Timex has joined hands with defending champions of the Tata Indian Premier League, the Gujarat Titans. With the aim to expand its customer base in the country, the Timex branding will be seen on the team uniforms in the upcoming Tata IPL matches. Also marking the partnership are three new sports watches that boast the aesthetics of the Gujarat Titans. The new launches are part of the campaign ‘Timex - Choice of The Titans’, recently unveiled by Tobias Reiss-Schmidt, President and CEO of the Timex Group.
The first of the watches is the 39mm brass TIMEX X GUJARAT TITANS Special Edition (Ref. TW00ZR562), on whose dial are the words ‘Aava De!’ (meaning ‘Bring it on’), in English, Hindi, and Gujarati. The words refer to the team anthem exclusively composed by artists Dub Sharma and Aditya Gadhvi. The second watch, the Ref. TW00ZR563 TIMEX X GUJARAT TITANS, is also a 39mm brass one, having the team’s logo on the white dial. The Ref. TW00ZR564 is a 46mm resin watch with a blue dial featuring the team’s logo. All three watches are powered by a quartz movement and are water-resistant to 30 metres. The watches are all priced at Rs 2,000 (approx), and are available online on the Timex website, and across its many points of sale.
Timex has now been in the country for 35 years, and enjoys substantial popularity for its durable timepieces and price point. “We are the brand that comes from a company that has been in watchmaking and is a true watchmaker for 169 years,” says Reiss Schmidt. “Very few brands that have this kind of heritage, craftsmanship, and expertise in our price point. When you buy a Timex you buy into a real timepiece at a very affordable price point and also something that is on-trend but is not a fashion watch. Something you can wear for years to come versus fashion brands that we are competing with in our price segment which, by definition, sound like they are in style for a period of six months or a year.”
The watch market in India has been evolving rapidly, especially over the past three years, with several luxury brands entering the country. However, Timex’s presence in the country is stronger than ever - India is its second-largest market. The brand has its manufacturing unit in Baddi Himachal Pradesh, and nearly 90% of watches sold in India are made here. The brand is also looking to step up production. “It’s really about executing very well on an everyday basis. It’s a very competitive market, so we really need to stay on our toes and continue to put out great designs, understand our consumers really really well and how we can be relevant to which consumer segment, make sure we have different price points covered and have our watches presented very nicely at the point of sale. Fundamentally, we have a strong brand, we have a strong theme in place. India is a market that has still a lot of legroom for growth, so we have all the ingredients,” says Reiss-Schmidt.
So what’s next for India? “We really want to upgrade and further improve the brand’s image. There is still a perception, because we have been here for so long and the awareness is very high, for some people that this is an Indian brand. So I think we need to position and tell the story of where we are coming from, that we are a US brand and because this is a very important part of our DNA. We also want to upgrade to higher price points and we’re also going to increase our marketing investment to further increase awareness, to introduce Timex to the new generation that is right now growing into a watch-wearing age,” adds Reiss-Schmidt.
Images: Courtesy Timex
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