The Art of Indian Timekeeping

FROM JAIPUR'S MINIATURE ART TO BENGALURU'S SPACE-READY ENGINEERING, A NEW GENERATION OF INDIAN BRANDS IS REDEFINING LUXURY WATCHMAKING—ONE HANDCRAFTED TIMEPIECE AT A TIME

- SMITA TRIPATHI

THE LATEST ENTRANT to the world of haute horlogerie doesn't come from Switzerland or France but from India.

What's more, inspired by Jaipur, it did not begin with gears or gold, but with a squirrel-hair brush! It took three years, countless iterations, and the hand of Padma Shri awardee Shakir Ali—a master of traditional miniature painting—to complete the dial artwork for Jalsa, a limited-edition tourbillon watch from Nebula by Titan launched in early July this year. With only 10 pieces produced, each featuring hand-painted depictions of royal processions against Jaipur's iconic Hawa Mahal, Jalsa marks Titan's most ambitious foray into haute horlogerie.

At ₹40.5 lakh (approximately $48,500), the timepiece reflects both Indian heritage and watchmaking precision—and represents Titan's official entry into the 2025 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), the world's most prestigious watchmaking competition.

The idea was seeded during a Titan delegation's visit to the GPHG exhibition in Geneva nearly three years ago. “We collectively dreamt of this moment,” says C.K. Venkataraman, Managing Director of Titan Company. “With Jalsa, we are not just launching a watch, we are presenting a cultural artefact.”

A tribute to 225 years of the Hawa Mahal, the watch's marble dial is painted in natural gemstone pigments. The case is hewn from 18-karat rose gold, set with luminous red agate. Within, a flying tourbillon movement—engineered in-house by Titan—comprises 144 components and 14 jewels, anchored by bridges inlaid with the same crimson stone.