral's grey dial is made from steel recovered from the INS Vikrant.

Elka is the brainchild of watch industry veteran Hakim El Kadiri. The Neuchatel-based watchmaker, which launched last year on Kickstarter, has resurrected a defunct Dutch watch brand of the same name (incidentally, and serendipitously, El Kadiri’s nickname is Elka). Its main line of watches, the D Series, is inspired by a clean '60s aesthetic, but there is sportier stuff such as the X Series which has an intriguing dial with double-digit Arabic numerals. What would we pick? That would be the elegant D01, which features a silver dial with rose gold indexes and a lovely cognac-coloured suede strap. The D Series is powered by a Le Joux Perret automatic movement.

$1800 (around Rs 1.5 lakh)

If you are looking for a retro chronograph with a hand-wind movement, the Baltic Tricompax should be on your radar.

Baltic has a reputation for making attractive, well-made watches such as the HMS 001, Bicompax 001 chronograph, and Aquascaphe diver. Its Tricompax, released last year, is another addition to that list. While it might be the most expensive Baltic around, there’s a lot to love about this watch: the on-point 39.5mm case, the stamped guilloche on the counters, and that wide tachymeter bezel. The Tricompax is powered by a SW510-M caliber, a mechanical hand-wound chronograph movement, and comes with “panda” and “reverse panda” dial configurations. If you are looking for a retro chronograph with a hand-wind movement, the Tricompax should be on your radar.

$1777 (around Rs 1.5 lakh)