Netflix's Operation Safed Sagar retells the Kargil War story of the IAF's Golden Arrows squadron. Delhi Watch Company already built a numbered tribute watch to that same unit — here's the real history, and the Golden Arrows watch you can actually buy today.
Operation Safed Sagar is Netflix's new six-episode series about the Indian Air Force's role in the 1999 Kargil War — and its central characters fly for a real unit, No. 17 Squadron, nicknamed the Golden Arrows. What most viewers searching for a "Golden Arrows watch" don't realise is that one already exists: Delhi Watch Company's Vayu 3.0 "Golden Arrows", a numbered tribute built with input from the officer who commanded the squadron during the war.
Key facts:
- Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story of the Kargil War premiered on Netflix India on 7 August 2026.
- It dramatises No. 17 Squadron, the "Golden Arrows" — a frontline MiG-21 unit that flew Battlefield Air Strikes over Kargil at 14,000–18,000 feet.
- Jimmy Shergill plays then–Wing Commander B.S. Dhanoa, the squadron's commanding officer, who later rose to Chief of the Air Staff.
- Siddharth plays Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, the Golden Arrows' Flight Commander, killed during the war and posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra.
- Delhi Watch Company's Vayu 3.0 "Golden Arrows" was developed in consultation with (retd.) Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa and released as a 4,000-piece numbered edition — it is not affiliated with Netflix or the show.
What Operation Safed Sagar is actually about
Operation Safed Sagar was the codename for the Indian Air Force's air campaign in support of the Army during the Kargil War, launched in May 1999 after regular and irregular Pakistani forces were found occupying vacated Indian positions high in the Kargil sector. The Netflix series, created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava and directed by Oni Sen, follows the officers who flew and supported those missions — most of them drawn directly from real IAF personnel rather than invented for drama.
The show's emotional core belongs to No. 17 Squadron. Known as the Golden Arrows, the squadron flew MiG-21s on some of the war's most dangerous sorties, including low-level night strikes that proved more accurate than daytime runs for hitting entrenched positions. Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, the unit's Flight Commander, was shot down over Pakistani-held territory on a reconnaissance mission on 27 May 1999 and killed after ejecting — one of the war's defining losses, and the reason his story anchors both the series and the watch built to honour his squadron.
The Golden Arrows watch: DWC Vayu 3.0
Before the Netflix series existed, Delhi Watch Company had already told this story on a dial. The Vayu 3.0 "Golden Arrows" is part of DWC's long-running Vayu line — named for the Vedic wind god — and was built specifically around No. 17 Squadron's Kargil record, with retired Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa consulted directly on the design. The dial carries the squadron's "Golden Arrows" name, a pilot-style Arabic numeral layout, and the tricolour roundel used as the IAF's own aircraft insignia — the same detailing visible in the illustration above.
The edition ships in two colourways that mirror the squadron's own operations: a stainless-steel version representing its daytime missions, and a black PVD-coated version for the night strikes that made the Golden Arrows' reputation. Both share a caseback engraved with a fighter jet over a mountain range — a nod to Tiger Hill, the peak recaptured during the war — reading "Kargil Heroes · Golden Arrows." The run was capped at 4,000 numbered pieces, released around Kargil Vijay Diwas, the 26 July anniversary of India's Kargil victory.
Buying status: the Golden Arrows edition was a limited run of 4,000 pieces, and it is not currently in stock — it no longer appears as an active product on Delhi Watch Company's own store. If you want an IAF tribute watch you can buy today, DWC's Vayu Bison is the currently-purchasable option from the same Vayu family: a MiG-21-cockpit-inspired dial with a tricolour accent, on a Seiko VK64 meca-quartz movement, for ₹6,499. Read the brand's own account of the Golden Arrows edition on the DWC Vayu: Golden Arrows blog post, and check their current catalogue in case of a restock.
Delhi Watch Company
Vayu Bison
₹6.5K
Why a TV series is reviving interest in this watch
This is not the first time a war story has driven interest in a tribute watch, and it will not be the last. Rolex's Everest association traces back to 1953 expeditions; DWC's own Everest watch rode a similar wave after Sherpa Kami Rita's 2024 summit. What is different about Operation Safed Sagar is that the Golden Arrows watch predates the show — it was already a documented piece of squadron history before Netflix picked up the story, which is exactly why the connection holds up under scrutiny instead of reading as opportunistic merchandising.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a real Golden Arrows watch?
Yes. Delhi Watch Company's Vayu 3.0 "Golden Arrows" is a real, numbered 4,000-piece edition built in consultation with the squadron's former commanding officer, retired Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa. It is not affiliated with or produced by Netflix.
What is Operation Safed Sagar?
Operation Safed Sagar was the Indian Air Force's codename for its combined air operations supporting the Army during the 1999 Kargil War. Netflix's 2026 series of the same subtitle dramatises the campaign through No. 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows.
Can I still buy the DWC Golden Arrows watch?
No — it was a limited run of 4,000 numbered pieces and is not currently in stock or listed as an active product on Delhi Watch Company's store. The Vayu Bison, an open-edition IAF tribute watch from the same brand, is currently purchasable instead.
Who was Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja?
Ajay Ahuja was the Flight Commander of No. 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, during the Kargil War. He was shot down on a reconnaissance mission on 27 May 1999 and killed after ejecting, and was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra. He is a central figure in both the Netflix series and the history behind the DWC tribute watch.
