[Scarlet_Rider]

Ever since I came across this post (Which watch do you own?), I wanted to visit the HMT Heritage Centre & Museum.

Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/F4CSmPdNvrvGqn666








The opportunity came this past weekend when I was in Bangalore. Reached Bangalore on Saturday afternoon by Vande Bharat Express and met up with office colleagues in the evening. Attended the 15th anniversary meet of Fiat Club Bangalore (FCB) on Sunday. Link: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-...ml#post5751580 (Fiat 1100 Club - Bangalore [FCB])

My return train (Vande Bharat Express again) to Hyderabad was on Monday at 2:45 PM. Hence, decided the use the morning time to visit the HMT heritage centre.

As per Google, the timings were 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM. Reached there at 10:00 AM. The place has good amount of parking space for 2 and 4 wheelers, however I was traveling in Bangalore city by Uber.



The security guard mentioned that the museum has still not opened as the person who manages it is on the way. He asked me to check out the souvenir shop and other exhibits within the premises. There is no charge for this.

Below are the pictures of the souvenir shop. There are discounts being offered for some models. However, there were no iconic ones like Pilot, Janata, etc. available.















The open area has exhibits of HMT tractors. A tractor ride is also available at INR 30.00 for those who are interested. There is decent play area for children as well.

Children's Play Area and Tractor Ride













The ride tractor with added seating for visitors.

[Scarlet_Rider]

The Tractors



HMT Model 3522









HMT Model 2522











Zetor 6011 - No information regarding the name of this model.

















After checking out all these, it was 10:45 AM and there was still no sign of the person who has the keys to the museum. Hence, decided to check out the HMT Watches ABD (Auxiliary Business Division) showroom that was about a kilometer away from the museum.

Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/3G1qBPPfHGKwn7ZU7

This place has more watches compared to the souvenir shop. According to the person in charge, the stock of Pilot, Janata, etc. series is expected sometime next month. After checking out the watches had coffee at Kadamba Gardenia hotel next to the watch showroom and walked back to the museum by 11:45 AM.

[Scarlet_Rider]

The museum was finally open. Purchased the ticket for INR 30.00. The long wait did not disappoint. The amount of exhibits and details that are displayed here are worth it. I’ll let the pictures do the talking. All were taken on my mobile camera. Had to rush a bit at the end as I had to go back to my hotel, check out and reach the station to catch the 2:45 PM train.

The 20 minute timings from 11:00 AM to 11:20 AM and 2:30 PM to 2:50 PM seem to be that of the video show referred to in the second picture below. Did not inquire about it due to the limited time I had.









Wish these iconic watches were in regular production.















Good idea of having a magnifying glass to view the various movements in detail.







Tried clicking pictures through the microscope!













The details of the case and dial manufacturing process was in good detail. The variety of dials and cases were impressive considering the time period back then.













Parts of a watch placed separately in a block of glass like material. Not exactly sure what material it is.







A neat collection of boxes of various styles and sizes.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Museum Pictures (Part 2)



Blanking Die Sets for the hours, minutes and seconds hand production. As per Wikipedia, blanking produces outside features of the component and piercing is used to produce the internal shapes/holes.























Not sure what this is. Could be the staff attendance machine that uses punch cards.







A collection of equipment used to test watches during their making / after they are made.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Museum Pictures (Part 3)

Did not observe what exactly the punch box had. This could be used for punching the letters/numbers on the watch case.



Various type of jigs.



















After you visit all the above rooms which are small, you are lead to this big hall which has lots of machinery and other things on display.



HMT staff uniforms.



This display board had samples of employee service certificates, ID cards, medical cards and payroll slips.



Punching clock that was used to track staff attendance.



Display cases used back then for new watch releases.









Did not try this selfie point!











A book display case.



Lot of various types of machines. Tried my best to capture the machine along with details card wherever possible.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Museum Pictures (Part 4)

























The cut model of the tractor was impressive.











The collection of lights on the wall. All of them looked the same.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Museum Pictures (Part 5)

Safety and health policy card placed in a rather unhealthy position!









This hand operated Colombian press was pretty impressive!







The carvings on it were magnificent!











Few machines like these did not have any descriptions.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ABHI_1512]

A true gem of independent India. HMT became a part of our lives for so long and was a shining example of the technological prowess that our country possessed. It was a truly world class company promoted by the Indian Government and they made remarkable products.

Thank you Scarlet_Rider for penning this wonderful thread. Beautifully written and providing ample amount of history to the younger generation who probably haven’t even heard the name of this once famous company. I so wish to visit this museum some day and buy some of the products, just to reminisce the days gone by.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Originally Posted by Scarlet_Rider

After you visit all the above rooms which are small, you are lead to this big hall which has lots of machinery and other things on display.

Post this you enter the section that has the stars of the museum, the watches!



The variety of watches on display is amazing!

[Scarlet_Rider]

The Special watches and Braille watches section.







































The sword can be seen once you enter the museum.



Handle end of the sword.

[asingh1977]

Really informative and interesting. HMT is still a source for watch collectors. Many thanks for this!

[VaibhaoT]

Thanks a lot for sharing. Couple of months back, while returning from IKEA we noticed this museum. It was closed for the day. We will definitely plan a visit here soon.

I want to buy first watch for my daughter. I think a HMT will be an apt choice for her rather than fancy smart watch.

[sunilarkt]

Our family owned an HMT 4511 tractor for twenty-nine years (it costed 2.5l in 1993). It was one of the most reliable and fuel-efficient farm equipment we have ever owned. Those tractors were incredibly well-made and dependable. Unfortunately, it is a great shame that government bureaucracy and mismanagement ended their production. Thanks a lot for sharing. One for the checklist

[Contrapunto]

It is case study of how good intentions alone can not ensure success over the long-term. The brand AND the employees themselves would have been better served if the govt had de-merged its various divisions and sold them off to a qualified buyer - maybe Tatas (Titan) or even a foreign brand keen on entering India.

I'm sure the employees deserved better than seeing their life's work wither away. Labour unions' dogmatic opposition to privatisation and employees who resist change all the way - neither group have been well-served by this policy. Here is an article about government throwing more good money (taxpayers' of course) after the bad. Using it to create a trust fund for the employees retired natural life and winding down the company would have been a far better spend of these funds. The poor employees would have retired without financial worries., at least.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india...Q0wnLs3QN.html

On another note, HMT was founded in 1953 with sovereign funding and support. Seiko produced its first watch, an automatic, in 1956. Just look at the different trajectories of the two organisations. This story is also a sad testament to our disastrous "state will decide, state will provide" philosophy. Sad.