Did You Know? Nalla Neram Built Its Entire Philosophy Around A Three-Minute Phone Call

Every third minute on the Nalla Neram Kaalam Minutes Timer dial is printed in orange. Not for aesthetic reasons. Because in India, trunk calls were measured in three-minute intervals. Before STD became universal in the 1980s and mobile phones eliminated the concept entirely, making a long-distance call in India meant going through an operator who connected you manually. The Indian Telegraph Rules of 1951 defined a "Single Period or Unit" as three minutes or part thereof. When your time expired, the operator would interrupt to ask if you wanted to extend. Those three minutes were measured, managed, and expensive. They mattered.

Krishnamani Raman, who founded Nalla Neram near Neuchâtel in 2024, built his entire debut watch around this fact. The name itself, Nalla Neram, translates from Tamil as "auspicious time" or the proper moment when major life events occur. The watch exists to help professionals manage their daily tasks in defined numbers of minutes. Every minute counts, literally. All 60 are printed on dual concentric tracks at the dial's periphery. The orange markers at every third minute create instant visual reference points tied directly to how Indians historically measured time on trunk calls. This is not superficial cultural decoration. This is engineering philosophy rooted in lived experience. The entire case design, movement selection, and complication layout serve one purpose: making minutes the primary unit of time management rather than vague hour blocks.

When a New Brand Chooses the Best Movement Available
Most independent watch brands launching their first piece choose safe, proven movements. Miyota 9015 for three handers. ETA 2824 derivatives. Maybe a Sellita SW200 if the budget allows. Nalla Neram went straight for La Joux-Perret Caliber L112. La Joux-Perret is owned by Citizen but operates as a standalone Swiss manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. They build movements for brands you've heard of: Frederique Constant, Alpina, Fortis, Sinn. The L112 is their integrated automatic chronograph derived from ETA 7750 architecture but upgraded with column wheel actuation instead of cam and lever. It measures 30.4mm diameter, 7.9mm height, contains 26 jewels, beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, and delivers 60 hours of power reserve.

The movement is regulated to plus or minus four seconds per day in five positions. The decoration includes Geneva stripes and blued screws. The rotor is blackened tungsten with an openworked chakra wheel design instead of standard running seconds, creating immediate visual connection to Indian symbolism while serving the functional purpose of indicating the movement is running. For a debut watch from an independent brand, this represents serious intent. The L112 costs significantly more than alternatives. Brands using it typically price above 3,000 Swiss francs. Nalla Neram positioned the Kaalam Minutes Timer at 4,320 francs for the black and blue dial versions, 4,500 francs for the panda editions. That pricing reflects genuine Swiss manufacture capability rather than badge engineering.

Case Architecture That Functions Before It Impresses
The 39mm case is design patented. It measures 12.75mm thick without crystals, 45mm lug to lug, with 100 meter water resistance. The architecture combines rounded bezel with shrouded lugs featuring sculpted recesses. One lug houses a small Swiss cross, confirming manufacture location without billboard branding. The chronograph pushers are square rather than round or mushroom style. This serves dual purposes. Square pushers are easier to operate while wearing gloves, a holdover from military pilot watch design principles. They also create visual distinctiveness in a market flooded with round pusher chronographs. The crown features substantial grip ridges. All edges are radiused to prevent injury during active wear.

Inside that case architecture sits dual domed sapphire crystals on front and back with anti-reflective coating. The exhibition caseback reveals the L112 movement with its decorated bridges, tungsten rotor, and hand-assembled components finished to Swiss manufacture standards. The lugs accept 18mm straps. Nalla Neram ships each watch with three options: stainless steel mesh bracelet with quick-release spring bars, plus black and grey with orange rubber straps using standard spring bars. The package arrives in a Japanese made Paulownia wood box containing a loupe, Bergeon spring bar tool, and replacement spring bars. This is not typical independent brand presentation. This is thought-through tool provision for watch owners who actually wear their timepieces.

Why Minutes Matter More Than Hours for Modern Professionals
The dial layout is asymmetrical tricompax configuration. At 3 o'clock sits the 30-minute elapsed timer. At 6 o'clock is the 12-hour elapsed timer. At 9 o'clock, instead of a traditional small seconds subdial, the chakra wheel rotates to indicate running seconds. Chronograph hands are orange for instant differentiation from timekeeping hands. The dual concentric minute tracks dominate the dial. Inner and outer rings both display all 60 minutes per hour with white and orange numerals. Every third minute appears in orange. This creates a dial that prioritizes granular time measurement over traditional hour-focused readability. Raman's thesis is straightforward: most people manage their time in minutes, not hours. Meetings run 15 or 30 or 45 minutes. Tasks take 5 minutes or 20 minutes or 37 minutes. Professional work happens in defined minute blocks, not vague hour approximations. The Kaalam Minutes Timer makes those minutes the primary reference, with hours as secondary information. The dial comes in four variants. Black or blue lacquer with matte grained finish for the initial references 7077. Two panda editions, "Dark Blue Sky" and "Red Earth," for reference 7080, adding graphic contrast with contrasting subdials and orange three-minute markers. All share the same circular grained minute tracks and focus on functional legibility over decorative flourish.

India's Growing Position in Global Horology
India has been absent from serious conversations about watchmaking for most of horological history. Japan dominates Asian watch manufacturing. China has emerged as both movement producer and brand incubator. Singapore hosts major watch events. India, despite its massive population and growing wealth, remained peripheral. That is changing. Brands like Bangalore Watch Company have demonstrated genuine Indian watch manufacturing capability. Microbrands are emerging across Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore. More importantly, Indian collectors have developed sophisticated appreciation for mechanical watchmaking that goes beyond luxury brand consumption.

Nalla Neram represents a different approach. Rather than building watches in India, Raman established his brand in Switzerland's watchmaking heartland near Neuchâtel. Rather than sourcing entry-level movements, he secured La Joux-Perret calibers. Rather than making "Indian watches," he made Swiss watches that embody Indian philosophical concepts and practical time management traditions. The orange three-minute markers reference trunk call timing. The chakra wheel connects to ancient Indian concepts of cyclical time and cosmic balance. The name Nalla Neram invokes Tamil notions of auspicious timing when celestial alignments favor important actions. These are not superficial decorative choices. They inform the fundamental design brief: create a tool for professionals who need to manage time at minute-level precision. Indian collectors increasingly value brands that respect their intelligence and cultural heritage without pandering. They want genuine Swiss manufacture capability, not marketing stories. They appreciate when design choices serve functional purposes rather than just aesthetic differentiation. Nalla Neram delivers on all counts while maintaining clear Indian philosophical foundations.

What Comes Next
Nalla Neram will be participating at India Watch Weekend 2026, giving Indian collectors their first opportunity to examine the Kaalam Minutes Timer in person. This matters because watches like this need to be handled, not just photographed. The case architecture, pusher action, dial legibility, and strap options all reveal themselves through physical interaction rather than spec sheets. For a market increasingly sophisticated about what constitutes genuine watchmaking versus marketing exercises, Nalla Neram arrives with legitimate credentials. Swiss made near Neuchâtel. La Joux-Perret column wheel chronograph. Design patents on case architecture. Thoughtful presentation including proper tools. Philosophy rooted in practical time management rather than aspirational lifestyle positioning. The brand represents what independent watchmaking should be: designers with clear vision, selecting proper movements, creating functional tools, pricing fairly for delivered capability. Not the loudest name at the show. Possibly the most thoughtfully executed debut watch many collectors will discover when they stop to examine what makes those orange three-minute markers different from every other chronograph dial they've seen.