Most people spend a lifetime doing one thing reasonably well and calling it a career, but Rajat Jain looked at diamonds, mastered them, and then rather casually decided that telling time needed just as much poetry as sparkle. What follows is not some polite transition into watchmaking, but a full throttle leap into a world where Swiss discipline meets Indian soul, where every tick carries a story and every case holds a fragment of intent. Porte Bonheur is not built like a typical brand chasing trends and quarterly applause, it is built like something far more stubborn, a belief that luxury should mean something, feel something, and perhaps even outlive the person wearing it. Outlook Luxe had a conversation with Rajat Jain, Founder of Porte Bonheur, delving into his journey from decades in fine jewellery to building a watch brand rooted in dual heritage, his approach to balancing engineering with emotion, and his unwavering focus on craftsmanship, integrity, and creating timepieces that are designed to be worn with meaning and remembered for generations.
You have spent over 25 years in fine jewellery. What was the turning point that inspired you to move into watchmaking with the brand?
Rajat Jain: I have been very passionate about watches. During COVID, it was a time where I researched and I learnt more about timepieces over YouTube, videos. And post COVID, once we went to Geneva, met a few watchmakers. I did not realise when that passion turned into deepest love. In fact, there was this point, my wife came back to India and I still stayed there for a week. Learning and understanding, and that is where the idea of creating a new brand happened. And then Porte Bonheur was born with that idea. The brand brings together Swiss precision and Indian artistry.
How do you ensure this dual heritage feels authentic and not just aesthetic?
RJ: By just being very honest to our work. Best of watchmaking, best of master setting. We work very closely with our Swiss settler and very closely with the master setter. Just to ensure everything is built with integrity and there is a perfect combination of beauty and Functionality. I firmly feel we stick to basics, sticking to the roots. And we are able to do justice to it.
You conceived the brand in Switzerland, the heart of horology. What did working with Swiss experts teach you about discipline, calibre and finishing?
RJ: Discipline should be your habit. For Swiss people it is not a habit, it is their lifestyle. What I have learnt from them is how to respect time. They are so dedicated, they make their calendar, this is work time, this is family time, this is pleasure time and this is holiday time. Irrespective whatsoever may happen, they will not even pick up your call or respond once they are with their family or holiday. And second part was you mentioned calibre. How the smallest thing can bring life. So from quartz to automatic and then different complications from chronograph to moonphase, it is very intriguing. How the smallest thing is so well created. Detailing about the finishing, they are so micro and so particular, which I have never even thought about. Where we think we would have stopped doing something and we would have said it is perfect, probably they start from that.
Could you walk us through the movements, powering the timepieces and how you select the right calibre for each design?
RJ: We use Swiss movements which are very precise, very durable and they are beautifully finished. Our design language starts with the design look first. And then accordingly the calibre is selected. And it is consultation between the design team and the technical team. So yes, aesthetic first, then the technicality. And in our product line, you will see from skeleton to open heart to window complications, we have it all. We have tied up with Sellita. Though we have certain inventory of ETA.
With your background in diamonds and gemstones, how do you technically integrate precious stones into watches without affecting durability and performance?
RJ: Master craftsmen are involved, And we ensure that beauty and function fits in together. And I believe in building the team because I cannot be present at each moment. Once the team is there, they look into it and it is done in the pristine way.
The name Porte Bonheur means lucky charm. How does this philosophy shape your design language and what does the horseshoe symbol represent for the brand?
RJ: Don’t you want to put something which is beautiful, which has got a story behind it and meaning behind it? I firmly believe in energies. This is my personal belief. And we should be surrounded with positive energies. So this is where Porte Bonheur comes. The name itself, once we thought about it and once we discovered this name, it stuck with me. It is all about creating those positive energies. And if we talk about horseshoe, since day one of civilisation, horseshoe has been symbol of protection. Symbol of good luck. In any religion, any part of the world or any country, you will see horseshoe as a symbol of good luck and fortune. That is why the way we chose horseshoe, probably I feel once we thought about Porte Bonheur, there was no other thing apart from horseshoe which we could resonate with.
You speak about emotional value and meaning in luxury. How do you translate storytelling into something precise and mechanical as a watch?
RJ: Time itself is a story. You just have to discover it. Time is one thing which never stops. It is not in your control, my control or anybody’s control. Once a child is born, first thing doctor will say, day, time, hour, minute. So evolution of any human being starts with time. All of us we say, time is the best healer. Whatever you are going across in your life, time is the only thing. So time itself is a story. I do not have to create it, we just have to discover it, put it in our own words. And yes, once we use the best of technology behind it, it all falls in place.
Ethically sourced Indian diamonds are central to your creations. How do you ensure traceability and maintain consistent quality?
RJ: This is over the longest years of relationship with the jewellers, with our suppliers. We are intent driven and integrity and honesty is the foundation of whatever we do. This is the only way we know how to work. Ethically sourced and having trust within our partners. So there are DTC site holders, which are technically they are distributors. We work only through them and each piece is traceable. And for quality, each watch is certified by IGI. And we are very particular about the cutting. So in all our timepieces, we are using hearts and arrow cut, which is very unique and very rare in nature. It requires much more skilled craftsmanship.
What are the biggest technical and creative challenges in designing visual timepieces that balance horology with high jewellery aesthetics?
RJ: Balance is the only thing which we have to find. This is the toughest thing to find. We cannot do too much, cannot do too less. So creating a balance between the aesthetic and the technology is the toughest part to find. And this is where building the right team comes into picture. So we have the best of designers from the watch industry. Then our technical team itself is very strong.
India is evolving as a luxury market. How do you see consumer preferences changing when it comes to watches versus jewellery-led timepieces?
RJ: India is a huge market. It has got immense absorption. So we are not here to compete with any other brand. We are not even a replacement for any other thing. We are here to create our own mark, our own milestone, our own landmark. So we do have an existence and we are creating our own space by our own story, design line and our own story. And I’m sure we’ll be able to make it better.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for Porte Bonheur in terms of innovation, complications and its place in global watchmaking?
RJ: Vision, it has widened by each day. Probably 10 years back if you would have asked me, I would have laughed at the question of watchmaking. Since the day one, each passing day our vision is broadening. I believe Porte Bonheur should be a milestone in people’s life. People should aspire, people will aspire to possess, to own a Porte Bonheur. In terms of innovation, innovation is keeping up with time, keeping up with technology. By research, by doing things repetitively and doing it till the time it is not correct. So, basic foundation of the company of Porte Bonheur is integrity and honesty. Doing till the time you do not find the perfect right spot.
