If you’ve recently come across Maxima watches and are interested in discovering more, you might wonder why you haven’t heard much about them. Because they’re not one of the big Swiss or Japanese brands, people often assume they must be a Chinese company – but are they?
Maxima is a company that began as a spare part manufacturer in India. It later acquired Swiss watchmaking machinery and moved into producing durable, low-cost watches for the local market. Maxima is based in India, does not use Chinese watch parts, and is not a Chinese company.
Maxima watches are not often available in the US, but these reliable, accurate watches are affordable and worth looking at. Maxima makes analog, digital, and smartwatches and have also made corporate branded watches for companies like Pepsi, Nokia, and LG.
Is Maxima a Chinese Company?
Although Maxima Watches are an Asian company, they are not Chinese. The company initially began as PA Time industries, and they have been making watches and watch spares for over 50 years.
In 1962 Mr. GS Purewal set up the company known as PA Pinions, which manufactured watch spares. This company became one of the largest of its kind and developed into Purewal and Associates and finally into PA Time Industries.
PA Time Industries was noted for its manufacture of electronic watch components and other watch spare parts. With this knowledge and the ability to manufacture high-quality watch parts, PA Time Industries took the plunge into creating its own watch brand in the nineties.
Maxima brand watches were born out of a vision to supply high-quality watches with modern, sleek designs at an affordable price point, and since then have grown to become the second biggest selling watch brand in India.
Maxima Watches are a private, independent company whose main competitors in India are Fastrack and Sonata. Globally, their designs are comparable to Casio and Swatch, while their smartwatches draw comparisons with Apple and Amazfit.
Where is PA Maxima based?
Maxima watches manufacturing headquarters are in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. This Indian watch company has over seventy-five distributors and more than five thousand retailers across India, including online giants like Amazon and Flipkart.
Crunchbase also lists that Maxima is based in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India, which makes it clear that this is an Indian company, not a Chinese one.
They are currently listed in the top 10K of Indian companies (9,845)
As an Indian watch manufacturer, they provide excellent after-sales support in India, offering maximum features at a low cost. Their styles are inspired by many Casio brand watches but at a much lower price point.
Because they are based in India, this can make getting them in the USA a little more complicated. Online retailers who ship to the USA will be the easiest way to buy a Maxima watch in the USA. You can also use third-party international shipping companies to provide you with virtual Indian shipping addresses.
Is Maxima a Timex brand?
Timex is an American company owned by a Dutch holding firm, and Maxima is an Indian company. Timex sources their watch movements mainly from South-East Asia and China. As a company, Timex is over 150 years old.
Maxima’s watch movements are made in their Indian watch manufacturing plant or sourced from Japan. They began manufacturing watches in 1995, though they had previously been making watch spare parts.
Maxima is not a division of Timex and is a completely separate company.
Where to buy Maxima Watches in the USA?
While you can ask watch dealers in your area about the availability of Maxima watches, they are usually not readily available on your standard US retailers like Amazon.com. Their website currently only distributes through India.
Flipkart, another retailer of Maxima watches, also does not deliver to the USA
You can search through listings on eBay for Maxima watches. While most of the products there will be shipped from India, you can also find some Maxima watches from US sellers.
Maxima watches are listed on Amazon.in, but Amazon India only delivers within India and does not ship products to the US. You will likely need to use a 3rd party company to arrange international shipping on a product bought from Amazon India.
One recommended company that ships internationally from India is MyXBorder, which will assist you with the shipping process with door-to-door delivery from India to worldwide.
Other courier options providing e-commerce solutions that ship from India to the USA are:
For individual watches rather than wholesale, sites like Shoppre.com make buying from India much more manageable. They will provide you with a free virtual Indian shipping address, and the items will be delivered to the Shoppre warehouse. It is then repackaged and dispatched to your US address.
So what makes Maxima Watches worth hunting down?
Maxima Watches Price
The biggest draw with Maxima watches is the price point. You can get durable, quality watches for an excellent price.
Of course, this price saving can be knocked out by the shipping cost, so you need to be sure that the Maxima watch you want makes financial sense after adding in the handling and shipping fees.
If you were shopping for a Maxima smartwatch, one of their top items is the Maximan Max Pro X6 which has a retail price of INR 6,999, around $88. However, Flipkart often offers discounted prices, and you could find the same watch for INR 3,999, which would be $50.
Compared to the similar spec Amazfit GTS 2 Mini, which retails on Amazon.com for $67.99-$99.99. Depending on the cost of your delivery, you can find bargains that make the international shipping worth it.
Because Maxima make a wide range of watch products, prices can range from INR 557 ($7) for a basic men’s analog watch with a leather strap to INR 1,324 ($17) for the Maxima Attivo analog watch with a silicone strap.
Maxima is considered a value brand with budget prices. They are not considered collector’s watches but everyday timepieces that can take daily wear and usage.
Because the brand is budget, people feel more comfortable buying them for average use while still looking stylish and providing modern tech.
Their Facebook page also lists price drop specials and upgrades, available to Indian clients.
