Six Homegrown Watches Put India on the GPHG Map

The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), widely billed as the Oscars of watchmaking, is bringing its travelling exhibition to Mumbai next week. From September 28 to October 1, The St. Regis Mumbai will host all 84 timepieces nominated for the 2026 edition, offering collectors a rare chance to see some of the year’s most coveted watches up close. The exhibition is part of GPHG’s international roadshow; the final verdict will be announced in Geneva, Switzerland, in November.

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For India, this year’s GPHG story is particularly interesting. Six watches from four homegrown brands — Titan, Delhi Watch Company, Bangalore Watch Company and Jaipur Watch Company — have entered the competition across the ‘Challenge’, ‘Essential’ and ‘Time Only’ categories. While none made it to the final 84, their participation signals a growing confidence within India’s young watchmaking ecosystem, with brands increasingly experimenting with mechanical complications, unconventional materials and distinctly Indian design narratives.

India does, however, have a place in the official shortlist through Favre Leuba. The historic Swiss marque, now under Indian ownership, has its Chief Skeleton nominated in the ‘Challenge’ category. Favre Leuba was acquired by Titan and subsequently transferred to Silvercity Brands, whose parent company, KDDL, is associated with luxury watch retailer Ethos. The Chief Skeleton remains Swiss in its watchmaking heritage and identity, but its presence among the final 84 gives this year’s GPHG an interesting Indian business connection.

The 84 nominated watches will compete for 19 prizes across categories that span the breadth of contemporary horology — from chronographs, tourbillons and mechanical complications to design, craftsmanship and everyday watchmaking. And while the trophies will eventually be handed out in Geneva, Mumbai gets a front-row seat to the competition. Here are the six Indian entries that made their way to the 2026 GPHG competition:

The Six Indian Watches Taking on GPHG 2026

‍Titan EDGE UltraSlim Mechanical

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At just 5.7mm thick, Titan’s EDGE UltraSlim Mechanical makes a persuasive case for the old watchmaking obsession with doing more with less. Its titanium case gives the hand-wound timepiece a featherweight presence, while the dial does away with conventional hands in favour of a disc-based display. Turn the watch over and the exhibition caseback reveals Titan’s in-house mechanical movement, with its design inspired by the moon’s surface. Available in restrained monochromatic executions, the EDGE UltraSlim is less about visual spectacle and more about neat proportions and disappearing neatly beneath a cuff. 

Titan Wandering Meteor

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Titan sends time orbiting with the Wandering Meteor, a decidedly more playful take on mechanical watchmaking. Its wandering-hours complication replaces conventional hands with two satellite discs that travel across a textured dial, creating the impression of celestial bodies moving through space. The design is housed in a lightweight crystallised titanium case with bronze accents, giving the watch a sporty yet otherworldly character. More significantly, it marks a milestone for Indian watchmaking as the first Indian-brand watch to employ a wandering-hours complication. With an accuracy of -10/+30 seconds per day, the watch pairs its astronomical inspiration with serious mechanical intent. 

Delhi Watch Company Terra

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The Terra takes one of the most functional objects in the outdoors — the carabiner — and turns it into a distinctly recognisable watch case. Its sculptural stainless steel construction gives what is otherwise a straightforward field watch an instantly identifiable silhouette. Three hands, no date and a Miyota quartz movement keep the watch deliberately uncomplicated, while a black parachute strap reinforces its utilitarian character. Yet Terra's appeal extends well beyond functionality. The watch has developed a strong following among watch collectors, with releases frequently selling out and a reported waitlist running into five figures. Marking Delhi Watch Company's fifth anniversary, Terra occupies an interesting space between everyday utility and collector culture.

Read More: GPHG in Mumbai: An Exhibition of Timelessness and Virtuosity‍

Bangalore Watch Company Peninsula Carbon

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What if the air around us could become part of the watch on our wrist? Bangalore Watch Company's Peninsula Carbon attempts exactly that. Its dial is crafted from ReforgeCarbon™, a proprietary material made using carbon recovered from the atmosphere, transforming particulate matter into a permanent horological object. Limited to just 100 pieces, the forged-carbon process ensures that each dial develops its own pattern, making every watch subtly different. The stainless steel, lugless case keeps the design contemporary, while the surrounding minute track borrows the visual language of an air-quality index, moving from green towards deep amber.

Jaipur Watch Company Premium Baagh

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The Premium Baagh is Jaipur Watch Company's love letter to India's visual heritage, compressed into a 40mm case. Built around the tiger, a symbol of courage and strength, the watch layers traditional Indian motifs with an elaborate, miniature art sensibility. A natural stone dial sits alongside an offset time display crafted from Muslin Khadi, while a tiny Chhatri, topped with a ruby, adds a jewel-like focal point. A courtly filigree frame brings another layer of ornament, with Baagh written in Devanagari, completing the distinctly Indian visual language. Part of the brand's signature series, the watch is available in five variants, each interpreting the theme differently. It is a piece that treats the dial as a canvas for craft and cultural storytelling, rather than merely a surface for telling time.

‍Jaipur Watch Company Maharana Pratap Stamp Watch Automatic

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The Maharana Pratap Stamp Watch Automatic turns a piece of India's stamp history into a wristwatch. At its centre sits a genuine vintage ₹10 Maharana Pratap postage stamp, preserved within the dial, ensuring that no two watches have exactly the same visual character. The heritage theme continues through its fully gold-coloured dial and bracelet, while the watch is powered by a Miyota 6T28 self-winding mechanical movement. Handcrafted in Jaipur, it brings together horology and historical memorabilia in a format that feels distinctly Indian. Rather than reproducing Maharana Pratap as a decorative motif, the watch uses an actual vintage artefact, giving each piece a tangible connection to the past.

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