`The Watch Doctor’: From high-end customers to joblessness, Kashmir’s master watchmaker struggles to fight digital onslaught

Srinagar: Whenever any politician or businessman would have an issue with his or her analog watch, he or she would rush to Muhammad Shafi at Fateh Kadal.

In his heydays, Shafi’s customers ran in hundreds given his expertise and level of knowledge in watchmaking. Popularly known as `watch doctor’, the 52-year-old’s clientele included who is who of Kashmir.  

Cut- to the smartwatch era, his fame and relevance has faded into oblivion and so have his earnings.

“Some 10 years before, I was famous in the entire city. I have been in this business for the last 40 years.  But now rarely do I get work,” he said as he repairs a clock given to him by one of his old customers from Srinagar.

Shafi who inherited the skill from his father said his earnings have dropped by more than 70 percent in the last 10 years.

“Now I am doing this work because I do not have any other skill. I learnt it with my utter dedication and put my soul into it. Now, we have smart and electronic watches, which have different machinery and don’t require repairs. These watches have their own service centers where their parts get replaced in case of damage,” he said.

From the costliest Seiko to Reiko, Citizen, HMT, Titan, and many foreign brands, Shafi said he has repaired endless watches including high-end brands.

“There was a time when wearing an analog watch was a matter of pride. Earlier, there were keyed watches, which took time and effort to repair. Today people have neither time nor patience. They buy new watches to replace the defunct or old ones,” he said.

Unlike Shafi, none of his family is associated with the art of watchmaking. “They have their interest in other businesses. This art is now fading and I think in coming years we won’t see any watchmaker in the city,” he said.