West End: The Swiss Watch That Belonged to India for 130 Years

⌚ The Swiss watch giant history forgot.

Before Rolex ruled magazines and Omega ruled headlines, one Swiss brand quietly sold 15 million watches across Asia — and became the heartbeat of timekeeping in India.

In this video on Mr. Watchman, we dive into the astonishing rise of the West End Watch Company: the Swiss maker that timed Indian railways, equipped soldiers in war, survived the monsoon, conquered the Middle East, and outlived both the import ban and the quartz crisis.

From Saint-Imier to Bombay, from desert campaigns in Mesopotamia to the summit of Everest, this is the incredible story of a brand that built its empire far from Europe — and became one of the most successful Swiss watch exports of the 20th century.