HMT Heritage Centre and Museum

The museum was established to celebrate the legacy of Hindustan Machine Tools Limited (HMT), the country’s first machine manufacturing company, set up by the Indian government in the late 1900s. This technology museum traces the origin and journey of HMT into fields like manufacturing of wristwatches, machine tools, light bulbs and tractors. The idea of setting up the museum came in the wake of the closure of HMT’s watch factory and other ancillary units. It is located in the former residence of the company's chairman, amidst the lush green landscape of the HMT colony.

The museum is spread over two floors--the ground floor is dedicated to the history of watchmaking, while the first floor archives the history of machine tools and equipment. It outlines the company’s progress in the form of a timeline with a map of India depicting its factories across the country, and displays with details of each factory along with the milestones achieved by the company over the years.

The most interesting exhibit is the ‘Parts of a Watch’, where even the minutest components of different watches have been illustrated. The other sections highlight the dials of watches, the manufacturing process, various packaging boxes, watchmaking tools and machinery. Another attraction of the museum is the variety of finished watches showcased across four rooms, including hand-wound watches, braille watches and customised watches like the famous flower clock at Lalbagh Botanical garden.

The first-floor documents the range of machine tools manufactured by the company since its inception, along with a world map that indicates their collaborators from across the world. A 20-minute video, detailing HMT's history, its skill development and training units, plays on a loop inside an AV room. The last section explains the origin and development of the HMT tractor, along with its functioning parts.