MEET THE WATCH: Titan “Wing Watch” by Neil Foley

Many years ago, I talked a buddy of mine into buying an unusual little watch that I found on eBay. To be honest, it was more his style than mine, but I was still intrigued by this mystery watch. Years later, it came back into my possession so I could fix it for him. Regrettably, it suffered a battery-changing-mishap when my buddy “might have used too much mallet“ trying to get the snap-back case on. Oops! Never use a hammer when two thumbs will work just as well.  On the positive side, I’d finally get to write about this whimsical timepiece that reminds me of an alternate-reality Cartier Tank.

I’m not even sure where to start talking about this watch because it is a bit quirky. I’ll begin by stating that it has a strong aviation theme to it, and perhaps that is what initially got my attention. Because I do not know the name of the watch, I’m just going to call it the Titan Wing Watch until I am corrected (UPDATED This is the Titan Tycoon). Why? Because the shape of the watch, when viewed in profile literally, looks like a wing. Duh! It has the familiar teardrop shape that has been creating aernautical lift since the last century.

If you don’t believe that it’s a wing, then just flip the watch over where you’ll see an airplane. Not just any airplane either. The laser etching shows a P-51 Mustang with a spinning prop represented by a circle. This will come into play later when we examine the dial.

While we are examining the back, let’s see what other info can be found. It’s obvious that the case back is a snap on so it’s not surprising that the water resistance is just 30 meters. There is a Titan logo and a (made in) INDIA label. This is not something that I see too often as a Swiss watch collector in an American market.

Titan claims to be “the world’s fifth largest watch manufacturer and India’s leading producer of watches under the Titan, Raga, Orion, Nebula, Octane etc.” I’ll take their word for it, because the Titan website looks quite extensive.

Surprisingly, the designer’s name, Neil Foley, is also seen on the back of the watch. These unsung design heroes are often anonymous figures in the background except for rare exceptions like Gerald Genta. Neil Foley has a great portfolio of industrial product design and a stack of international awards so I wonder if he’d want to see this watch from the past? Perhaps he’d get a kick out of it.

Aircraft-themed Watch

The aircraft theme is carried strongly through the design through form and use of materials. I already talked about the wing shape, but the case has some other aviation cues. The case is stainless steel but it has been brushed in a way that reminds me of an aluminum aircraft’s skin. Light dances over the small streamlining ridges that add interest. A strong central ridge connects the crown to the very clever triangular date magnifier. I cannot recall ever seeing a cyclops in this shape before!

Two smaller ridges end at decorative screw heads that might represent machine guns? It does have a P-51 on the back so it’s not too far fetched. The placement makes me wonder if there ever was a chronograph version of this watch. The dial would be a little small for that suggests but it might have been possible.

The crystal is a trapezoidal shape that is not a typical rectangle.  There is more to the aforementioned Cyclops. Not only does it work to enlarge the smallish date window, but it shows a brilliant flash of orange at some angles. The date window is surrounded by the same triangular shape as the cyclops and it makes an interesting effect when they alight. The cyclops also continues the metal hump shape in glass marrying the side and top of the case into a cohesive unit.

The dial appears to have a vertical ridged pattern except for a circle in the middle of the dial that happens to be the same size as the P-51 Mustang’s propeller on the caseback. This is no accident. The hands are skeletonized (like aircraft struts) with drilled circles and the minute hand exactly touches the front circle pattern suggesting that it represents a propeller. Stick indices make up the majority of the hour markers except for the art deco 12 and the playful 30 at the 6:00 position. The “30” concurrently works for the minute track and also for the small running seconds. A mirror-like stainless steel ledge has been left along the perimeter of the crystal making it look like cut glass.

Even the double-stitched strap has a quirky feature because it is attached at an angle that matches the trapezoid of the case and crystal. You would think that is would not wear comfortably, but it does because it ergonomically follows the shape of a wrist as it tapers. There is a small checker border and “Fastrac” embossed in the strap. It is unclear whether that is the name of the watch, watch family or just the strap.

I did not reveal the cost of the watch, but it was about $30 on eBay. I think my buddy got quite a deal considering all the interesting features and the amount of thought put into the design. This proves that good design can be had at even the lowest price points, especially if you are willing to look beyond the brands you know already.

How I Fixed the Broken Watch

Some watches had decorative dial elements that are just glued on. If they get knocked hard enough, these tiny pieces can become dislodged. This could damage the watch if they get hung up in the hands or they could scratch the delicate dial surface. Two polished metal rings had come undone on the Wing Watch so I gave it my best amateur attempt to fix it.

First, I had to remove the crown. This meant prying off the back and then pressing a small button to release the crown stem.

I then removed the movement retainer. This part made of white plastic keeps the movement centered.

Then I had to carefully glue the microscopic parts back on. This was trial and error. I used the head of a sewing needle, but honestly, even that was too large. The first attempt got too much glue on the polished side of the parts and I had to meticulously clean them with alcohol. The second attempt worked much better with tiny drops of superglue.

While the watch was apart, I gave the crystal a good cleaning. It is surprising that a haze can build up inside of a watch case.

The end result is acceptable. I bet a professional could have done better, but I am okay with it. At least the Titan Wing Watch can fly again instead of being grounded. The fact that I did not crash and burn on the repair is a small miracle.

UPDATE (September 20, 2018)

Well, that did not take long. The owner of the watch found an Amazon India link showing the watch with the name Titan Tycoon. The mystery of the proper watch name is solved if this listing is to be believed. Converting Indian Rupees to U.S. Dollars shows a retail price of roughly $97.50.