Building Time with Purpose: The Founders’ Journey Behind Sylvi Watches
When competition in the Indian market watch for men was still dominated by expensive foreign brands and simple utility watches, Sylvi appeared with a new outlook. Instead of competing on price or positioning itself as a product, the founders envisioned a brand centred on trust, emotional relevance, and long-lasting customer relationships.
Impact Feature
- Feb 27, 2026,
- Updated Feb 27, 2026 4:14 PM IST
Sylvi is an Indian watch brand founded in 2015 and based in Surat, Gujarat. The brand was established by Krushna Ghevariya and Ishan Kukadia and was founded on the basis of a relatively simple yet ambitious goal, which is to transform the way Indian customers think about watches, that is, to fuse intelligent design, reliable quality, and Indian manufacturing in the form of a personal and significant timepiece.
Advertisement
When competition in the Indian market watch for men was still dominated by expensive foreign brands and simple utility watches, Sylvi appeared with a new outlook. Instead of competing on price or positioning itself as a product, the founders envisioned a brand centred on trust, emotional relevance, and long-lasting customer relationships.
The Early Spark: Seeing a Gap in the Indian Watch Market
The concept of Sylvi emerged when its pioneers realised there was a gap in the industry. Consumers had to settle for either expensive imported watches for women that were distant and aspirational or locally available, low-end watches that did not evoke much design emotion. People who desired well-designed, reliable watches based on Indian sensibilities had no solid middle ground.
Advertisement
Krushna Ghevariya and Ishan Kukadia believed that Indian manufacturing had the potential to produce watches that could compete with global brands without sacrificing cultural events or reach. This ideology was the source of Sylvi.
Its brand location was deliberately relocated to Surat, a city with an industrial ecosystem and manufacturing expertise in Gujarat. The proximity to production meant the founders could be hands-on and closely oversee the execution of the design, quality control, and sourcing decisions. With such closeness, the culture of responsibility and accuracy emerged in Sylvi at the initial levels of its development.
Krushna Ghevariya: Designing with Emotion and Purpose
Advertisement
Krushna Ghevariya is another Sylvi founder who is also involved in product design and brand philosophy. There is little known about his early life and academic background; however, his work is highly expressive in its knowledge of materials, movements, and the role of accessories in everyday life.
Ghevariya has always insisted that watches can be used only as timekeeping devices. To him, a watch is what people become accustomed to: the one they put on their wrists in their day-to-day activities, from their careers to business trips, parties, and achievements. This perception shaped the comfort, longevity, and classic design consideration that Sylvi used instead of the temporary style.
Rather than prioritising rapid scaling, Ghevariya devoted time to mastering the basics of watchmaking: the reliability of movements, material behaviour, assembly precision, and customer expectations. His philosophy inclined towards gradual, consistent development through product integrity and trust.
Some of these initiatives were inspired by this philosophy, such as the Prototype Program, in which customers are invited to contribute to early designs and provide feedback once they are finalised, before production commences. The other significant project, the Certified Imperfect Collection, provides fully functioning watches with a few cosmetic flaws, making products more sustainable and conscious. According to Ghevariya, belonging to the programme indicates a philosophy of transparency, inclusivity, and brand-customer ownership.
Advertisement
Ishan Kukadia: Building Structure, Scale, and Strategic Balance
Co-founder of Sylvi, Ishan Kukadia, adds to this vision a strong focus on operations, positioning (brand), and long-term scalability. His position has been pivotal to the development of the systems and structures needed to expand Sylvi responsibly and consistently maintain quality.
Among Kukadia's recent work are the introduction of new watch products, the exploration of hybrid analogue-digital models, and the expansion of the brand Sylvi to reach a wider age range and gender. The brand also expanded under his watch into analogue, digital, hybrid, automatic, and chronograph watches.
He has also made a significant contribution to consolidating Sylvi's digital-first position, enabling the brand to engage directly with customers on e-commerce websites and its own website. This direct-to-consumer approach enabled Sylvi to get quicker feedback, keep on improving products, and keep prices transparent.
In addition to its business activities, Kukadia sponsors Sylvi's purpose-oriented initiatives, including sustainability, environmentally friendly packaging, and social programmes for women's empowerment and child welfare. These endeavours are a product of the founders' collective conviction that commercial achievements must be accompanied by beneficial social influence.
