Vintage HMT · Automatic · Day-Date
HMT Sourab Automatic Day-Date
- Automatic
- 21 Jewels
- Day-Date
- About 36 mm
- Acrylic crystal
- Stainless steel
One piece · available in store
Serviced & tested Honest vintage condition Inspect in store
A vintage HMT Sourab automatic watch with 21 jewels, a champagne dial with Roman numerals, and a day-date display at 3 o'clock. One original vintage HMT automatic, serviced and tested, available to buy in store in Chennai.
At a glance
The HMT Sourab is a vintage Indian automatic day-date dress watch made by Hindustan Machine Tools. This HMT Sourab automatic has 21 jewels, a champagne dial with Roman numerals, a day-date at 3 o'clock, and a compact stainless steel case with honest vintage wear. It is one original piece, available to buy in store at Clock House in north Chennai. Ask us for the price.
Specifications
- Brand
- HMT (Hindustan Machine Tools)
- Model
- Sourab
- Type
- Automatic self-winding day-date dress watch
- Movement
- Citizen-derived 21-jewel automatic, HMT 6500 / 6906 family (not opened or confirmed from the exterior)
- Winding
- Automatic, unidirectional self-winding
- Jewels
- 21
- Balance & anti-shock
- Glucydur balance with Citizen Parashock bearings, typical of the HMT 6906 automatic family
- Power reserve
- Around 40 hours when freshly serviced, as is typical for this Citizen-derived family
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, central seconds, day and date at 3 o'clock
- Dial
- Champagne with applied Roman numerals
- Case size
- Compact, about 35 to 37 mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Crystal
- Domed acrylic
- Crown
- Signed gold-tone
- Strap
- Black leather
- Lug width
- 16 mm
- Caseback
- Engraved stainless steel, shock and water resistant, serial 130100
- Era
- HMT's later automatic period, most likely 1980s to early 1990s
- Condition
- Honest vintage wear, original and unrestored
More about this HMT Sourab
The movement: a Citizen-derived automatic
This is an HMT automatic 21 jewels day-date, and that dial marking places it firmly in HMT's Citizen-derived automatic family. HMT's automatic calibres trace back to the Citizen 6500 series of 21-jewel automatics, the 6501, 6509 and 6569, with later 6900-series variants such as the HMT 6906 built for day-date use. That movement profile is unidirectional self-winding, with 21 jewels, a Glucydur balance and Citizen Parashock anti-shock bearings.
A caution that matters for any vintage HMT automatic: some sellers label a Sourab as an HMT 0231. The 0231 is a hand-wound three-hand movement with no day-date, so on a genuine 21-jewel automatic day-date that label is a red flag unless the movement is actually photographed. We open the watch and confirm the calibre family with you before any sale.
On the wrist today
At about 36 mm with 16 mm lugs, this HMT Sourab wears as a slim, comfortable dress watch. It sits flat under a cuff, the champagne dial catches warm light, and the day-date stays genuinely useful day to day.
For anyone after a vintage HMT automatic watch to actually wear rather than only display, the Sourab is one of the easiest in the catalogue to live with. It is dressier than a Janata or Pilot, yet still an honest, everyday mechanical watch.
The HMT story behind this watch
An everyday object from India's industrial age
HMT began in 1953 as Hindustan Machine Tools, a Government of India enterprise. In 1961 it set up its watch unit in Bangalore with Citizen Watch Co. of Japan, and the first batch of hand-wound wristwatches was released by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. It was meant as a statement, that India could make precise mechanical things for itself, at scale.
The Sourab belongs to HMT's automatic tradition, not the simpler hand-wound lines. HMT set up Watch Factory II in 1972 specifically to build automatic day-date watches using Japanese technology, and the company says it introduced India's first automatic day-date watch. HMT went on to cross 100 million watches produced and became a genuine household name.
That chapter is now closed. In January 2016 the government approved winding down HMT's watch operations. Every original mechanical HMT automatic is therefore a piece from a finished story, which is part of why even modest references now carry nostalgia far beyond their first price.
