Made In India: A Titan Story released on Amazon’s MX Player on June 3 and made people revisit the history of Titan watches and Indian heart of steel once again. Revolving around the story of JRD Tata, played by Naseeruddin Shah and Xerxes Desai, a character owned by Jim Sarbh now, the series reminds you of what Indian talent and perseverance can achieve.
Made In India: A Titan Story also brings attention to the engineers, leaders and thinkers who believed in their ideas even when they were doubted. There is also something quietly uplifting about the way it shows teams coming together, turning ideas into reality, and proving people wrong.
Who was Xerxes Desai?
Xerxes Desai, Titan’s founding legend, made waves starting the company in 1984. At the time, Indians wore simple timepieces, largely copycatting Soviet designs from HMT. These basics just told time and didn’t match outfits like our tech-driven watches now. Rich folks bought imports, leaving the growing middle class with few choices. Desai spotted this market gap. So, he launched Titan, a joint venture between the Tata Group and TIDCO, aiming to change that.
The birth and rise of Xerxes Desai’s Titan
Titan Watches Limited was formed on July 26, 1984, with a goal to introduce quartz watches to India. Desai, who studied in Oxford and got experience at Tata Chemicals, Taj Hotels and Tata Press, knew that watches aren’t just tools. They’re fashion statements too, things people admire, and signals of status on our wrists. He saw quartz as the way forward and figured that Indians aspiring to have more wanted a touch of elegance in their timepieces too.
Titan soon set up its first factory in Hosur, a small industrial town in Tamil Nadu. Desai started from zero, training school and college graduates, including many locals, to become skilled craftsmen. The first watch rolled out in February 1987 and by December, Titan opened its first showroom at Safina Plaza in Bengaluru, Desai’s home away from home. Remarkably, the company hit the million-watch sales mark just two years later.
The dream of Xerxes Desai and the truth of Titan
During the 90s, as India’s economy opened up and people had more cash, Titan really got in tune with what Indians wanted. They knew that different folks had different dreams and made separate brands to suit each aspiration. In 2003, Titan came out with Fastrack, aimed right at the youth market, it was fun, bold and rebellious. Then in 2006, they introduced Raga, India’s first lady-focused watch line.
In 2024, Titan celebrated their 40th anniversary by releasing India’s first flying tourbillon movement – super duper complex. They really showed their commitment to watch-making. Xerxes Desai, who passed away in 2016 at 79, would’ve been proud. His vision lived on through Titan, still reflecting the modern Indian spirit – ambitious, accurate and true to its roots.
If you feel inspired and feel like watching the 6-episode series, Made In India: A Titan Story is streaming for free on MX Player.
