THE VINTAGE OMEGA COLLECTOR
Man's World|December 2023
Samir Shah, a successful Mumbai dentist, is the owner of what could be one of India's largest vintage watch collections dominated by Omegas
Murali Monon
THE VINTAGE OMEGA COLLECTOR

Samir Shah has been complimented only once for his choice of watch by a client in his over 30 years as a leading city dentist. "Most people don't notice watches, especially vintage watches," he says. Not that it has ever mattered to him. He collects vintage watches, especially Omegas, because it is a very personal pleasure; just like horse riding, another of his passions. Every fortnight, he decides on the next bunch of watches that will adorn his 6.5-inch wrist. How many Omegas does he have? He wants the keep the exact number a secret but reveals that he could keep wearing a different watch every day for a couple of months.

Shah, believed to be among India's biggest, and most well regarded, collectors of vintage Omegas, is a trim man with silver hair that he wears in a ponytail. When I meet him, he is wearing a fitted T-shirt and jeans; his watch distinguishes him further. It is an Omega Constellation on an integrated bracelet.

Shah inherited his passion from his grandfather, who gifted him his first watch, a Seiko 5, in the early 1980s, a decade when Casios were on fire. "It was uncommon then, especially among children. I was intrigued by the mechanics of it," says Shah, who picked up HMTs and Ricohs in the early 1990s while still a student of dental medicine. Later, as a young dentist, he would spend his Sundays at Chor Bazaar, entranced by the horological riches it contained.

This story is from the December 2023 edition of Man's World.

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This story is from the December 2023 edition of Man's World.

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