ill Gates and Bill Clinton swore by it. Now Aussie pacer Brett Lee flashes it. But the top selling watch brand in the US and Canada has had a particularly difficult run in the Indian market. After 12 years, a messy separation and a massive financial and portfolio restructuring, Timex Watches Ltd (TWL), the Rs 80-crore subsidiary of the US-based Timex International, is finally ready "to settle down". "We are expecting our revenues to grow 12 per cent by March 2005 and turn around our operation in India by March, 2007," the company claims.

Settling down for Timex is not exactly synonymous with taking it easy. The company has learnt that the Indian consumer is quite a tough cookie and price and perception matter more than plain image. "The biggest challenge for us has been to change consumer perception - from a cheap plastic watch brand to one that is synonymous with sports and style," says VD Wadhwa, vice-president, sales and marketing, TWL. ... more