If there’s one thing that Karan Vaidya’s got his hands on, it’s time! In a single glance, he can dissect a watch’s complex mechanics, trace its heritage, and share exactly how it should be styled. He would know, having grown up around some of the world’s most coveted timepieces and craftsmanship, with his father, Biren Vaidya, being a well-known figure in the Indian luxury sphere. From trips to Baselworld and Hong Kong to visiting stores with him, Karan had the chance to see the industry up close.
What stayed was the emotion surrounding a watch. As a scion and next-gen entrepreneur, Karan has that understanding of horology. With his Columbia education and experience honing his knowledge in the family retail spire in India—the 45-year-old House of Rose and as head of Rose: The Watch Bar, he’s revving up the watches chat, contemporary style.
It’s based on one question that has kept afloat in his mind all along: “Why can't a luxury watch tell a distinctly Indian story?”
Enter IST 1947. A collection by Karan that touches on three things inherent to Indian culture and daily life: work, a love for cricket, and Indian wildlife. As Karan puts it: “The watches we see today tell other people’s stories. My idea was to create watches that tell Indian stories, so cricket, travel, and safaris came to mind. Every piece took time and energy to create, but I’m very proud of what I’ve put there—all the concepts of a luxury watch, but at a lower price point.”
The young watchmaker talks to Manifest about his new vision, why he likes the idea of a ‘seven pheras’ watch, and lessons learned from his connoisseur dad.
What was the moment that made you want to build a watch brand, and why did you feel now was the right time to launch IST 1947?
Karan Vaidya (KV): I was sitting in a meeting with a watch brand in Italy, looking at a dial made with pieces of gold that resembled the cobbled streets of Rome. It was magnificent. But the thought that stayed with me was, "Why couldn’t a watch tell an Indian story?"
That question eventually became the starting point for IST 1947. “I didn’t want to make a diver’s watch or a sailing watch, as not many people in India do either. My idea was to tell Indian stories, so I thought of sports and travel and safaris came to mind.
The concept is simple: all the watches we consume today tell stories and other people’s stories. They don’t tell any Indian stories. Some talk about sports we don’t play. Even the standard GMT watch doesn’t account for the Indian half hour. For me, we had to tell Indian stories, and every watch took time and energy to create. Across food, fashion, hospitality, and so many other industries, we’re increasingly proud to choose Indian brands. I felt it was time for watches to catch up. We've also taken all the concepts of a luxury watch but put it at a lower price point.
Was your aim to create different worlds for one customer, from a field watch to a dress watch, a sports watch and more?
(KV): Yes, very much so. The same person can love a dress watch for an evening out, a field watch for a weekend away, and a sports watch for everyday wear. I wanted IST 1947 to have room for all those sides of someone’s personality.
Watch brands can become closely associated with one particular style, which makes it harder to give an existing customer a fresh reason to return. We introduced IST 1947 with three distinct collections because we wanted that breadth from the beginning. I saw an opportunity to build an Indian brand whose identity came from its perspective and storytelling, while allowing the watches themselves to be very different.
Does today’s customer want their watches to have global design but also an Indian ethos?
(KV): I think customers want good design first and a story that gives them a deeper connection to it. For us, the starting point is a familiar watch category, whether that’s a dress watch, a field watch, or a sports watch, which we then translate through an Indian lens.
When we talk about an Indian ethos, we want to go beyond obvious symbols. We’re interested in the India we know: its places, wildlife, sporting memories, and everyday experiences. The Indian story should shape the design itself, so the connection feels considered and authentic.
For someone who’s grown up surrounded by watches, how has that influenced your designs?
(KV): Growing up around watches gave me a chance to see how tastes change and which designs continue to feel relevant years later. It taught me to look beyond the excitement of a passing trend.
That has shaped how I approach IST 1947. I want our watches to have a distinct identity but also to be pieces people can keep wearing for years. The storytelling might draw someone in initially, but the proportions, detailing, and how the watch feels on the wrist are what make them reach for it again.
Your brand is IST 1947, named after September 1, 1947, when independent India adopted Indian Standard Time as its official national time. Did that hold a special significance for you?
(KV): Absolutely. The idea of an independent India setting its own time felt like a powerful starting point for the brand.
There’s also something wonderfully fitting about our half-hour offset. It became a way for us to think about time on our own terms. Because time in India is more than what a watch dial measures. It’s shaped by people, relationships, rituals, and occasions. It can be chaotic, elastic, and a little unpredictable, but it’s unmistakably ours. I wanted the name to capture both that national identity and that lived experience.
Could Arka be imagined as a wedding watch, something a groom wears on the day and eventually passes down to the next generation?
(KV): Absolutely. Arka is our Indian interpretation of a traditional dress watch, so I can very much imagine it being worn by a groom on his wedding day. Its connection to the Konark Sun Temple gives it a story rooted in India, while the design lends itself to formal occasions.
We want to create watches people keep, wear, and attach memories to. A wedding is a beautiful starting point for that. The hope is that, with care over the years, the watch becomes something worth passing on because of both its design and the memories it carries.
Take us into the detailing in the Vanya collection, from the paw prints to the map and lettering.
(KV): Vanya celebrates the wild heart of India. Each watch is inspired by a particular wildlife destination and the animal associated with it.
At 12 o’clock, the numeral appears in the regional script. At 3 and 9, animal tracks move clockwise around the dial, suggesting the experience of following an animal through the wild. That same motif appears on the crown.
On the caseback, you’ll find the outline of the state, the watch’s name in the regional script, and the coordinates of the wildlife destination, with the animal paw motif marking its location on the map. We wanted the details to reward a closer look, with each one revealing a little more about the place behind the watch.
Watches have traditionally been an important part of the groom’s wedding wardrobe and often become heirlooms. How do you see IST 1947 fitting into the modern Indian wedding?
(KV): The modern Indian wedding wardrobe is already bringing together traditional influences and contemporary design. You see it in the cuts, fabrics, and the way people put their outfits together.
I see IST 1947 fitting naturally into that evolution. A watch can bring an Indian story into a contemporary accessory, adding something personal to the groom’s look. And long after the wedding outfit has been put away, it’s something he can continue wearing, carrying a memory of that day into everyday life.
If you were to design a watch specifically for the modern Indian wedding, what would it look and feel like?
(KV): I’d want it to feel celebratory and personal, with details you discover gradually. The dial could draw on the seven pheras, the movement and energy of a baraat, or the intricate patterns of mehendi.
There could also be a lovely connection between the watch and the wedding outfit. A textile strap might use the same fabric as the groom’s turban or the bride’s lehenga. The idea would be to capture something meaningful from the celebration in a watch they could continue wearing long after the wedding.
What are the lessons you learned from your father, Biren Vaidya, and how have they shaped IST 1947?
(KV): One of the biggest lessons I learned from him was to commit fully to whatever you choose to do. He has a very memorable way of putting it: “Never do something in half.” What he always stresses is to give something with your complete effort, without keeping one foot out of the door. When I started IST 1947, I took that to heart.
Another philosophy he has always built around is that the customer is our reason for being. That shaped how we approached the brand, from the packaging to the digital warranty and after-sales support. We wanted the experience of buying and owning an IST 1947 to feel as considered as the watch itself.