Omologato: How an amateur racer created a cult watch brand

Omologato watches, most of which are manufactured in Japan and use quartz movements, are exquisitely and delightfully detailed. Each of them sports design cues, or Easter eggs if you will, that are discernible only to a true motorsport fan. “That was the idea: to create an affordable watch for those who are passionate about motorsport,” says Kalra. Omologato’s Monza Chronograph, for instance, takes inspiration from the track after which it has been named, and features a smoked case that emulates a racing car’s exhaust after a gruelling race. The Laguna Seca, on the other hand, has a face that is tilted at 22.5 degrees, and is inspired by the lethal, downhill-plunging ‘corkscrew’ corner at the eponymous racing track in central California.

Omologato now sells over 25 watches, and is the official timepiece partner for several iconic racetracks across the world, including Monza, Kyalami and Zandvoort.  It will soon be the official partner for several other tracks such as Silverstone in Great Britain, says Kalra.

Not too long ago, it released a watch designed by none other than John Surtees, the only man to win world championships in Formula 1 and motorcycle racing. Kalra says he struck a great rapport with Surtees, who never endorsed any brand during his lifetime, a couple of years before his death in March 2017. “He didn’t know what I did for a long time. But when he finally learnt about it, he was keen on creating a watch on the condition that the proceeds of its sale would go to charity. Of course, I agreed,” says Kalra. After the British racing legend’s death, his family asked Kalra to finish the designing project Surtees had started. The result was The Surtees, which sported a dial with blue accents. The colour was chosen to signify the year — 1964 — in which Enzo Ferrari, after getting embroiled in a dispute over racing regulations, chose to go with blue and white livery for his cars instead of his team’s traditional blazing red livery for the last two races of the season. Surtees, driving for Ferrari, was the F1 world champion that year.

“Motorsport is full of wonderful stories such as these,” says Kalra, “and the idea is to keep telling them through the watches we design.”