Brands
Aston Martin revs up its watch collection for India debut
Delhi: Aston Martin has shifted gears from road to wrist, unveiling its first-ever watch collection in India. Developed with Timex Group, the line translates the marque’s high-octane design DNA into timepieces that fuse precision engineering with effortless style.
The launch was teased at an exclusive preview in Delhi, hosted for India’s leading lifestyle and luxury media, ahead of a commercial rollout at premium Timex Group outlets such as Just Watches, as well as select high-end retailers across the country.
The collection splits into two distinct tracks, Timeless, a nod to vintage heritage, and Icon, a sleek contemporary line for modern luxury seekers. Signature materials, titanium, carbon fibre, and silicone, echo Aston Martin’s automotive craftsmanship, while details like wheel-rim dials and stitching inspired by car interiors make the connection between watch and car immediate and visceral.
At the forefront is the TRG Automatic, a skeleton-dial marvel powered by a Japanese automatic movement and housed in a lightweight titanium tonneau case. Carbon-fibre flanks and performance-textured straps echo the precision and power of Aston Martin’s engineering.
Designed and manufactured by Timex Group, the collection marries British luxury with global craft expertise. Prices in India range from Rs 17,995 to Rs 57,995, with availability at Just Watches, Justwatches.com, and key retailers including Shoppers Stop, The Collective, Kamal Watches, Zimson Watches, Swiss Time House, Sethi Watch Company and Ganga Ram Gallery.
“Premium, design-led timepieces are booming in India. This collaboration with Aston Martin lets us deliver exceptional craftsmanship and innovation to discerning consumers,” said Deepak Chhabra, managing director, Timex Group India.
“This collection distils Aston Martin’s artistry and performance into a wearable form. It’s for those who drive the extraordinary every day,” said director of brand diversification, Aston Martin, Stefano Saporetti.
The collection is more than a wrist accessory, it’s an adrenaline rush in miniature, a reminder that Aston Martin’s spirit isn’t confined to the tarmac. Fasten your seatbelts.
Brands
Dunkin’ Donuts to exit India as Jubilant FoodWorks ends 15-year franchise deal
The quick service restaurant giant is ending a 15-year franchise partnership with the American doughnut chain, even as it renews its Domino’s agreement for another 15 years
NOIDA: Dunkin’ is done in India. Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd, the country’s leading quick service restaurant operator, has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with the American coffee and doughnut chain, and will wind down its Indian stores in a phased manner before December 31, 2026, bringing a 15-year partnership to a quiet, loss-laden close.
The decision, approved by JFL’s board on March 30, 2026, ends a relationship that began with a Multiple Unit Development Franchise Agreement signed on February 24, 2011. JFL will now evaluate and undertake what it described in a regulatory filing as the “rationalisation and/or cessation of certain operations and/or sale, transfer or disposal of assets and/or assignment or transfer of franchise rights,” all in consultation with Dunkin’s brand owners and strictly within the terms of the original agreement.
The numbers tell the story bluntly. In the financial year 2024-25, Dunkin’ India posted a revenue of Rs 37 crore against a loss of Rs 19 crore — a haemorrhage that was always going to test the patience of a parent company recording revenues of Rs 6,104 crore and a profit of Rs 194 crore in the same period. Doughnuts, it turns out, were never going to move the needle.
The contrast with JFL’s handling of its other marquee franchise could hardly be sharper. Even as it walks away from Dunkin’, the company has just doubled down on Domino’s, signing a fresh Master Franchise Agreement on March 31, 2026, granting it exclusive rights to develop and operate Domino’s Pizza stores in India for 15 years, with an option to renew for a further 10.
JFL, incorporated in 1995 and promoted by the Bharatia family, operates a network of more than 3,500 stores across six markets — India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Its portfolio includes Domino’s and Popeyes on the global side, and two home-grown brands: Hong’s Kitchen and COFFY, a café brand in Turkey.
For Dunkin’, India was always a stretch. The brand never quite cracked the cultural code in a market where filter coffee and chai command fierce loyalty and where the doughnut remains, at best, an occasional indulgence rather than a daily habit. Fifteen years, mounting losses and a parent with better things to spend its capital on was always going to be a difficult equation to solve.
The doughnut has had its last day. The pizza, however, is staying.
