Yesterday, I completely binge-watched "Made In India: A Titan Story", a brilliant six-episode biographical drama series streaming on Amazon MX Player. The show is elevated to another level by the masterful performances of its cast, particularly the legendary Naseeruddin Shah playing the visionary JRD Tata, and the incredibly talented Jim Sarbh portraying the meticulous and ambitious Xerxes Desai. Their acting brilliantly captures the essence and gravitas of these real-life titans.
On Saturday, 13th June 2026, I was traveling to a college that had invited me, along with my brother Kiran Karpur, who himself is a serial entrepreneur. While we were traveling, we were catching up, and he happened to mention that he is in touch with a person named Natarajan, who had worked directly with JRD Tata and Xerxes Desai.
To my surprise, I didn't even know that the very watch I was wearing—Fastrack—is owned by the Tatas and was conceived during the initial phase of Titan's growth. Taking the hype from him and seeing a couple more LinkedIn posts appreciating the show, I decided to give it a watch. Perhaps it was the "Hype Contagion" phenomenon in effect, but between the captivating true story and the stellar acting, it was absolutely worth it.
The Genesis of a Titan
The TV show starts with a typical construction business scenario at MRDC, a Mumbai-based PSU building a bridge. Sir Xerxes Desai, who had been associated with the Tata group (which was more like his second family), was loaned out to help as a consultant. Although he was unhappy there, he was strategically sent by Sir JRD Tata so that the experience would expand his horizons in the world of business. Post the immense experience he gained there over 5 years, Xerxes Desai wanted a new challenge in life.
Then began an immensely inspirational journey—the building of a brand from scratch and making it world-class.
A Vision for World-Class, Affordable Watches
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Indian watch market was stagnant. Consumers had to endure long waiting lists for basic mechanical watches or rely on smuggled foreign timepieces. Xerxes Desai, a visionary Tata executive, saw a massive gap: Indian consumers deserved better. They deserved reliable, stylish, and affordable watches.
He pitched the idea of bringing modern quartz technology to India. While the project faced significant skepticism due to the oppressive "Licence Raj" and the dominance of existing monopolies, JRD Tata became its most steadfast supporter. Titan was officially established in 1984 as a joint venture between Tata Industries and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).
Desai and his team built a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. They didn't just assemble watches; they built a comprehensive system from the ground up, training a local workforce to achieve precision manufacturing standards that could rival the Swiss and the Japanese.
The Downfall of HMT
At the time, the state-owned HMT (Hindustan Machine Tools) held a near-monopoly. They produced primarily mechanical, hand-wound watches. Titan disrupted this by introducing quartz technology—watches that were slimmer, highly accurate, and didn't require daily winding.
While Titan is often credited with causing HMT's "downfall," the reality is that Titan simply exposed HMT's inability to innovate. While Titan focused on sleek designs, aggressive marketing, and treating watches as an aspirational lifestyle accessory, HMT remained stuck in its bureaucratic, utilitarian mindset. HMT failed to transition effectively to the rapidly evolving quartz market. The competitive pressure applied by Titan's superior product and consumer-centric approach ultimately highlighted HMT's systemic operational challenges, culminating in its long-term decline.
Systems Built for Success
The true secret to Titan's enduring success wasn't just the quartz technology; it was the process and system Xerxes Desai built:
- Design as a Differentiator: Titan was the first Indian brand to treat a watch as an extension of one's personality rather than just a time-telling tool.
- World-Class Retail Experience: They completely revolutionized retail. Before Titan, watches were sold in dingy, cluttered stores. Titan introduced exclusive, brightly lit, premium showrooms that made buying an affordable watch feel like a luxury experience.
- Continuous Innovation: From creating the iconic Raga collection for women to launching Fastrack for the youth, the brand continuously evolved its sub-brands to capture every demographic without diluting its core premium feel.
The story of Titan is a testament to the power of persistence, visionary leadership, and the unyielding belief that an Indian company could compete—and win—on the global stage. It is a masterclass in building a legacy.