“Music Is Closely Connected To Time”: Titan CMO On Music Marketing And Brand Storytelling

Titan has unveiled its Signature Automatics collection, powered by its in-house Vetra automatic movement, marking a significant step in the brand’s push towards premium mechanical watchmaking and its ambition to make Indian watchmaking more relevant to a younger, more discerning consumer.

The launch brings together mechanical engineering, design and storytelling, with Titan positioning its in-house movement capability as more than a product innovation,but as a platform to build a deeper narrative around modern Indian horology.

Speaking about the launch, Ranjani Krishnaswamy, CMO, Watches & Wearables Division, Titan Company Limited, said automatic watches have seen a five-fold growth in three years, with a significant share of Titan’s new buyers coming from Gen Z and younger consumers.

According to Krishnaswamy, the category is moving beyond the traditional idea of a watch as a timekeeping device.

“Watches are actually evolving as gadgets and engineering that people want to wear on their hands,” she said, adding that Titan’s approach centres on three aspects ,consumer identity, design inspiration and engineering capability.

The Vetra platform, she explained, gives Titan the ability to translate imagination and design into tangible mechanical watchmaking. She cited the brand’s Stellar Wandering Hour as an example of how its movement-making capabilities can enable more complex complications and design expressions.

Making mechanical watchmaking relevant to a younger audience

Rahul Shukla, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Watches Division, Titan Company Limited, said the growth of the automatic category is increasingly being fuelled by younger, digitally savvy consumers who research movements, specifications, materials, craftsmanship and brands before making a purchase.

These consumers, he said, are looking beyond functionality and increasingly seeking authenticity, craftsmanship, meaning and identity.

Titan sees Vetra playing an important role in addressing this shift. Rather than simply competing within the existing premium watch market, Shukla said the brand wants to expand the category by creating greater awareness around mechanical watchmaking and giving consumers a distinct Indian perspective on horology.

He also positioned Titan’s ambition as distinct from established Swiss or Japanese watchmaking traditions, saying the company is looking to build an identity that is uniquely its own.

From product experience to brand experience

For Krishnaswamy, the role of marketing in premiumisation extends well beyond communicating product specifications.

She said consumers today interact with a brand across multiple touchpoints, from the first digital impression and online content to the retail experience, packaging and after-sales service.

“The journey is just not about going and buying a watch. It is about experience at every point of contact with the brand and with the product,” she said.

This makes storytelling particularly important for mechanical watches, where engineering and craftsmanship need to be translated into narratives that consumers can understand and connect with emotionally.

Why music remains central to Titan’s brand storytelling

The launch also brought Titan’s long-standing association with music into focus, with both Krishnaswamy and Shukla highlighting the role of the brand’s signature tune in building recognition.

Krishnaswamy drew a connection between music and watchmaking, pointing to the shared importance of rhythm, timing and precision.

“I have always believed that, for us, music is like a Mozart symphony. Whether it is played on a sitar or a cello, there is a certain harmony, but also a distinctive element that makes it unique,” she said.

For her, the connection is particularly relevant to Titan because music combines artistry and rhythm, much like watchmaking brings together artistry and engineering.

“As a country and as an ethnicity, we are deeply connected to music because it is a form of art and an expression of emotion,” Krishnaswamy said, adding that music is closely connected to time through rhythm and timing.

She also highlighted how music can strengthen brand narratives, citing Titan’s Raga film for Women’s Day as an example. While the campaign was built around a scripted narrative, she said music played a central role in elevating the film emotionally.

“Music lifted the narrative and gave it an entirely different meaning,” she said, adding that music can help brands connect multiple narratives and speak across audiences.

Krishnaswamy also pointed to the longevity of a recognisable musical identity. A tune that remains familiar for decades, she said, demonstrates how music can transcend languages and generations, something marketers can leverage when building distinctive brand assets.

Titan’s signature tune becomes a brand asset

Shukla echoed this, saying Titan has been fortunate to create a signature tune that has been rendered across different instruments over the years.

“I think we were fortunate enough to create a signature tune for ourselves, and over the years, we have seen multiple renditions of it across different instruments. That is what makes it so recognisable,” he said.

According to Shukla, the tune has become sufficiently associated with Titan that the brand does not need to repeatedly create new jingles or musical identities.

“You play the tune and immediately, whether they are young or old, consumers identify it with Titan,” he said, adding that the brand will continue to build on its existing sonic identity.

He also acknowledged the growing role of music in connecting with younger audiences, saying, “The connection between music and the younger audience is very profound.”

For Titan, this established sonic identity provides another layer to its premiumisation story, allowing the brand to connect time, rhythm, engineering, design and emotion within a single narrative.

Building an Indian story in modern horology

With Signature Automatics, Titan is ultimately looking to bring together its legacy in design with a deeper mechanical capability. The Vetra movement gives the brand a new storytelling territory, while the collection seeks to engage a consumer increasingly interested in the craftsmanship and meaning behind what they wear.

The strategy also reflects a broader shift in watch marketing, where the product is no longer being sold purely on functionality, but through identity, experience, culture and storytelling.

For Titan, that story now extends from the mechanics inside the watch to the music that consumers recognise even before they see the brand.