itan Industries is moving with the times. Given that the premium watch market is growing at a fast clip of 20 per cent annually, the Indian watchmaker has decided it's the right time to woo this segment seriously. Titan, which already leads in the mass market segment with its Sonata and FasTrack brands, has just unveiled Xylys, a new range of watches for upper crust wrists. With this it hopes to take on European brands like Swatch, Tissot, Movado, Tag Heuer, Omega and Rado that are currently ruling this segment.

Of course, Titan's Nebula range does address the premium market (Rs 10,000 plus), but it is primarily a jewellery range made of 18 to 24 carat gold. Xylys will be steel based and sport an international look. As Bijou Kurien, COO - watches, Titan Industries says, "Both the brands are different in their appeal. Nebula appeals to those customers who want the value of gold in the watch whereas the Xylys range is a collection of steel watches which have an appeal to the customer for its design." ... more