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His watches are his babies that need to be handled with utmost care. These timepieces are not owned by Nozer Pundole but entrusted exclusively to him by his loyal customer base when the delicate mechanism has to be set right.

The Pundole family has not only endured the test of time but has over a century stood steadfast in its resolve to carry on its business just as zealously as it had when it first decided to delve into the world of watches. "We have not only run the family business of trading and servicing watches but over these memorable years have advanced this business progressively to reach the status and position where it is prominently placed today,” says Nozer’s younger brother Cawas.

While Nozer is in charge of the watch repairing business of C. T. Pundole and Sons, Cawas manages Pundole Enterprises, a company primarily devoted to wholesale marketing of a variety of horological products, the respective agencies of which were held by the Pundoles. Referring to the numerous obstacles in their path Cawas maintains, "We have faithfully and with great poise devoted ourselves to the brands we have represented from time to time and to our own customers.” 

Having undergone a year’s training in Switzerland, attending a course organized by the Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program, Nozer is a qualified Swiss horologist who presides over the destinies of antique watches and clocks at the modern well-equipped and airconditioned watch repairing center. As point out the brothers, "The Zoroastrian community has brought in more of business in terms of repairs than in sales. The Kothawallas, Jeejeebhoys, Pudumjees, Pallanjis, Poonawallas and Mehtas have got their antique clocks repaired and restored by us. Zoroastrians have their unique grandfather clocks, sometimes older than a century. The collections of old watches and clocks that they have can only be compared with the Nizams of Hyderabad.”

In 1979 when the House of Pundoles floated their second firm, Pundole Enterprises, Cawas, who is an electronic engineer, was considered suitable to handle the tough and challenging marketing. "It was the family belief that an electronic engineer would know all the products that he marketed inside out, and consequently be able to solve any problem or difficulty that his customers faced with this technology. This would eventually lead to excellence in marketing,” conveys Nozer revealing how Cawas met Hutokshi who was later to become his wife at the opening of Pundole Enterprises. While initially Cawas was assisted by mother Roshan, subsequently his son Hormuz, who has a flair for selling, started devoting all his time to the family business.

The main store of C. T. Pundole and Sons is at Mahatma Gandhi Road in Poona Camp. The store has three floors of watch display of approximately 3,000 sq ft with another 1,000 sq ft area set apart for the service center. One can choose from a range of around 35 brands that cater to the middle as well as upper strata           of society. Some  of them include Rado, Omega, Lo­n­­gines, Tissot, Seiko, Citizen, Titan, Timex and Tag Heuer. Depending on the customer’s budget they show them the watches. An exclusive Timex showroom on J. M. Road also houses brands such as Espirit, Nautica, Guess and Fossil. The company also has three kiosks at the S. G. S. Mall, a branch on Laxmi Road while another two of its branches are located on Paud Road. 

"Our range of watches is too vast, from Rs 500 to a couple of lakhs and there are not many watch dealers who cater to such a wide range so we do not have to worry about competition. Also C. T. Pundole and Sons’ goodwill and reputation over the last century is something not many can compete with,” adds Hormuz. "We are selling high end precious watches and porcelain pieces of Lladro not only in Poona but also in Bombay. We are as good as any store in the world because we have all the latest models which are globally launched,” says Hormuz proudly, adding, "They have full faith when we sell them a watch.  It is best suited for them and the prices are also very competitive.”   

The after-sales service centre is directly handled, supervised and managed by Nozer who continues to upgrade his watch repairing and servicing skills every year in Switzerland. Zoroastrian customers explicitly trust C. T. Pundole and Sons with their watches when it comes to servicing them.  

In fact C. T. Pundole and Sons were appointed as one of the first authorized service centres by HMT for the repair of their electronic and mechanical watches, of which the House of Pundoles’ were the authorized sales and service agents, for the entire region. The company was already the authorized servicing agents for a number of renowned international brands like Rado, Jaeger-le-Coultre, Arsa, Damas and Hoga. 

This was during the time of Nozer’s father Hoshang whose dynamism and progressive approach signaled the start of an eventful period. The Pundoles soon became a household leading name amongst Poona’s watch trade. After completing his training course with the C. F. H. Institute of Lausanne in Switzerland, the Mecca of the watch making business, Ho­shang returned to Poona to organize the com­pany’s watch repairing section with the latest tools and testing equipment. 

On March 11, 2008, he passed away before seeing the centenary celebrations of C. T. Pundole and Sons in 2009. During his lifetime the patriarch was also the recipient of the Trade Post ‘Man of the year’ awarded to him in 1984 and Trade Post ‘Movers of Time Award’ in 2008. 

Hoshang was the third generation from the family to continue the enterprise initiated by his paternal grandfather Tehmulji Nowroji Pundole who had established a small store in Poona Cantonment on September 29, 1909. Those were the days of the British Raj, when very few Indian entrepreneurs dared to not only have their own business but expand it to two more stores in Poona, one on East Street and the other on Main Street, the two plush shopping areas of Poona. From his sons Phiroze, Minocher, Cawasjee and Nariman, it was Cawasjee who took on the responsibility to share the strains and stresses, challenges and opportunities of the business with his father. His wife Khorshedbanoo was a tremendous help to Cowasjee and elder son Hoshang joined him in 1948.

Currently other members of the Pundole family who are an integral part of the support system are Nozer’s wife Pervin and two sons, Faraidoon, who designs the company websites and Xerses, who is a doctor by profession. Cawas’ daughter Parinaz handles the decorations during Christmas while Aviva who is studying uses her spare time to assist the business.

Not only do the Pundole members contribute to the family business, they pool in for community causes too. While Hormuz is the president of the Zoroastrian Youth Association of Poona that only recently hosted the all India Zoroastrian Youth Congress, there are others in the family who also do their bit to help the community financially. The trusted timekeepers know well the import of hands… that serve.