Where the Sourab sits in the HMT family
The Janata and Pilot became shorthand for HMT's austere, utilitarian look. The Sourab is HMT trying to be a little more elegant: Roman numerals instead of plain batons, a day-date frame instead of a bare three-hand dial, and a compact, slightly sculptural case made for office or occasion wear.
Surviving examples place the Sourab as a compact dress automatic, roughly mid-30 mm with a 16 to 18 mm strap, an acrylic crystal and a dressy dial. On a modern wrist it reads as a true late-twentieth-century dress watch rather than a large contemporary piece. That restraint is much of its charm.
More elegant than the austere Janata or Pilot, the Sourab is HMT at its most quietly refined.
Condition & authenticity
Honest vintage, openly described
- This example shows honest vintage wear. The crystal is lightly marked, the case finish has rubbed through at the edges, and the dial and handset show age from a watch that was actually worn rather than stored away.
- For many HMT enthusiasts that lived-in look is preferable to an over-restored watch with replacement parts and a too-fresh dial.
- The caseback is engraved with the familiar HMT language: stainless steel, shock resistant and water resistant, with the serial 130100. The dial branding and layout are consistent with known Sourab examples.
- Vintage HMT is a field where caution matters, since many have been faked or assembled from mixed old parts. We will not claim total originality from photos alone. The honest verdict is that this is a convincing, coherent vintage HMT Sourab, and we will walk you through the caseback markings and the movement in store before you decide.
In detail
Up close
Questions about the HMT Sourab
Good to know
What is the HMT Sourab Automatic Day-Date?+
It is a vintage Indian automatic dress watch made by HMT (Hindustan Machine Tools). It is self-winding with 21 jewels, shows the day and date at 3 o'clock, and has a champagne dial with Roman numerals in a compact stainless steel case.
What movement is inside the HMT Sourab?+
A vintage Sourab marked Automatic 21 Jewels uses an HMT automatic derived from the Citizen 6500 series, such as the HMT 6906, built for day-date use. Some listings wrongly call it an HMT 0231, but the 0231 is a hand-wound three-hand movement with no day-date, so treat that label as a seller error unless the movement is actually photographed.
How big is the HMT Sourab case?+
Vintage Sourab examples are compact, roughly 35 to 37 mm across with a 16 to 18 mm strap. It wears as a classic dress watch rather than a large modern one. This example takes a 16 mm strap.
How much is an HMT Sourab worth and what is the price?+
Value depends heavily on condition, originality and whether the watch has been serviced, and vintage HMT watch prices vary widely. We do not publish the price online. Message us on WhatsApp or visit the shop and we will give you the HMT Sourab price for this exact piece, with an honest quote.
Where can I buy an HMT Sourab or a vintage HMT watch?+
We sell vintage HMT and other watches in store at Clock House in Kodungaiyur, north Chennai. This HMT Sourab automatic day-date is in stock now. Message us on WhatsApp or visit the shop and we will confirm availability and the price.
Is the HMT Sourab a good watch to buy?+
For a vintage automatic at this level, the Sourab is a lot of watch: a real self-winding day-date movement, a dressy champagne dial and genuine HMT history. As with any old HMT watch, condition and originality decide value, which is why we service and check each piece before we sell it.
How do I tell a genuine HMT Sourab from a fake or franken watch?+
Vintage HMT is widely faked or assembled from mixed parts, so check the dial text and layout against known examples, look at the caseback markings and serial, and ideally see a clear movement photo. We go through all of this with you in store before you buy.
Can you service or restore my HMT Sourab?+
Yes. We service and restore vintage and antique watches, including HMT, at our Kodungaiyur workshop in north Chennai. We assess the piece and quote the work before we begin.
Interested in this HMT Sourab?
One piece, in store in Vyasarpadi, north Chennai. Message us and ask for a quote, or come in to see it.