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Gurugram-based independent luxury watchmaker Rotoris has raised Rs 70 crore (~$8.5 million) in a Series A funding round led by early-stage investment firm Blume Ventures. 9Unicorns and Centricity also participated, bringing in family-office investors including Diwakar Goel, BlackRock’s global head of data, former Coca-Cola Asia-Pacific group president Atul Singh and Adhiraj Burman of the Dabur family. Actor and television host Rannvijay Singha also invested. The company plans to use the funds for research and development, expanded production, and growing its Rotoris House, its appointment-based space for meeting clients, presence in India and overseas. The Gurugram-based watchmaker claims its first collection of 2,100 numbered timepieces sold out within days of its February 2026 launch. It asserted that nearly 1,00,000 people have since registered for access, while 40% of demand comes from outside India, including the US, Dubai, and Australia. Blume Ventures sees an opportunity to build an Indian luxury brand with international ambitions. “We are backing their vision to make an Indian brand shine amongst global icons, and the timing has never been better,” said Karthik Reddy, co-founder and managing partner of Blume Ventures. Rotoris produces limited-run analogue watches, releasing collections as named chapters with published production numbers. Its Manifesta collection features natural-stone dials, including lapis lazuli and imperial jade, making each dial distinct. Astonia is a 42mm chronograph, a watch with a stopwatch function, made using steel, titanium and carbon and powered by a Swiss movement. Each timepiece is assembled and tested by hand at the company’s Gurugram Atelier, with movements sourced from Switzerland or Japan depending on the collection. “The design creates the desire, but the engineering, assembly and attention to detail earn the trust,” co-founder Prerna Gupta said. Co-founder Aakash Anand described a Rotoris watch as “a symbol of ambition, worn on the wrist”. He said the company plans to open Rotoris House in New York because many of its customers live there. The expansion comes as Indian consumers increasingly trade up to higher-priced watches. Luxury and high-end watches accounted for 70% of sales in FY25, up from 48% in FY20. Younger buyers are showing greater interest in mechanical watches, distinctive designs and limited editions. Trade policy could also reshape competition. The India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, which took effect in October 2025, is expected to reduce import duties on qualifying watches from member countries, including Switzerland, over time. This could support greater access for international brands while raising competitive pressure on domestic manufacturers. Other Indian watchmakers are pursuing international growth. In September, Bangalore Watch Company raised $1.4 million from its own customers, including family-office principals and high-net-worth individuals. Rotoris had previously raised $3 million in seed funding in December 2025.
document fetched 2026-10-28 02:53