Titan Watches looks to establish itself in the premium segment with Vetra

After more than three decades in the Middle East and four decades of watchmaking, Titan Watches is entering a new phase of its journey. The Indian brand, long associated with dependable, accessible watches and part of Tata Group, is putting greater emphasis on craftsmanship, design and mechanical innovation as it looks to establish itself in the premium segment with the launch of VETRA, its in-house mechanical movement. The goal is to turn the trust it has built over generations into a stronger desire for its watches.

The expansion is already under way. Titan entered the Gulf through Oman in 1994 and now operates across all six GCC countries, with 44 exclusive stores, including 31 in the UAE. The company says it is the first watch brand to have exclusive stores in all seven emirates. Its watches are also available through more than 400 multi-brand retailers, department stores and hypermarkets. Titan sells over 200,000 watches annually across the region and reported revenue growth of more than 20 per cent in the financial year 2026. The Middle East is one of its largest markets outside India.

Over the next five years, Titan plans to increase its exclusive stores across the region from 44 to 70, with 40 in the UAE. Its first experiential space at Mall of the Emirates offers a glimpse of the retail approach it hopes to expand, offering visitors a closer look at the craftsmanship and technology behind each timepiece.

“The UAE is one of the world’s most sophisticated watch markets, with customers who appreciate both the artistry and technical excellence behind fine timepieces,” said Rahul Shukla, Vice President and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Titan Watches. “We see this experiential space as far more than a retail attraction; it is a reflection of Titan’s watchmaking philosophy, where craftsmanship, design and engineering come together with purpose and precision. Our ambition is to make India a genuine force in modern horology, creating aspirational watches for every wrist, that win hearts and earn global recognition.”

Titan’s strategy is built around a customer relationship that can evolve over time. Many buyers first encounter the brand through its accessible watches before moving towards premium collections as their tastes and circumstances change.

“We don’t see it as a trade-off but rather as a range of possibilities with Titan,” Shukla said. “Yes, we recruit our customers young through our accessible options, which has built the trust Titan enjoys today. There is a value we are able to provide at every stage of the consumers’ life.”

The collections reflect that breadth. Edge caters to customers drawn to minimalist design, with its ultra-slim profile, reaching 1.15mm in the Edge Ultra, making it one of the slimmest watches in the world. Edge Mechanical extends that discipline into mechanical watchmaking, housing a 2.2mm movement without compromising its function. Raga offers a bold, distinctive aesthetic for women, while Stellar and the automatics range speak to those drawn as much to the mechanics of a watch as to its design.

At the higher end, Titan has been building its credentials in fine watchmaking over more than a decade. The Titan Tourbillon, India’s first flying tourbillon, houses an intricate mechanism designed to counter the effects effect of gravity on timekeeping, crafted in 18-carat gold with hand-guilloché dials.

A year later came the Jalsa. Also a flying tourbillon made in-house, but a distinct work entirely. Its movement sits within an 18-carat rose gold case, and its dial is a hand-painted miniature by Padma Shri awardee Shakir Ali, the recipient of India’s highest civilian honour for excellence in one’s field. Only 10 pieces exist.

Nebula extends this commitment to craft into a full collection: solid 18-carat gold watches that draw on Indian traditional art forms, made with specialist techniques and built to endure across generations.

Alongside it, Titan has expanded its mechanical offerings with a series of landmark timepieces. Among them, the Grandmaster, which was created for world chess champion Gukesh Dommaraju, recognised by the brand as Titan of the Year 2026 and the Automatic Divers 500m, India’s first diving watch built to the highest international standards of the discipline. The Automatic Divers was developed in-house and launched in collaboration with PADI; the watch holds a Guinness World Record for the deepest underwater shoot.

The latest step in this journey is Vetra, Titan’s in-house automatic movement. Where a quartz watch runs on a battery, an automatic draws energy from the motion of the wearer’s wrist and building that mechanism entirely in-house is a benchmark few watchmakers reach. Every Vetra movement is hand-assembled and individually tested. Its name joins Veda, the Indian conception of time as an eternally renewing cycle, with Tra, an instrument that transforms force into form. Vetra now powers Titan’s new Signature Automatics.

Titan’s growing portfolio reflects a watchmaking philosophy that balances global design insights with local tastes. Collections such as Edge, known for its ultra-slim profiles, and its automatic watches showcase the brand’s focus on precision engineering, considered design and craftsmanship. While these collections retain a distinct design identity, the in-store selection is tailored to each market, with variations in materials, proportions and colour palettes reflecting local preferences.

As Titan looks to expand its footprint across the Gulf, Saudi Arabia is emerging as a key market in its ambition to introduce its watchmaking heritage to a wider regional audience.

For the brand, the challenge is to translate familiarity into aspiration. Design may attract a customer, but craftsmanship, materials and the movement inside the case can help justify a premium purchase.

Titan’s ambition is to build on the trust it has earned over generations while demonstrating that Indian watchmaking can compete on engineering and craftsmanship. Its growing presence in the Gulf gives it a platform. The next step is to make its watches desirable for reasons that extend beyond the name on the dial.

In association with Titan Watches