The Delhi Watch Company looked beyond traditional watchmaking for the Terra, creating an unconventional field watch that sold out within minutes of its release.

There are only so many ways to reinvent a wristwatch—or so the watch industry would have us believe. Delhi Watch Company's Terra makes a convincing argument that everyone simply needs to venture outside the usual sources of Swiss inspiration.
Created to celebrate the Indian microbrand's fifth anniversary, the Terra takes its shape not from a vintage military reference or an obscure archival model, but from a carabiner: the familiar spring-loaded hook clipped to backpacks, harnesses, and climbing equipment. Its asymmetrical case appears carved from the tool itself, with a parachute strap passing beneath the case instead of attaching to conventional lugs. The result is rugged, graphic, and instantly recognizable.

The Delhi Watch Company's Terra pairs an angular silver-tone case with a black woven strap that passes beneath the watch. Courtesy of Delhi Watch Company.

The Terra's silver-tone case and black woven strap offer a contemporary interpretation of the traditional field watch. Courtesy of Delhi Watch Company.

It is also remarkably inexpensive. The original Grade 2 titanium Terra was priced at ₹3,999, or roughly $45, and limited to 5,555 pieces. When the first batch went on sale in December 2025, it sold out within minutes. Days later, the watch was appearing across the social media feeds of collectors and watch publications far beyond India, despite the company undertaking no international marketing campaign.
The initial concept, however, was far from strategic. "The Terra began as a fun idea," explains Anish Dandwani, founder of Delhi Watch Company. "Our lead designer, Ishaan Vajpai, had the idea for a carabiner-style watch, partly inspired by his hatred for traditional lugs on watches." Several possibilities were considered, including loops and cavities through which a one-piece strap could pass. Then came the breakthrough: "Eventually, we realized that the hook itself captured the true essence of a carabiner. Once we arrived at that, the identity of the watch became much clearer."
That clarity is what makes the Terra work. Rather than adding mountaineering-inspired details to an otherwise conventional field watch, the designers reconsidered the architecture of the case itself. The titanium profile was engineered in tandem with its manufacturing process, using techniques including water-jet cutting and wire EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining, which uses controlled electrical sparks to make highly precise cuts) before receiving its final machining and finishing. The novel approach reduced material waste and simplified production while preserving the watch’s unconventional form.
Inside is a straightforward quartz movement. The matte black dial is paired with syringe hands and vintage-toned Japanese luminous material. None of this is especially extravagant, and that is precisely the point. “Its simplicity has become one of its defining characteristics, along with its unusual design, proving that something truly unique doesn’t have to be unnecessarily complicated,” says Dandwani.

A closer look at the Delhi Watch Company's Terra case, featuring an unconventional design inspired by a carabiner. Courtesy of Delhi Watch Company.

Delhi Watch Company was founded in 2020, inspired partly by the rise of independent brands such as Ming and Anordain, as well as India’s enduring enthusiasm for HMT, the country’s government-owned watchmaker. Yet DWC’s strongest ideas remain rooted closer to home. Its collections have drawn on Devanagari typography, Indian geography, and the bioluminescent shores of Havelock Island. “There is a story attached to every watch we make,” says Dandwani. “I believe that resonates with our core audience on a deeper level than simply liking the design or the specifications.”
That audience is becoming increasingly international, as DWC has now shipped watches to more than 100 countries. "Word of mouth crosses borders and finds its way to people in completely different parts of the world.” The brand’s real achievement with the Terra, though, is not simply that an inexpensive watch went viral. It is that a young Indian company created something genuinely original, priced it to encourage curiosity rather than exclusivity, and found admirers around the world eager to embrace it.

Three variations of the Delhi Watch Company's Terra, featuring black and silver-tone cases, dark dials, and black woven straps. Courtesy of Delhi Watch Company.

Made in India: The Carabiner Watch That Went Global

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