IST 1947's Arka and Vanya both cost ₹9,999 and both have sapphire crystals, 100m water resistance and Miyota quartz movements. Arka is a 38mm dress watch with a Konark Wheel small seconds and a leather strap; Vanya is a 40mm field watch with C3 lume, a date and a nylon strap. Buy Arka if you want something for work and evenings, Vanya if you want one watch for everything. Arka is on pre-order and ships from early November; Vanya launches on 15 October.
IST 1947 launched with two collections at exactly the same price, ₹9,999, and they are easy to confuse online: both are steel, both have sapphire, both are rated to 100m and both run on Miyota quartz. In practice they are very different watches. Arka is a dress watch. Vanya is a field watch. Most people will be happier with one than the other, and this guide is about working out which.
New to the brand? Start with our IST 1947 brand story. The brand's third collection, the ₹19,470 Vijay cricket automatics, has its own guide.
Arka vs Vanya at a glance
| Arka | Vanya | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dress watch | Field watch |
| Case | 38mm, 316L steel | 40mm, 316L steel |
| Crystal | Domed sapphire, AR-coated | Sapphire, AR-coated |
| Movement | Miyota 1L45 quartz, small seconds | Miyota 2115 quartz, date |
| Lume | None listed | Japanese C3 |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m |
| Dial | Sunray, Bregnagari numerals, Konark Wheel small seconds at 6 | Fumé, paw or hoof prints at 3 and 9, state-script numeral at 12 |
| Strap | Alligator-embossed calf leather, 20mm tapering to 18mm | Nylon hook-and-loop, 20mm |
| Caseback | Closed, engraved Konark Wheel | Closed, engraved state map and park coordinates |
| Colours | 5 (2 sold out) | 4 |
| Price | ₹9,999 | ₹9,999 |
| Availability (9 Oct 2026) | Pre-order, ships first week of November | Pre-order with early-access code, launches and ships 15 October |
Arka: the dress watch
Arka (Sanskrit for the sun) is built around the 13th-century Sun Temple at Konark, whose carved stone wheels work as sundials. IST 1947 turned one wheel into the small seconds at 6 o'clock and engraved another on the caseback. The numerals are the brand's own "Bregnagari" typeface, drawn from Devanagari. The domed sapphire catches light the way a dress watch should, and at 38mm it fits under a shirt cuff, a size Indian brands rarely offer.
What you give up is practicality. IST 1947 lists no lume on the Arka, so it is hard to read in the dark, and there is no date. The leather strap means the 100m rating is more reassurance than invitation: it is not a watch to swim in.
The five colours:
- Arka Golden Hour: salmon sunray with deep blue numerals, brown strap. Our pick.
- Arka Rain Check: monsoon green with copper numerals, brown strap. The most vintage-looking.
- Arka Cloud Nine: powder blue with deep blue numerals, navy strap. The most casual.
- Arka White Noise: ivory with black numerals, black strap. First batch sold out.
- Arka After Hours: navy with ivory numerals, black strap. First batch sold out.
IST 1947
Arka Golden Hour
₹9,999
The two that sold out first were the two most conventional, ivory and navy on black leather. That suggests most buyers wanted Arka as a classic dress watch first and a story second. If that's you, sign up for restock alerts on IST 1947's site rather than settling for a colour you don't love.
Vanya: the field watch
Vanya (of the forest) is one watch per wildlife reserve, each named for the place and its animal in the local language. The 3 and 9 markers are replaced by luminous paw or hoof prints, the 12 is written in the script of that state, and the caseback is engraved with a map of the state and the park's coordinates.
- Vanya Kaziranga Gorh: one-horned rhino, Assam. Deep green fumé dial, Assamese numeral, black strap with green stitching. Our pick.
- Vanya Ranthambore Bagh: tiger, Rajasthan. Muted olive dial, Devanagari numeral, brown strap.
- Vanya Gir Sinh: Asiatic lion, Gujarat. Warm brown fumé, Gujarati numeral, brown strap.
- Vanya Jawai Tendua: leopard, Rajasthan. Dark grey fumé, Devanagari numeral, grey strap. IST 1947 calls it the most understated of the four.
IST 1947
Vanya Kaziranga Gorh
₹9,999
As a tool, Vanya is the better-equipped watch: C3 lume, a date and a nylon strap you can get wet. The 20mm lugs take any standard strap, so it is easy to put on leather or a bracelet if you want to dress it up. The hook-and-loop strap it comes on is practical but casual, and the watch looks its best outdoors.
Which should you buy?
Buy Arka if you wear shirts to work, have a smaller wrist, already own a sports or smart watch and want something for evenings and occasions, or want a gift that looks more expensive than it is.
Buy Vanya if you want one watch to wear every day, travel or spend time outdoors, need to read the time in the dark, or want a date. It is also the better buy if you care about wildlife or have a connection to one of the four states.
If you are still undecided, ask yourself where you'll wear it most. For an office, Arka. For everything else, Vanya.
The case against both
Both are quartz. At ₹9,999 you can get a mechanical watch from another Indian brand, and some buyers will feel that matters more than sapphire or a good story. Our best Indian watches under ₹10,000 guide lists the automatic alternatives. The case for IST 1947 is that both collections are well specified for the money and say something specifically Indian, which most watches at this price don't. If you want IST 1947's design and a mechanical movement, the Vijay is the only option, at ₹19,470.
Frequently asked questions
Are Arka and Vanya the same price?
Yes. Every Arka and Vanya costs ₹9,999 on ist1947.com.
Does the IST 1947 Arka have lume?
IST 1947 lists no lume for the Arka. The Vanya has Japanese C3 lume, including its luminous paw and hoof prints.
Does the Vanya have a date?
Yes. The Vanya's Miyota 2115 quartz movement has a date. The Arka has no date, only a small seconds.
When will IST 1947 Arka and Vanya ship?
Arka launched on 30 September 2026 and pre-orders ship from the first week of November. Vanya launches on 15 October 2026, when shipping is due to begin, and can be pre-ordered now with an early-access code.
Which Arka colours are sold out?
As of 9 October 2026, the first batches of White Noise (ivory) and After Hours (navy) have sold out. Golden Hour, Rain Check and Cloud Nine can still be ordered.
