Titan Watches has been a pioneer in launching several innovative products including the world’s slimmest watch. In an interview with BusinessLine , Suparna Mitra, Chief Executive Officer, Watches and Wearables Division, Titan Company Ltd, talks about how the company plans to create a niche for itself in the high-end technology-leading products.

Following the pandemic, most people have shifted to working from home. In such a scenario, will the sales of watches go down?

Last year we saw a considerable shift in the choices and preferences of the consumers. While some consumers have resumed going to work, many are still operating from their homes. In our experience so far, we’ve seen a good recovery across our business and that’s largely true for the overall fashion accessories category as well. Further, while WFH is a new phenomenon, and is likely to stay in some form, we see that watches as an accessory continues to see strong traction. This could be because workwear in itself is only one consumer need. The need for dressing up and looking good continues to be relevant and will be even stronger for festive occasions/celebrations. Watches continue to be a thoughtful and personal gift.

Titan has a robust portfolio of watch brands. How many times does the portfolio get refreshed?

Each of our brands/ sub-brands has always stayed abreast of trends and evolving consumer needs. The product portfolio of each brand/ sub-brand is refreshed every single year. We launch over 800 new styles and designs that are in sync with the latest fashion codes and trends across our brands. All our clusters constantly refresh their design codes to stay in tune with the times. In addition, we have also launched some new brands/sub-brands in response to changing customer needs.

Apart from new launches like Fastrack Reflex and Traq, Titan Pay was launched last year in association with SBI Yono, as a brisk response to the growing need for contactless payments.

With the decision to scale down the operations of Favre Leuba, will it be replaced with any other brand?

Favre Leuba will continue to operate in India. It will address the high-end watch consumer along with other brands and sub-brands that we already have and premium Titan watches such as Edge Mechanical which are pushing the boundaries in watchmaking.

What has been the response so far for the world’s slimmest watch launched by Titan?

Titan Edge – the world’s slimmest watch that was introduced first in 2002. Since then, Titan Edge has crafted some of the slimmest timepieces the world has ever seen. We wanted to take Edge to the next level with a mechanical movement. This would combine the complexity of mechanical movement with the slimness of Edge. The Titan team worked on this for five years and came up with Titan Edge Mechanical, the slimmest mechanical watch made by an Indian watchmaker. This limited-edition collection of 200 watches is a demonstration of Indian manufacturing prowess and marks the entry for Titan in the world of luxury watches.

The Edge Calibre 903, an exquisitely crafted movement, is an ensemble of 106 delicately machined metal parts carefully assembled to create a magical play of time. At a slimness of 2.2 mm, the movement is ultra-slim and uses 18 jewels to reduce the friction between moving parts and has a power reserve of 42 hours.

Which segment is Traq targeted at? What is the strategy behind the launch?

Our strategy is to offer the most relevant smart product to specific user segments. Traq is part of that journey – to offer a performance tracking device and app to thousands of people who have taken up active sports like running, cycling and swimming.

Even before the pandemic, we were seeing an increasing number of Indians take up activities such as running, cycling, and swimming, aiming for a healthy and active lifestyle.

The pandemic only accentuated this trend. So we decided to create a range of performance tracking watches for the serious runner, cyclist and triathlete.

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