The Majestic Elephant Ring Watch, by Jaipur Watch Company

In a world where watches have become increasingly minimal and digital, luxury and bespoke watch designer Gaurav Mehta returns to the language of ornament, detail, and legacy. The founder and creative force behind the Jaipur Watch Company has unveiled what may be one of his most personal and conceptually rich works to date, the Majestic Elephant Ring Watch, a jewel-like piece that folds time, tradition, and artistry into one object.

The design takes its inspiration from Rajasthan’s enduring fascination with the elephant, a symbol of wisdom, strength, and prosperity, often seen in jewelry and miniature art across the region. Here, that motif becomes something sculptural and intimate: a ring that conceals a watch, or a watch that masquerades as a piece of jewelry. It’s both.

Handcrafted using traditional jewelry-making techniques, the piece features 18-carat gold, vibrant green enamel, and the unmistakable glint of polki diamonds that are uncut, unpolished, and sparkle so specific to Rajasthani craftsmanship. The ring’s design reveals Mehta’s eye for proportion: its form is majestic without being ostentatious, detailed but never heavy. Around the central elephant, 2.64 carats of fine diamonds are set with precision, while two 0.50-carat stones punctuate the structure with quiet authority.

This stunning watch has an element of surprise: a hinged lid that opens gently to reveal a mother-of-pearl dial. The watch face, small and discreet, is a reminder of how timepieces once existed as secret keepsakes, heirlooms you wore close to yourself rather than displayed. This duality, "ornament and instrument," defines Mehta’s creation.

“Our vision has always been to go beyond watchmaking by creating objects of timeless beauty that carry the weight of our history,” says Gaurav Mehta, founder and designer of Jaipur Watch Company. “This elephant-inspired timepiece is more than jewelry and more than a watch; it is a living story of Rajasthan’s artistry, meant to be cherished and worn for generations.”

The idea of combining heritage with utility isn’t new for Mehta, but the way he approaches it feels deeply personal. He belongs to a generation of Indian designers that see tradition not as nostalgia but as raw material, something to reimagine through a contemporary lens. In this sense, the Elephant Ring Watch sits comfortably between two worlds: that of Jaipur’s jewelers, with their lineage of polki and meenakari, and that of horology, where mechanical precision meets design.

The precise handwork makes it more treasured. The enamel is fired in layers, creating depth and color variation that only emerges through heat and time. The gold is molded and polished manually, while the miniature dial is fitted with quiet care. The result isn’t a product; it’s an artifact.

Founded in 2013, Jaipur Watch Company has built its reputation by merging Indian narratives with modern craftsmanship. Its earliest collections embedded rare coins and historical symbols into timepieces, treating the dial not as a display but as a memory. Over the years, Mehta’s practice has evolved from collector’s curiosity to cultural preservation. Each of his creations preserves a fragment of India’s artistic vocabulary, from miniature paintings to bespoke mechanical watches.

In the Majestic Elephant Ring Watch, that philosophy reaches its most distilled form. There’s no visible branding, no ostentation, no modern distraction, only the quiet confidence of a handmade object that knows where it comes from. It’s as wearable as it is symbolic, made for collectors who understand the value of craft not by its price but by its patience.

In an age when timekeeping has become largely invisible—absorbed by phones and screens—this creation restores tactility to the experience of time. You touch it, open it, and in doing so, you connect with something older, slower, and more deliberate. That, perhaps, is the point.

For Gaurav Mehta, it’s not about nostalgia but continuity—ensuring that Indian artistry evolves without losing its voice. And with this piece, he does exactly that: he turns a cultural symbol into a mechanical poem, a ring into a clock, and a moment into something lasting.

Available at: Jaipur Watch Company