On the Edge: Titan Gives its Celebrated, Ultra-Thin Edge Timepiece the Gears

I live in Toronto, which has the largest Indian diaspora in Canada (800,000 plus strong), so I became aware of Titan watches when I spotted the brand on the wrists of many of my South Asian friends. This led me down the rabbit hole, learning about the history of horology in India (spoiler alert, it’s rich and requires a more nuanced understanding of colonialism than I can provide in just one article).

That is why, when we got the chance to meet Titan’s CEO, Kuruvilla “Diny” Markose, and preview the Edge UltraSlim Mechanical, the first mechanical iteration of its super-slim Edge timepiece, at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Geneva last April, we jumped at the opportunity.

One of the challenges of attempting to sum up the Indian watchmaking scene is that we tend to try to compare it to familiar horological cultures. Swiss brands built their reputations on heritage (i.e., before the invention of the wristwatch) and 20th-century innovation (i.e., post-invention and commercial availability of the wristwatch).

Meanwhile, because the British Crown had direct rule over India between 1858 and 1947, European luxury imports dominated the watch scene. Indeed, some of the industry’s most amazing Swiss watches were produced for the Indian market; however, brands mostly catered to royalty, and thus were coveted (and hoarded) by elites. Fast forward to 1961, when HMT, a government-owned watch manufacturer, finally introduced a homegrown industry and made timekeeping accessible to the common Indian citizen.
 

India has also seen massive economic growth since then. The country basically leapfrogged over many economic development indicators (for example, instead of having to retrofit old-school infrastructure like gas power and landline telecommunications, some regions skipped straight into solar power and cellphones). Likewise, the Titan story doesn’t follow the traditional Western timeline.

Usually, it’s smaller brands that get swallowed up by the big boys; however, the brand was originally established in 1984 as a joint venture between mega conglomerate Tata Industries and TIDCO. So, when Titan began its watchmaking journey, it had a rare opportunity to carve out its own path, embracing modern technologies (ranging from quartz calibers to tourbillons), a unique distribution system that includes branded boutiques and official dealers, and a wide array of designs that are available at any price.

Today, Titan is India’s leading watchmaker. According to Markose, the company produces over  60 million watches annually. Moreover, its integrated design and manufacturing capabilities require a workforce of  12,200 employees. And the group operates more than 3,200 points of sale in 431 cities, with a presence across India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and North America.

That’s a lot of watches, so we are glad to have Markose walk us through the company’s collections. Specifically, the Edge family of super slim timepieces.

This collection serves as the connective tissue between Titan’s more accessible collections and its more ambitious offerings.
 

Originally introduced in 2002, back when Western watch enthusiasts were wearing the equivalent of hockey pucks strapped to their wrists, Titan introduced the quartz-powered Edge, a watch that became famous for its wafer-thin profile.

This elegant timepiece also leaned heavily on a minimalist aesthetic, making it very appealing to folks for whom good design is the most important complication. And as Markose walked us through an edited tour of Titan’s 2026 lineup, you could sense that careful consideration for how a watch looks is a foundational part of the brand’s identity.

The man himself is impeccably dressed, but his sensibility seems more informed by Japanese designers than Italian tailoring. It’s no surprise, then, that the way a watch like the Edge presents itself is important. “Smart watches don’t function to tell time,” Markose told me. “But analog watches don’t just tell time anymore either – they tell people about your personality.”
 

With the new Titan Edge UltraSlim Mechanical, Titan is appealing to the kind of personality that appreciates style as well as horological innovation. Available in light and dark monochromatic iterations, this mechanical timekeeper measures 5.7mm thick.

Which means it’s not going to challenge Bulgari, Piaget, or Richard Mille in the ultra-thin Olympics, but it is still a sophisticated option for those looking for a non-quartz, skinny watch that, given its CHF 3,000 price tag, won’t break the bank.

In Geneva, Markose made it clear that Titan wants not only to bridge the gap between pricing levels but also between its domestic market and international sales. Again, the brand hoped to do so by asserting its unique identity.

The dial of the Edge employs rotating discs instead of traditional hands to indicate the time. And its hand-wound mechanism is housed in a 40mm case made from lightweight grade 2 titanium (we don’t need to tell you that the lightweight yet resilient metal is having a moment right now).

It may not be the thinnest mechanical watch, but once I slipped it on my wrist, I was impressed by how comfortable it felt. And thanks to its untraditional display, I sense that it would also be a real conversation starter.
 

And speaking of conversation, Markose talked about Titan’s next moves.

“India’s economy is growing,” he explained. “The number of Indians buying luxury goods is exploding.” In fact, Indian society and its relationship with the rest of the world have changed so much that someone who bought the original Edge would have a hard time recognizing the watch-buying landscape.

“As the watchmaker of India, Titan has to change,” Markose said, drawing comparisons to how Chinese brands have elevated their game by embracing mechanical calibres and artisanal finishes. And while India is relatively new to making mechanical watches, the region does have a rich history of savoir-faire in jewelry making.
 

“We have to up our game,” he continued. “But we also have to continue to make the watches India needs.”

Markose has a fifteen-year plan for Titan, which aims to elevate not only the watches but also how they will be sold. “We also see ourselves as a retailer,” added Markose (Helios, a retail subsidiary of Titan, carries over 45 international and Indian watch brands, including Fossil, Seiko, and Tissot).

In a world where more and more watch brands are investing in standalone boutiques, working with a multi-brand retailer may seem counterintuitive, but, as Markose explained, most collectors are not committed to just one marque. The goal is to create an enthusiast-friendly location where fans can find the watches they want.

It’s easy to get caught up in Markose’s charm (did I mention that he has glorious hair?), but even now, months after meeting the CEO, Titan (and specifically the new Edge UltraSlim Mechanical) is never far from my thoughts.

You can’t help but cheer for a company that listens to its market but also wants to follow its own drummer. And while normally I would curse a brand with a catalog similar to Titan’s for having “too many watches,” I instead find myself rooting for its continued, albeit atypical, success.

For more information about the brand and its watches, check out the Titan website.