ReviewTitoni returns to India after 4 decades with the Gorgeous Day-Date Automatic Airmaster

After a 40 year hiatus, Titoni returns to India; the watches are already being noticed in connoisseur circles:

Titoni was one of the first Swiss watch brands that was actively doing business in India. In fact, it was among the most preferred watch brands post independence (circa 1950s-60s), before they chose to leave in 1975 when India declared a state of emergency. After 40 years, Ethos was able to convince Titoni to re-enter India. Let’s take a look at their most successful watch, and what puts them at power today with some of the most coveted Swiss luxury watch brands that we all aspire to own.

Airmaster – The most successful watch by Titoni:

From its coveted Airmaster and Master Series to some of the more elegant pieces from the Impetus collection, two factors remain constant across all the watches Titoni produces – quality and precision. Today we will be talking about the most iconic and sought-after collection from the brand till date, the Airmaster Series.

The numbers are a telling-sign: Introduced to the world in 1969 (the year of the first moon landing), the popularity of the Airmaster to this day, is directly proportional to the sales of the collection. Selling over millions of pieces over five decades, the watch has definitely acquired a notable status in luxury watchmaking. It is a watch that fittingly marks all special occasions – from your son’s graduation (a coming-of-age moment perfect for a ‘first luxury watch’) to passing it down the family line (owing to its classic design). This watch has set the pace for generations, for the men who value the importance of tradition and appreciate the simple pleasures of life.

There is a value proposition here:

The Airmaster is a perfect whole – it inherits the brand’s timeless heritage, it possesses the quality and precision that is intrinsic to every Titoni watch and it embodies a design that is both modern and classic. In fact, the design contributes largely towards making it a watch that is passed on for generations.

In the last few decades, we have seen a great shift in the way we look at the time. Apart from our wristwatches, there are numerous additional mediums that do the job – from mobile phones to quick and easy smart watches. However, for a true watch connoisseur or an aspiring collector, a watch is an investment worth so much more than just time-telling. The watch must represent for a lifetime, the occasion or moment it was bought for.

Coming back to the design details: At the very first glance, you can notice the expert craftsmanship. The dial is the magnum opus – clean, uncluttered and classic. The applied Roman numerals in gold are set elegantly against the sun-brushed dial. The cleverly crafted narrow bezel complements the minimalist design to ensure better legibility of the dial.

A sturdy watch: Despite its elegant form, the watch is rather sturdy (it must be if it’s to last a lifetime and beyond). Powered by an automatic mechanical movement (Automatic Sellita SW200-1, Automatic Sellita SW240 – across different models in the collection), the watch features the hours, minutes and seconds functions with a date and day-date display. The anti-reflective sapphire and double curved sapphire crystal ensure better resistant against wear and tear.

For the boardroom, a whiskey tasting or a regular day at work?

The Airmaster is a sophisticated watch that has the innate quality of befitting any man of any age. The watch can be worn as easily to the boardroom or a whiskey tasting as it can be to a regular day at work or a special occasion. It’s also interesting to know that Titoni is committed to maintaining exclusivity towards its clients; the brand does not believe in over supplying watches to its markets. Every collection is carefully detailed and limited in terms of variations.

Other variations from the Airmaster collection:

Though the steel and gold, black dial option is our favourite, there are other variations from the Airmaster series that are equally worth the investment. View the entire Airmaster collection here. To help make your selection easier, we have shown snapshots some of our other favourite Airmasters below:

View the entire Airmaster collection

A brand with some serious history and where it stands today:

Titoni has re-entered India with 7 of their most stunning collections including the Master Series, Airmaster Series and Slenderline among others. The Airmaster, however, is among the most successful watches sold by Titoni. It is important to quickly recap the brand’s history and understand where it stands today, before we go hands-on with the watch.

The past: Stationed at the foot of the Jura Mountains in Grenchen, Switzerland, Titoni is among the few Swiss watch brands that is still family-owned to this day. With a long history spanning 97 years (the brand was founded in 1919 by Fritz Schluep under the name Felca AG), Titoni specialises in uncompromising Swiss Made watchmaking quality. A true visionary, Schluep had decided early on to look beyond the borders of Switzerland. This quickly resulted in the brand’s first sales in Germany, America, Japan and later the Southeast Asian market. Over the years the brand has swiftly moved with the times and has acquired a reputation of specialising in mechanical watches with the highest priority on quality.

The present: The third generation CEO and owner of Titoni, Daniel Schluep, is so passionate about his watches that he still manages his company personally. Titoni movements are exquisitely hand-crafted and assembled in their state-of-the-art production facilities in Switzerland. Every watch is carefully and meticulously designed by watch experts, creating masterful timepieces.

Become part of a family tradition- A 47 year-old collection from one of the oldest Swiss watchmaking families:

There could be no better buy than a 47-year-old collection from one of the oldest Swiss watchmaking families in the world. The Airmaster on your wrist represents a sense of belonging, becoming a part of the 97-year long family tradition; an heirloom to be passed down and cherished from one generation to another. It is a watch that binds a family, very much in harmony with Titoni’s own culture and DNA.

All other collections from the family-owned Swiss brand-Titoni are available in India exclusively at Ethos Watch Boutiques.

Did we miss out anything? Let us know your favourite Titoni watches in the comments section below.