Building the Brand: A Thoughtful Beginning
Sylvi was officially initiated in 2015 under the Style Feathers parent company. In its early years, the brand emphasized small-scale manufacturing, rigorous quality checks, and conservative market penetration. Early collections included analogue quartz watches, designed to harmonise fashion, functionality and wearability.
Advertisement
Sylvi did not employ heavy-handed marketing but instead used customer experience and word-of-mouth to develop trust. Initial sales in local stores and on online marketplaces helped the brand understand local tastes and narrow its services.
As customers gained confidence, the founders also invested in packaging, branding, and design consistency so that, whenever a customer unboxes a watch, they receive not only a complete experience but also a whole package.
A Philosophy Rooted in Meaning, Not Just Design
Since the beginning, Sylvi's philosophy has not been confined to making watches that were appealing to the eye. Ghevariya and Kukadia expected the watches to have emotional value, since they were meant to be part of life, not a frivolous feature to be discarded.
This ideology has shaped the brand's long-term strategy. As the manufacturer was mostly local, Sylvi had once embraced modern design and functional innovation to be in touch with the evolving market. The focus was to develop watches with a modern touch, yet they needed to be classic and personal.
Customer involvement became an iconic pillar of the brand. Given the programmes of feedback and open communication, Sylvi has established itself as a participatory brand – one that listens and evolves with society.
Advertisement
Growth Through Digital and Direct-to-Consumer Channels
The increased growth came with the addition of digital and direct-to-consumer (D2C) to Sylvi. The launch of its own site, as well as its availability on key e-commerce platforms, enabled the brand to target consumers in India (not to mention both developed and developing cities).
This digital-first solution minimised the need for conventional retail markups and enabled greater customer interaction. The accelerated feedback mechanisms were helpful in refining a design, enhancing quality processes, and reinforcing after-sales services.
Sylvi increased manufacturing capacity, advanced inventory management, and developed organised CRM systems over time for its growing customer base.
Resilience and Innovation During Challenging Times
The COVID-19 disruption created significant pressure on manufacturing and logistics across all industries. This is when Sylvi began to enhance online sales, marketing, and customer support systems.
The brand invested in process improvement, quality development, and service reliability rather than halting innovation. These attempts helped Sylvi emerge stronger and more structured in the years that followed.
Social Responsibility and Community Impact
Sylvi has always been socially responsible. The founders have financed efforts focused on education, skill development, and women's empowerment. The brand has helped create employment in Surat's manufacturing and operations ecosystem, contributing to the region's economic growth.
Every Sylvi watch is positioned as something beyond goods – it is an entry point to a larger system of responsible production and exclusive development.
Sylvi’s Journey 2015 Foundation – The Foundation in Surat, Gujarat, was established by Sylvi.
● 2016-2017: Early analogue quartz collections were introduced; the initial launch was in the marketplace.
● 2018: D2C development and new official webpage.
● 2019: The diversification of products and the penetration of the market into women's watches.
● 2020: Digitally focused and service-strengthening pandemic resilience.
● 2021: Federally spread and superior quality systems.
● 2022: Innovation stage and Prototype Program, and Certified Imperfect Collection.
● 2023: Expansion of manufacturing and upgrades of the system.
● 2024: Brand maturity, high-end narratives, and enhanced collections.
● 2025-2026: Process redesign and new-age innovations within digital capabilities and community-related campaigns.
Impact and Legacy
Today, Sylvi is one of the potential local Indian watch brands. The company has had to reduce its reliance on imports, create jobs, and meet the needs of lakhs of Indian customers by building an ecosystem of Make-in-India watches.
The secret of its success lies in its ability to reconcile modern design with efficient, customer-driven production. Placed between cheap utility watches and expensive imports, Sylvi delivers value-centred, high-end experiences based on trust and craftsmanship.
As Sylvi continues to seek global preparedness, its legacy is not only growth measures but also what it preaches, its purpose, and accountability, as well as its deep respect for time as a collective human experience.
Looking Ahead
By the year 2026, Sylvi is still concentrating on product innovation, strengthening operations, and brand narration. Recent activities have included introducing watches with more digital features, increasing manufacturing capacity, and enhancing processes across all departments, all driven by systems.
As it has a long-term plan to establish a globally recognised Indian watch brand, Sylvi is still focused on strengthening its solid foundation in domestic manufacturing, customer trust, and adapting to consumer expectations.
