Enter the Jalsa. The result of a three-year initiative and unveiled for the first time in July, this Nebula brand watch, housed in 18 karat rose gold with a ring of red agate stone serving as the mid-section of the three-part case, is meant to serve as a testament to India’s engineering and artistic capabilities. It delivers, and then some, in what is surely one of the more unique and surprising haute horology creations we’ve seen.
The undisputed star of the timepiece is the polished marble, hand-painted dial. Each of the ten watches bestows a unique work, crafted by celebrated Indian miniature painter Shakir Ali. A winner of the Padma Shri – one of the highest civilian awards in India – Ali uses tiny brushes and paint materials derived from traditional, proprietary recipes, to depict larger-than-life scenes on very small surfaces. Dominated by faded and washed red overtones, the dial painting shows a historic palace in Jaipur, the Hawa Mahal or ‘Palace of Winds,’ as its subject on the occasion of the architectural marvel’s 225th anniversary. Each shows the royal procession of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, against the facade of the building he commissioned. A viewer can easily get lost in the stunning renderings of textures depicted from elephant hide to grass and decorated silk by the skilled miniature painter. And it’s a unique yet boldly simple facet of the watch that makes this more likely.
Attached to the non-pointing end of the lume-filled sapphire minute hand is a sapphire magnifying glass that slowly rotates around the watch once an hour, highlighting different features of the marble painting or giving the viewer an enhanced look at the flying tourbillon revealed through a cut-out on the dial. The handwound tourbillon movement, designed, engineered, and built by Titan with input and some components from Swiss watchmaking partners, uses 144 parts and 14 jewels, beating at a frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vph), with a 48-hour power reserve. Seen through the exhibition caseback, the movement features unique decoration, including bridges constructed from the same red agate stone used in the case.
Sized at 43.5 millimeters in diameter and 14.5 millimeters thick, the Jalsa is a statement, and its price in Indian rupees is 40.5 lakhs or about €45,000.