I don’t usually write about watches. But when a brand-new Indian watchmaker shows up on the Formula 1 grid, in its launch year no less, that’s not just a watch story.
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At the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne last weekend, Indian F2 racing driver Kush Maini was photographed in the paddock wearing the Rotoris Astonia Sports Chronograph in Phantom Black. It was an unassuming moment with a significant footnote: the first time an Indian watch brand has ever appeared on an F1 grid.
Rotoris itself is barely weeks old. The brand launched in February 2026 with just 2,100 numbered pieces sold through invitation-only access – a deliberately tight, hype-conscious debut that felt more like a tech product drop than a traditional watch launch. Behind it is a founding team of four – Aakash Anand, Prerna Gupta, Anant Narula, and Kunal Kapania – and $3 million in seed funding from a roster of backers that includes Nikhil Kamath, Vivek Oberoi, and Tanmay Bhatt.
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The watch itself is worth a closer look. The Astonia runs on what Rotoris calls Q-MATIC technology, a hybrid system built on Seiko’s TMI VK63 meca-quartz movement that pairs quartz-level accuracy with the tactile feel of a mechanical chronograph: the sweeping seconds hand, the satisfying pushers. It’s a smart engineering compromise, one that lets a young brand punch above its weight on specs without the cost overhead of an in-house mechanical calibre.
The motorsport connection isn’t just marketing dressing. The Astonia’s design language – tachymetre bezel, 42mm matte black steel case, FKM rubber strap – draws directly from racing instrumentation. Putting it on the wrist of an actual F1 paddock insider and a F2 race winner like Maini, who serves as Reserve Driver for the Alpine F1 Team, closes that loop neatly.
Formula 1 is also, right now, one of the smartest places for an Indian brand to plant a flag. The sport’s viewership in India has spiked in recent years, driven by a younger audience that came to F1 through Drive to Survive and stayed for the need for speed.
It’s a confident first move. Whether the brand can back it up with staying power is the next question. But as debut statements go, the Formula 1 grid is hard to top.
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Vyom Ramani
A journalist with a soft spot for tech, games, and things that go beep. While waiting for a delayed metro or rebooting his brain, you’ll find him solving Rubik’s Cubes, bingeing F1, or hunting for the next great snack. View Full Profile
