New Brand Nalla Neram Launches with the Kaalam Minutes Timer

Nalla Neram is a new brand established near Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and launched by a passion-driven watch aficionado, Krishnamani Raman. After a long career in multinational companies across different industries, his love for watches brought him to launch his indie brand. His intention is not just to present another watch, but to infuse his creations with personality. Besides its architectural case, elaborate dial and column-wheel chronograph, the brand’s first model, the Nalla Neram Kaalam Minutes Timer, also brings references to the founder’s country of origin, India, with thoughtful details.

The first thing to grab the eye with the Nalla Neram Kaalam Minutes Timer is its elaborate and distinctive design. Fashioned out of 316L stainless steel, its 39mm case stands out with its sophisticated architecture. It blends together a rounded bezel and shrouded lugs, with a sculpted recess on their side – one of these features a small Swiss cross in a nod to the watch being crafted in Switzerland. Its profile shows bead-polished ridges, hand-polished square pushers and a crown with a laser-engraved chakra symbol.

It also features box sapphire crystals on both sides of the watch. The front one protects the dial, while the one at the back aims at allowing the chronograph movement to be admired in detail. This unusual choice also proves to offer great wearing comfort and allows for a thinner case band – we all know that the 7750-based automatic chronographs usually mean rather thick watches. The watch is water-resistant up to 100m, making it suitable for an active lifestyle.

Available in anthracite or blue, the grained dial of the Kaalam Minutes Timer stands out with its original layout. The two chronograph counters (30 minutes and 12 hours) feature a concentric pattern. Instead of a running second, the constant flow of time is displayed by a rotating polished chakra wheel. Like time itself, the chakra never stops slowly spinning, moving us forward from the past, through the present, and into the future. At the periphery of the dial, minutes are indicated on two concentric rings to provide enhanced legibility. Each third minute is highlighted in orange printing with reference to the days of “trunk calls,” when long distance phone calls in India were limited to three minutes.

“Nalla Neram (நல்ல நேரம்) is a Tamil word that indicates an auspicious time or the proper time in which all major life events occur. This serves as the brand’s key inspiration and guiding principle, with the goal being to make timepieces that allow their wearers to take control of their lives and their own time. The Kaalam Minutes Timer is a watch all about harnessing the power of our minutes each and every day to live the best life possible. Time is the most valuable resource any of us has – and it should be valued as such. Lost time cannot be retrieved, but we can thoughtfully spend our time better as it passes, if it is managed properly,” says Krishnamani Raman of Nalla Neram.

The watch is powered by the La Joux-Perret L112 calibre. This selfwinding integrated chronograph is derived from the tried-and-tested Valjoux 7750 architecture yet upgraded with a column wheel to control the chronograph functions instead of a cam-lever system. It beats at 28,800vph and boasts a 60-hour power reserve. According to the brand, it is regulated to +4/-4 seconds per day in five positions. The decoration is traditional with Geneva stripes and blued screws. The blackened tungsten openworked rotor (with a Chakra wheel) brings a more contemporary touch.

The Nalla Neram Kaalam Minutes Timer comes with three different straps – a steel mesh bracelet fitted with quick-release spring bars and two rubber straps fitted with a pin buckle. The Nalla Neram Kaalam Minutes Timer is delivered in an original Japanese-made Paulownia wood box that includes a cool set of tools and accessories: the spare straps, a loupe, a Bergeon spring-bar tool and replacement spring bars. The price is set at CHF 4,320 (excluding taxes).

Nalla Neram will be exhibiting at Time to Watches in early April 2025. For more information, please visit nallaneram.com.

Sponsored post: This article is sponsored by Nalla Neram. However, it reflects the writer’s opinion and has been written according to MONOCHROME’s editorial policy.