About Sylvi
Sylvi is a designer, manufacturer, and direct-to-consumer wristwatch brand based in India, headquartered in Surat, Gujarat, and established in 2015. The brand sells analogue, digital, hybrid, automatic, and chronograph watches and operates primarily on online platforms in India.
Sylvi is an Indian watch brand founded in 2015 and based in Surat, Gujarat. The brand was established by Krushna Ghevariya and Ishan Kukadia and was founded on the basis of a relatively simple yet ambitious goal, which is to transform the way Indian customers think about watches, that is, to fuse intelligent design, reliable quality, and Indian manufacturing in the form of a personal and significant timepiece.
Advertisement
When competition in the Indian market watch for men was still dominated by expensive foreign brands and simple utility watches, Sylvi appeared with a new outlook. Instead of competing on price or positioning itself as a product, the founders envisioned a brand centred on trust, emotional relevance, and long-lasting customer relationships.
The Early Spark: Seeing a Gap in the Indian Watch Market
The concept of Sylvi emerged when its pioneers realised there was a gap in the industry. Consumers had to settle for either expensive imported watches for women that were distant and aspirational or locally available, low-end watches that did not evoke much design emotion. People who desired well-designed, reliable watches based on Indian sensibilities had no solid middle ground.
Advertisement
Krushna Ghevariya and Ishan Kukadia believed that Indian manufacturing had the potential to produce watches that could compete with global brands without sacrificing cultural events or reach. This ideology was the source of Sylvi.
Its brand location was deliberately relocated to Surat, a city with an industrial ecosystem and manufacturing expertise in Gujarat. The proximity to production meant the founders could be hands-on and closely oversee the execution of the design, quality control, and sourcing decisions. With such closeness, the culture of responsibility and accuracy emerged in Sylvi at the initial levels of its development.
Krushna Ghevariya: Designing with Emotion and Purpose
Advertisement
Krushna Ghevariya is another Sylvi founder who is also involved in product design and brand philosophy. There is little known about his early life and academic background; however, his work is highly expressive in its knowledge of materials, movements, and the role of accessories in everyday life.
Ghevariya has always insisted that watches can be used only as timekeeping devices. To him, a watch is what people become accustomed to: the one they put on their wrists in their day-to-day activities, from their careers to business trips, parties, and achievements. This perception shaped the comfort, longevity, and classic design consideration that Sylvi used instead of the temporary style.
Rather than prioritising rapid scaling, Ghevariya devoted time to mastering the basics of watchmaking: the reliability of movements, material behaviour, assembly precision, and customer expectations. His philosophy inclined towards gradual, consistent development through product integrity and trust.
Some of these initiatives were inspired by this philosophy, such as the Prototype Program, in which customers are invited to contribute to early designs and provide feedback once they are finalised, before production commences. The other significant project, the Certified Imperfect Collection, provides fully functioning watches with a few cosmetic flaws, making products more sustainable and conscious. According to Ghevariya, belonging to the programme indicates a philosophy of transparency, inclusivity, and brand-customer ownership.
Advertisement
Ishan Kukadia: Building Structure, Scale, and Strategic Balance
Co-founder of Sylvi, Ishan Kukadia, adds to this vision a strong focus on operations, positioning (brand), and long-term scalability. His position has been pivotal to the development of the systems and structures needed to expand Sylvi responsibly and consistently maintain quality.
Among Kukadia's recent work are the introduction of new watch products, the exploration of hybrid analogue-digital models, and the expansion of the brand Sylvi to reach a wider age range and gender. The brand also expanded under his watch into analogue, digital, hybrid, automatic, and chronograph watches.
He has also made a significant contribution to consolidating Sylvi's digital-first position, enabling the brand to engage directly with customers on e-commerce websites and its own website. This direct-to-consumer approach enabled Sylvi to get quicker feedback, keep on improving products, and keep prices transparent.
In addition to its business activities, Kukadia sponsors Sylvi's purpose-oriented initiatives, including sustainability, environmentally friendly packaging, and social programmes for women's empowerment and child welfare. These endeavours are a product of the founders' collective conviction that commercial achievements must be accompanied by beneficial social influence.
Building the Brand: A Thoughtful Beginning
Sylvi was officially initiated in 2015 under the Style Feathers parent company. In its early years, the brand emphasized small-scale manufacturing, rigorous quality checks, and conservative market penetration. Early collections included analogue quartz watches, designed to harmonise fashion, functionality and wearability.
