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.

Founded by Mallick Pasha, the shop has never had a change of address. And even in these difficult times, when Metro Rail work has redrawn pathways, both for pedestrians and motorists, the shop resiliently stays put at this address. Mahaboob Pasha, who runs this family business, points out that even old customers accustomed to walking through the doors of this shop struggle to find their way to those familiar doors, as Metro Rail work has engineered a maze of new pathways through route diversions and blockages. By virtue of the diversity of its services, Zenith depends on revisits by old customers as well as walk-ins by new ones. The “barricades” across Luz Corner, on Kutchery Road and Luz Church Road hinder both processes.

“New customers find it difficult to notice the shop, while the old ones find it difficult to reach the shop,” he says.

But Mahaboob sounds like someone who has taken these challenges in his stride. At 58, this man has spent more than three decades amidst the “chimes of time”, having taken over the reins of the shop when he was in his twenties. Back then for this M.Com graduate, there was no dearth of career options. “This is a family business and I cannot leave it; hence I chose this,” he says. There was a time when he worked alongside the technicians at the shop, as a repairer of timepieces. Today, he sticks to the management side of the business, leaving the repair of broken and malfunctioning timepieces to the technicians on the rolls. Mahaboob notes spare parts are sourced from Mumbai and Delhi when they are unavailable locally.

On whether a plethora of other devices marking time such as the mobile phone, the laptop and so on have made a dent in the attraction of the wristwatch, his answer is an emphatic ‘no’. Mahaboob observes that it remains firmly where it belongs: on the wrist. Largely for inveterate followers and buyers of new wristwatch models, Zenith stocks up on non-branded wristwatches, largely wallet-friendly.

On retaining his old customer base, Mahaboob notes hospitality on the other side of the counter remains an effective glue keeping that loyalty intact. While valuing face-to-face, in-person interactions, Zenith has ensured the connections are sustained by technology. Its website allows customers to track repairs using their bill numbers; it showcases wristwatches, wall clocks, and other timepieces for sale. So, what is it that sustains Zenith as it is hemmed in by Metro Rail barricades? This probably: keeping stride with technology without losing that personal, human touch.

(Celebrating Madras Day (August 22), Resilience Series tracks old markets and enterprises in the city that are under the shadow of a major civic infrastructure work but are soldiering on with inimitable poise.)

Published - August 22, 2026 05:41 pm IST