Is This Titan's Most Expensive Watch Priced At ₹40.5 Lakh?

In a landmark moment for India’s horology landscape, Titan has introduced its most exclusive and artistic watch ever-the ‘Jalsa’, an ultra-luxury timepiece priced at an eye-watering ₹40.5 lakh. Comparable in cost to a high-end luxury car, Jalsa marks Titan’s confident leap into the rarefied world of haute horlogerie, traditionally dominated by Swiss watchmaking giants.

A tribute to heritage: Inspired by Hawa Mahal

Produced under Titan’s prestigious Nebula line, Jalsa isn’t just a timekeeping instrument-it’s a miniature celebration of Indian royalty and craftsmanship. The watch dial showcases an intricate painting of a Rajput king astride an elephant, guided by a mahout, with the iconic Hawa Mahal-Jaipur’s 18th-century architectural marvel rising majestically in the background.

This elaborate scene commemorates the 225th anniversary of Hawa Mahal and was hand-painted by Padma Shri awardee Shakir Ali, one of India’s last living masters of Persian-style miniature art. To create the dial, Ali experimented with surfaces such as wood and metal before selecting marble-a nod to Rajasthan’s legacy and an ideal medium for retaining the brilliance of natural gemstone pigments.

Flying tourbillon and sapphire details

Beyond its aesthetic allure, Jalsa is a mechanical statement piece. The watch is powered by an in-house developed flying tourbillon movement, an advanced complication once considered the domain of elite European maisons like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet.

The exhibition caseback, crafted in sapphire crystal, reveals a finely assembled movement composed of 144 components and 14 jewels, underscoring Titan’s dedication to horological innovation. Both the hour and minute hands are milled from sapphire; notably, the minute hand incorporates a miniature magnifying lens that enhances the viewing of the artwork, a technical feat requiring precise torque balancing to maintain accuracy.

Limited to 10 pieces

Jalsa is strictly limited to only 10 individually hand-painted pieces, ensuring each watch is a unique collectible. Every dial bears subtle variations in brushwork, colour shading, and composition, no two are identical.

This launch also signals Titan’s global ambitions, as Jalsa has been officially entered into the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2025, often called the Oscars of the watch industry. It marks Titan’s first appearance at this prestigious Swiss platform, where the world’s finest timepieces compete.

Titan’s luxury journey and rising demand in India

According to C.K. Venkataraman, Managing Director of Titan Company, the past decade has seen an explosion of interest in premium and mechanical watches in India. “There’s a much greater appreciation of fine watchmaking today,” he shared in an interview with CNBC-TV18, noting that the majority of inquiries about Jalsa have come from Indian buyers.

The unveiling of Jalsa cements Titan’s transformation from a mass-market brand to a creator of exquisite, limited-edition timepieces capable of standing alongside the world’s most revered watchmakers.