Advertisement
Sylvi did not employ heavy-handed marketing but instead used customer experience and word-of-mouth to develop trust. Initial sales in local stores and on online marketplaces helped the brand understand local tastes and narrow its services.
As customers gained confidence, the founders also invested in packaging, branding, and design consistency so that, whenever a customer unboxes a watch, they receive not only a complete experience but also a whole package.
A Philosophy Rooted in Meaning, Not Just Design
Since the beginning, Sylvi's philosophy has not been confined to making watches that were appealing to the eye. Ghevariya and Kukadia expected the watches to have emotional value, since they were meant to be part of life, not a frivolous feature to be discarded.
This ideology has shaped the brand's long-term strategy. As the manufacturer was mostly local, Sylvi had once embraced modern design and functional innovation to be in touch with the evolving market. The focus was to develop watches with a modern touch, yet they needed to be classic and personal.
Customer involvement became an iconic pillar of the brand. Given the programmes of feedback and open communication, Sylvi has established itself as a participatory brand – one that listens and evolves with society.
Advertisement
Growth Through Digital and Direct-to-Consumer Channels
The increased growth came with the addition of digital and direct-to-consumer (D2C) to Sylvi. The launch of its own site, as well as its availability on key e-commerce platforms, enabled the brand to target consumers in India (not to mention both developed and developing cities).
This digital-first solution minimised the need for conventional retail markups and enabled greater customer interaction. The accelerated feedback mechanisms were helpful in refining a design, enhancing quality processes, and reinforcing after-sales services.
Sylvi increased manufacturing capacity, advanced inventory management, and developed organised CRM systems over time for its growing customer base.
Resilience and Innovation During Challenging Times
The COVID-19 disruption created significant pressure on manufacturing and logistics across all industries. This is when Sylvi began to enhance online sales, marketing, and customer support systems.
The brand invested in process improvement, quality development, and service reliability rather than halting innovation. These attempts helped Sylvi emerge stronger and more structured in the years that followed.
Social Responsibility and Community Impact
Sylvi has always been socially responsible. The founders have financed efforts focused on education, skill development, and women's empowerment. The brand has helped create employment in Surat's manufacturing and operations ecosystem, contributing to the region's economic growth.
Every Sylvi watch is positioned as something beyond goods – it is an entry point to a larger system of responsible production and exclusive development.
Sylvi’s Journey 2015 Foundation – The Foundation in Surat, Gujarat, was established by Sylvi.
● 2016-2017: Early analogue quartz collections were introduced; the initial launch was in the marketplace.
● 2018: D2C development and new official webpage.
● 2019: The diversification of products and the penetration of the market into women's watches.
● 2020: Digitally focused and service-strengthening pandemic resilience.
● 2021: Federally spread and superior quality systems.
● 2022: Innovation stage and Prototype Program, and Certified Imperfect Collection.
● 2023: Expansion of manufacturing and upgrades of the system.
● 2024: Brand maturity, high-end narratives, and enhanced collections.
● 2025-2026: Process redesign and new-age innovations within digital capabilities and community-related campaigns.
Impact and Legacy
Today, Sylvi is one of the potential local Indian watch brands. The company has had to reduce its reliance on imports, create jobs, and meet the needs of lakhs of Indian customers by building an ecosystem of Make-in-India watches.
The secret of its success lies in its ability to reconcile modern design with efficient, customer-driven production. Placed between cheap utility watches and expensive imports, Sylvi delivers value-centred, high-end experiences based on trust and craftsmanship.
As Sylvi continues to seek global preparedness, its legacy is not only growth measures but also what it preaches, its purpose, and accountability, as well as its deep respect for time as a collective human experience.
Looking Ahead
By the year 2026, Sylvi is still concentrating on product innovation, strengthening operations, and brand narration. Recent activities have included introducing watches with more digital features, increasing manufacturing capacity, and enhancing processes across all departments, all driven by systems.
As it has a long-term plan to establish a globally recognised Indian watch brand, Sylvi is still focused on strengthening its solid foundation in domestic manufacturing, customer trust, and adapting to consumer expectations.
About Sylvi
Sylvi is a designer, manufacturer, and direct-to-consumer wristwatch brand based in India, headquartered in Surat, Gujarat, and established in 2015. The brand sells analogue, digital, hybrid, automatic, and chronograph watches and operates primarily on online platforms in India.
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