Rs 40.5 lakh each, encased in 18K rose gold: Titan will release only 10 pieces of its new flying tourbillon timepiece, Jalsa

With a steep price tag of Rs 40.5 lakh, Titan’s flying tourbillon timepiece, Jalsa, is a rare feat for the watchmakers. Titan Company Managing Director CK Venkataraman called it not just a watch but a cultural artefact – “a rare fusion of India’s artistic magnificence and watchmaking mastery”. And why not? Each of the 10 Jalsa timepieces that Titan aims to roll out, is fitted with a miniature painting, created as many times, by Padma Shri Shakir Ali.

It is not only a design and engineering marvel for the company, considering the materials that have gone into the making, it is also a thing of prestige. Jalsa is also Titan’s official entrant to the world’s most prestigious watchmaking forum, the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2025.

The legendary artist said that the miniature painting of a royal procession in front of the Hawa Mahal, featuring Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh who made the ‘palace of winds’ in 1799, was created after many iterations. Ali said the final painting was the result of a lot of trial and error and innumerable tweaks. 

Ali said he worked and reworked his creation to get the intrinsic details – like the face and the expression of the maharaja, his headpiece, his hands, the details of the Hawa Mahal — correct. “I would get the face right, and then I would rework it again to get the hands and his position right, and so on and so forth,” he said during the launch event in Hindi. 

Jalsa, under Titan's brand Nebula, crafted to honour 225 years of the Hawa Mahal, weighs 68 gm each, slightly heavier than the average chronological watch – the usage of marble, agate, sapphire adds to the weight. At the heart of Jalsa is a flying tourbillon movement, made of 144 precision parts and 14 jewels. 

“It is the clearest expression yet of our intent to place Indian luxury and craftsmanship firmly on the global map,” said Revathi Kant, Chief Design Officer.

Ali created the miniature painting, on a thin marble surface, using materials like natural gemstone pigments and centuries-old techniques. There is a sapphire magnifier counterpoise on the minute hand, visible through a sapphire crystal exhibition caseback.

Jalsa is encased in 18K rose gold and set with a bright red agate. The makers tested 200 pieces of agate to use it on the watch. Additionally, the makers took a significant period of time – 3.5 years – to bring Jalsa to fruition. 

With the steep price – Rs 40.5 lakh – and the limited units – 10 overall – Jalsa is most likely to be a collectors’ piece. 

A COLLECTORS’ PIECE VS A SMARTWATCH

How does a company roll out a Rs 40.5 lakh, limited edition timepiece in a market replete with low-cost smartwatches? Without any concern, indicated Venkataraman, who sounded confident about the company’s gameplay. He said Titan does not fear competition from the smartwatch makers, whose price points are drastically low, as compared to their own premium offerings. 

“Thing with smartwatches is that it is a device but this is an accessory. So they play two different roles. If you go deeper into the smartwatch category, particularly the cheaper ones, they are bought and beyond a point not really used. They end up getting put back in the cupboard. So we are realising that we need to create differentiated products which are built up from real customer needs,” he said, speaking during the launch event. He said to the younger customer for premium products, Titan might not be special because they are exposed to multiple other options, and are a generation later. Yet, Titan has the highest market share in every department store. 

The MD said, “There is simply no threat from us from the smartwatch category. A lot of people are also getting used to the idea of wearing an analogue watch after wearing a smartwatch. We are never bothered but it is a complementary approach. It will remain like that.” 

“As a company that specialises in a great variety as opposed to a few looks, we are super confident that this runway for Titan and for premium Titan is at least a couple of decades long. At last till that time, it has a long, successful runway,” he said.

Titan identifies itself as a ‘bridge to luxury’, and is at an excellent place currently in the market, Venkataraman said.. “So the top two segments that are called elite and affluent – those are expected to go from 13 per cent total household share from a couple of years back to 26 per cent in 2030. The bottom of the first one and the whole of the second one. The real top of the elite, would may be, for luxury watches. But a good part of the elite plus all of the affluent would go for ‘bridge to luxury’ and premium categories. That is continuing to rise,” he said.