Milestones - Gani & Sons

First 75 years

Haaza Min Fazli Rabbi.
Everything here is by the Grace of God.

It was the year 1906 when Mr. GANI NAMAZI started a watch shop called SOUTH INDIA WATCH CO. In the year 1909 A.D he changed the name to what has today become a household name in the city of Madras-Chennai and very well known in South India, in the field of Watches & Clocks.

1909	GANI & SONS is Established by the Founder Haji Mirza Abdul GANI NAMAZI whose father had migrated from Persia (Iran) to India.
1914	Shifted to present location - 3 tiled roof structure.
1923	The present 3 storied building was put up by the Founder.
1924	Appointed as Distributors for WESTEND & LONGINES Watches. (At that time both the brands were marketed together in India).
1927	Mohd. Baquer Namazi also known as Aghai, the elder son of the Founder joins the business.
1925 /29	Business in TOWER CLOCKS, Outdoor Clocks & Drum Clocks (for Railway Station Platforms) commences.
1937	Mirza Ismail Namazi the second son of the Founder joins the business, after completing his B.A. (Hons.)
1941	Mirza Ebrahim Namazi (Aubry) the third son, joins the business, after completing his college.
1943	GANI & SONS becomes a family Partnership Firm.
1947	Founder Retires from active participation in the business and hands over the reins to his two sons M.B. & M.I.Namazi.
1952	Syed Hassan Shooshtary joins the Mount Road Branch.
1957	On the First of May a Branch was opened at Brigade Road,Bangalore
1959	GOLDEN JUBILEE YEAR of GANI & SONS. New Branch Annexed. A new showroom (branch) next door was declared open on 1.1.1959 by the then Home Minister of TamilNadu, Mr.M.Bhaktavatsalam. OMEGA Watches were the pride of the pick. This annexe became popularly known as the OMEGA Showroom, as it was the only showroom to sell OMEGA Watches in Madras and was desined by the OMEGA Architect. Appointed as the Official Sub Agents for SALES & SERVICE of the World famous OMEGA & TISSOT Watches. Another branch opened at Chickpet, Bangalore.
1960	Appointed as the Official Service Agent for ENICAR Swiss wrist Watches.
1961	Mount Road branch shifted to a more spacious premises, where it operates from today, but as GANI & SONS AGENCY.
1966	M.I.Namazi passes away on Friday the 4th of February.
1968	Founder H.M.A.GANI NAMAZI breathes his last on Friday the 13th December.
1970	Silver Trophy by TIMESTAR for the maximun Retail Sales in South India.
1971	Brigade Road, Bangalore Branch showroom refurbished. Appointed as the TIMESTAR SERVICE STATION for Karnataka,declared open on the 7th August, for the Servicing of TIMESTAR Watches which were very widely sold at that time.
1976	Gani & Sons Agency comes into existence on 15.8.1976 at the location of the Mount Road Branch.
1981	Appointed as the Official RADO SERVICE CENTRE.
1982	GANI & SONS AGENCY refurnished and Inaugurated as the New Old Shop by FilmStar KAMALAHAASAN.
1983	GANI & SONS AGENCY appointed as the Authorised Service Centre for HMT Watches.
1984	LAUNCH of own Brand: Commencement of production of "GANI" Quartz Wall Clocks, for homes and Offices. In due course of time Orders were bagged from Institutions for large quantities of "GANI" Quartz Clocks and were despatched all over South India. On and from the 21st of November 1984 the Air-Conditioned Section of our Service Centre started functioning and was named as the RADO CORNER, in keeping with RADO's international policy. We reached the Landmark of More than 100 Tower & Drum Clocks sold/installed throughout (South) India.
1984	On the 12th November 1984 Mrs.Z.B.Namazi wife of Late M.I.Namazi and the mother of the junior partners, passes away.
1985	A Banquet was held to mark the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations 5th of at the Taj Coromandel Hotel in Madras (Chennai). Mr. Roland November Frene, the Worldwide Service Manager of M/s RADO WATCH CO., SWITZERLAND specially flew down for the occasion. A full page advertisement in The Hindu was released with a half page congratulatory message from RADO. Trade Post brought out a Special Supplement (link to HISTORY page) on the occasion. Dr.H.V.HANDE, the Health Minister of the Government of TamilNadu was the Chief Guest while His Highness the Prince of Arcot, Nawab Abdul Ali was the Guest of Honour.

1985 - 1998

GANI & SONS' TIMEPASS 1985 - 2000

This is how Time passed us by at GANI & SONS after our
Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in 1985 till date (1999).

1989 - Reconfirmed as the Official Service Centre for WESTEND Watches, the largest selling Brand in India, in the heydays of Imports.

1993 - Reconfirmed as the Official Service Centre for TISSOT watches.

1993 -MAURICE LACROIX of Switzerland, appoint GANI & SONS as their Service Agents.