Maxima Watches Build Quality
For the price point, Maxima provide surprising build quality. Although you will not get Swiss or Japanese level build quality for the low price, Maxima watches are known to be durable.
When GS Purewal first began manufacturing watches, he imported Swiss watchmaking machines to India. He then began copying these machines with modifications and built himself a name in the watch spares sector.
After an unsuccessful pairing with Swiss company Revue Thomman, Purewal relaunched and developed his own watch movements. He makes over 6 million movements today and exports many to China and Hong Kong.
With the production of their own watch movements, in 1995, PA Times International moved into watch manufacture and was able to create good quality watches at a price the market in India could afford. They also utilize Japanese movements in their watch designs.
For budget watches, they are well-priced, and since they do not import Chinese parts, they have complete quality control.
Reviews on durability are mixed, with a few customers complaining that the quality is not what they expected and that pieces and gears have been lost in daily use. Many reviews compliment the durability despite rough daily use and call it a trustworthy brand that provides value for money.
Some reviews have remarked on faded bands and that replacement parts can be difficult to get.
Maxima Watches Styles and Collections
Maxima makes watches for men, women, and children and offer analog, digital, and smartwatches.
Their watch styles range from formal analog watches in leather and gold, suited to a more elegant and sophisticated look, to sportier, younger styles with digital technology and silicone straps.
Their children’s model watches are analog with round dials and brightly colored plastic straps.
For those who love to stay connected and want to monitor and track their health, fitness, heart rate, and sleep, Maxima has a range of smartwatches to suit. They sync to your phone with the YFit app, available from the play and app stores, and can also sync to Google Fit via 3rd party applications.
Are Maxima Watches Water-Resistant?
Maxima watches are water-resistant but have fully waterproof watches in their collection. Their Aqua range has watches that are waterproof to a depth of 30 meters. Their smartwatches are water-resistant but not waterproof.
Unless marked waterproof, the watches will only provide standard water resistance. A water-resistant watch can only withstand a short amount of water. Ideally, a waterproof watch has an impenetrable seal that prevents water from getting inside the watch workings.
However, even waterproof watches can lose their seal with time and due to certain conditions. Temperature fluctuations and moving water wear the watches down faster, so regular use in the shower or hot tub will make the watch less waterproof over time.
To maintain a waterproof watch, its seals should be checked with a dry pressure test and replaced as necessary – usually every five years.
Watch repair and maintenance brings us to another issue you may have if you buy a Maxima watch in the USA. Getting repairs and after-sales assistance is currently limited to India, though the company has stated it has plans to bring its product internationally.
Where to Repair Maxima Watches in the USA?
Getting aftersales support in India is usually not a problem, as the watches are sold with manufacturer guarantees ranging from one to four years. However, this is limited to Indian sales and will not be applicable if you have shipped your watch internationally
Check with your local watch repair shops for additional advice, or you can access Watch Repairs USA, which states they repair Maxima watches with genuine Maxima parts.
RepairTJC, based in Milwaukee, also offers expert Maxima repairs and services.
Due to the lack of sales support and repairs in the USA, repairs may be more than other brands.
Maxima Watches Comparison
While Maxima is less known outside of India, it remains one of India’s top-selling brands of watches.
Their major competitors within India are:
Using these brands to compare products and pricing against Maxima watches, you can decide if the watch you want makes financial sense to buy. For shopping outside India, you may prefer to buy a brand with better international aftersales support.
However, if you are based in India, the consensus seems that both Sonata and Maxima are good watch brands to buy, offering excellent value for money.
When it comes to smartwatches, the Maxima collections offer many high-tech features, and since their apps are based on both android and apple, this can make them very versatile and a much cheaper alternative to an Apple watch.
| Model | Apple Watch Series 5 GPS | Maxima Max Pro X5 Smartwatch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $224 (refurbished) | INR 2,999 ($38) |
| Battery Life | up to 18 hours | Up to 15 days |
| Bluetooth | yes | yes |
| Camera | no | no |
| Wifi | yes | no |
| GPS | yes | yes |
| USB Port | no | no |
| Weight | 1.7 ounces | 1.05 ounces |
| Display | LTPO OLED retina display | COLOR IPS display |
| Touch Screen | yes | yes |
| Accelerometer | yes | yes |
| Heart rate | yes | yes |
| Barometer | yes | no |
| Compass | yes | no |
| Calorie tracker | yes | yes |
| Step Count | yes | yes |
| Sleep Monitor | no | yes |
| Blood Oxygen Monitor | no | yes |
| Alarm Clock | yes | yes |
| Memory | 32GB | Unknown |
| Operating System | Watch OS | Compatible with Android and IOS |
Conclusion
Maxima watches are not made by a Chinese company but are manufactured in India, using parts made in India or sourced from Japan. Its headquarters are in India, and its sales market is based in the Indian subcontinent. You can buy Maxima watches in the USA, but they are harder to come by.
One of the advantages of Maxima is its low price compared to brands with similar tech levels. They are valued for money and are considered durable for the price. Maxima has a wide range of styles available and make classic and modern watches, as well as analog, digital, and smartwatches.
