imex has done it. For the first time in its stint in India, the red ink in its balance sheet is missing. And the colour has given way to black. According to Kapil Kapoor, vice-president, Asia, and managing director, Timex Watches, "The year 2004-05 has been a watershed year for us as it marks the company�s financial turnaround. For the last two years, the company has been posting cash profits, backed by strong top line growth."

Kapoor�s glee - he has been with Timex since October 2000 - is not without reason. The company�s dogged perseverance with the Indian market for six years (not counting the time spent in the ill-fated joint venture with Titan before that) has paid off. Helped in no small way by aggressive marketing coupled with strong back-end support while introducing the latest in fashion and technology, the struggling watchmaker posted a profit of Rs 72 lakh in 2004-05 on a turnover of Rs 81 crore. This against a loss of nearly Rs 16 crore in the previous financial year.... more