Inside the Service Centre

1994 February 18th, saw Mr. F.Luchsinger, the Regional Sales Manager of RADO Watch Co. Switzerland come to Madras, along with Mr. J.M.Guiliod, Area Sales Manager of TISSOT S.A., Switzerland to Inaugurate the renovated modern Official Service Centre of GANI & SONS which is equipped with the latest Imported equipment to test High Quality Swiss Watches.

1994 - LONGINES, the 165 year old Legendary Swiss Company appoints GANI & SONS, the 85 year old Legend in Madras, as their Service Agents.

1994 - appointed as the Authorised Service Centre for KOLBER watches.
"The SWISS Watch Service Centre" was the new 'bottom line' adopted in 1994, to signify the ever expanding confidence of the Swiss manufacturers.
GANI & SONS is now the OFFICIAL SERVICE CENTRE for 7 (seven) top Swiss brands.

1996 - India's First 4 faced Chiming and Striking Tower Clock System installed at Port Blair, The Andamans.

1996 - Gani & Sons now takes its tally of Tower & Drum Clocks sold/installed to 200 Clocks throughout South India. On the 24th of December 1996 the almost antique showroom of Gani & Sons was renovated as a fully airconditioned modern showroom. It was the year 1997, which saw GANI & SONS being appointed as the Official Service Centre by ORIENT. Now you must wonder what a company that just a few years ago, christened itself with pride as a SWISS Watch Service Centre was doing as a Service Centre for a well known Japanese brand. The story goes like this. One of the two Trade Journals of the watch trade was requested at the BASEL FAIR in SWITZERLAND to suggest names of leading watchmakers around the country with their bio-data. When we responded with our bio-data, the name of the manufacturer was not revealed. It was none other than ORIENT, the little Japanese giant, who had also participated in the Basel Fair.

1998 - ROAMER appoints GANI & SONS as their Authorised Service Centre

1998 - GANI & SONS make and install a WORLD TIME CLOCK with a main dial of 4 feet diameter and 8 nos. subsidiary dials, for GRT GRAND DAYS Hotel. Their first World Time Clock (Digital) was made for QUALITY INN ARUNA, many years ago which shows the time in 12 Cities of the world.

1998 - GANI & SONS were asked to take up the mantle of the Authorised Service Agent for the world famous SEIKO Watches in Chennai. By this time the city of MADRAS was rechristened as CHENNAI. On the 9th April 1999 SEIKO officials held a Training Seminar in Chennai, exclusively for 8 watch technicians of GANI & SONS.

1999 - 2000

1999 IS SURELY A LONG YEAR IN OUR HISTORY

January - SANDOZ (of Switzerland) appoints as their Official Service Centre in Chennai.
Between the 4th and the 6th January 1999 GANI & SONS held an Exhibition of what was INDIA's FIRST MILLENNIUM (Countdown) CLOCK.

April - This MILLENNIUM CLOCK was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Nara Chandra Babu Naidu on the 16th of April 1999.

November 14th - This Website was launched.

We are still not through with the year 1999.

1999 - MONTRES ROLEX S.A. reconfirms GANI & SONS as the exclusive OFFICIAL SERVICE CENTRE for ROLEX Watches in Chennai. This is an honour only 4 other firms in India share, three in North India and one in South India. One of our technicians has just attended a five week Training Course at the ROLEX Watch Factory in Geneva, Switzerland, where the latest techniques for repairing ROLEX & TUDOR Watches has been taught.

STYLO (our Registered Trade Mark) MILLENNIUM COUNTDOWN CLOCKS for Indoors are successfully launched by GANI & SONS. The first of its kind in the country, it was developed exclusively by GANI & SONS in various sizes.

GANI & SONS becomes an OEM supplier of exclusive designer Tower Clocks to a top manufacturer of Indian watches & clocks.

SOUTH INDIA's LARGEST TOWER CLOCK installed at Spencers Plaza at Mount Road-Anna Salai, in Chennai, was made, designed and installed by GANI & SONS, the Dial weighing about a ton and measuring 15 feet in diameter. It has been ticking away perfectly ever since.

Still 1999 - India's Finest Designer Tower Clock - a 12 feet double faced clock was installed at Arihant Trade Centre (now re-christened as Sterling Towers) in Teynampet, Chennai. The figures of the Dials are fitted on the 15th Floor level. This HANDS for this Designer Clock are die cast aluminium which is a radically new concept.

Another project on the anvil is a SATELLITE CONTROLLED Digital Clock System which is accurate to within ONE MICROSECOND (0.000001 of a second) of GMT. It derives its time from the average of at least 3 Atomic Clocks aboard the orbiting Satellites. This Satellite Controlled Clock System is slated to be installed by December 1999.

Our Stall at the
SAMAY BHARATI Exhibition,
Bangalore, in January 2000.

Inside the stall at
Samay Bharati 2000