The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Watches steeped in heritage

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Monday, Jul 07, 2008
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Watches steeped in heritage

Staff Reporter

Ghazal singer Jagjit Singh unveils Titan’s ‘Heritage Collection’

NOVEL: Titan’s heritage collection is for those who are proud to flaunt their Indian identity.

Bangalore: Time does tick magnificently for Titan which unveiled its Heritage Collection comprising nine watches, each inspired by a different a work of Indian architecture.

Unveiling the collection here on Saturday was ghazal singer Jagjit Singh.

From the “Taj watch”, inspired by Shah Jahan’s magnificent mausoleum, to the “Konark watch,” Abhijit Bansod, Design Manager at Titan Industries Limited, took over a year to create this collection.

The other watches include those inspired by the Jharoka, the Lakshmi Vilas temple, the Jantar Mantar, and the step wells of Gujarat among others. “The watches have either motifs or colours from each of these heritage sites. So they remind the buyer of the work of architecture,” said Ajoy Chawla, Business Head, Titan and Retail, Titan Industries Limited.

Mr. Jagjit Singh said he was happy to be part of this association and not the endorsement because he believed that Tata Industries was a heritage name by itself.

He was in Bangalore for a charity concert held on Palace Grounds on July 5, organised by Titan and Chromosome Productions for Chaitanya Welfare Society, a non-governmental organisation that works with children with AIDS.

The watches that Mr. Chawla described as a way of “paying tribute to Indian heritage” were for Indian customers, who were discerning and proud to flaunt their Indian identity. He said the watches were only available at the World of Titan Showrooms and not other retail stores.

The watches are priced between Rs. 4,500 and Rs.10,000. The “Taj watch” is at the top end of the price range and has already found many buyers.

Motifs from the monument have been used on a mother-of-pearl base.

“It was the closest material resembling the white marble of Taj we could use for a watch,” Mr. Chawla said.

Mr. Singh said that he wanted to leave his legacy to the younger generation, and there was no tried and tested formula for his music — it all came with experience.

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