Madras Day 2026: ticking on behind Metro Rail barricades
Zenith Watch Co. in Mylapore continues to operate despite the physical challenges posed by nearby Metro Rail construction. The shop balances the repair of antique timepieces with the sale of modern watches.
Why it matters
The story illustrates the impact of large-scale urban infrastructure projects on small, long-standing local businesses.
Somewhere between the ticking of a century-old pendulum clock and a modern, sleek wrist watch, Zenith Watch Co. on Kutchery Road has ensured two distinct eras of time live side by side. A sweep of the eye taking in the walls of this shop that stares at Metro Rail barricades presents this sumptuous display of the past and the present. The walls are decorated with old, ornate timepieces, repaired and ready for delivery; and these walls also display shelves holding modern wristwatches out of factories and packed ready for sale.
Since 1954, this shop at Kutchery Road, near Luz signal in Mylapore, has been serving customers seeking to preserve timepieces of the past, hallowed by their personal memories, as well as watches and clocks just out of the blocks and dew-fresh in the market.
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