New Delhi, Mar 6: In a landmark moment for Indian watchmaking, Rotoris has made its debut on the Formula One circuit. The brand became the first Indian timepiece company to appear on the Formula 1 grid as racing driver Kush Maini wore the Rotoris Astonia Sports Chronograph during the 2026 season opener at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.
During the opening race weekend, the BWT Alpine Formula One Team Reserve Driver and Alpine Academy racer was photographed in the F1 paddock wearing the Rotoris Astonia Sports Chronograph in Phantom Black, marking a historic moment for Indian horology on one of motorsport’s most prestigious stages.
For Rotoris, which launched globally earlier this year, the appearance reflects the brand’s alignment with precision engineering, motorsport timing, and mechanical performance—the very elements that inspired the Astonia chronograph collection.
The milestone also arrives at a time when Formula 1 is witnessing remarkable growth in India, with viewership surging in recent seasons and attracting a younger generation of fans drawn to the sport’s world of speed, engineering, and performance. With discussions around the return of Formula 1 to India, excitement around motorsport in the country continues to rise.
A Rising Indian Talent on the Global Stage
Kush Maini is currently competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with ART Grand Prix and serves as Test and Reserve Driver for the BWT Alpine Formula One Team. The Bengaluru-born racer enters his fourth F2 season in 2026 and is mentored by two-time Formula 1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen.
Maini has secured two Formula 2 race victories and seven podium finishes, including a notable Sprint Race win at Monaco in 2024, and has also completed multiple Formula 1 test sessions with Alpine.
Across the Melbourne paddock during the race weekend, the Astonia Sports Phantom Black chronograph appeared on Maini’s wrist—representing Rotoris’s philosophy of “Measure.”
A Chronograph Built for Racing Precision
The Rotoris Astonia Sports Chronograph features a 42mm matte black 316L stainless steel case, a tachymetre bezel, sapphire crystal, and an FKM rubber strap. At its core is Rotoris’s proprietary Q-MATIC™ technology, powered by Seiko’s TMI VK63 meca-quartz movement, combining quartz precision with the sweeping chronograph hand and tactile pushers of a mechanical chronograph.
Designed around the aesthetics of racing instruments, the timepiece reflects the engineering language of motorsport—precision timing, durability, and performance.
Speaking about the collaboration, Kush Maini said:
“I connect with Astonia not just because of the aesthetics but a deeper connection. Time doesn’t define me. I define the time I have. Always moving, always building. I am Kush Maini, and I’m always becoming more.”
Prerna Gupta, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of Rotoris, added:
“When we designed the Astonia, it was born from racing instruments—the tachymetre, the chronograph pushers, the precision of split-second measurement. Seeing it on the wrist of a racing driver at a Formula 1 circuit during the opening race of the season brings the philosophy full circle.
What makes this partnership meaningful is that Kush represents exactly what Rotoris stands for: a decade of discipline, climbing through every tier of motorsport and earning each step forward.
For a young Indian watch brand to appear on the Formula 1 grid in its first year, on the wrist of one of India’s most promising racing drivers, signals something larger. It shows that Indian design and engineering can stand confidently on the global stage.”
With this milestone, Rotoris positions itself at the intersection of watchmaking, motorsport, and performance engineering, highlighting the growing presence of Indian design and innovation in global luxury and precision industries.