Introducing CIRCA by Art of Time – A New Chapter in Experiential Luxury Retail, Designed Around Time, Stories and Firsts
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India –Friday, February 27, 2026 2:55PM IST (9:25AM GMT)
Art of Time announces the launch of CIRCA, a new experiential luxury retail concept that reimagines how premium watches are discovered, understood, and owned in India. Designed as a gateway into the world of fine watchmaking, CIRCA brings together iconic global timepiece brands within an immersive, story-led environment that celebrates craftsmanship, personal milestones, and individual journeys with time.
Derived from the Latin word meaning “around” or “approximately,” and widely used in horology to mark moments in history, CIRCA reflects the brand’s philosophy of time as the hero. More than a retail destination, CIRCA is conceived as a space where watches become markers of identity, celebrating first luxury purchases, meaningful milestones, and lifelong collecting journeys.
As India’s luxury market continues to mature, a new consumer mindset is emerging, one that values meaning over status and experience over transaction. Today’s buyers are equally driven by curiosity, emotional connection, and accessibility as they are by heritage and craftsmanship. CIRCA is designed to meet this shift head-on, offering a welcoming, confidence-led environment for both seasoned collectors and first-time luxury watch buyers.
Rooted in the legacy and expertise of Art of Time, CIRCA bridges the gap between aspiration and ownership. The experience is built on four core pillars; inclusive, trustworthy, delightful, and refined, ensuring that every visitor feels guided rather than gated. Whether someone is purchasing their first luxury watch or adding to a growing collection, CIRCA places education, storytelling, and personal relevance at the centre of the journey.
A key element of CIRCA’s offering is Chronica, a proprietary digital discovery layer designed to personalise the customer experience. Acting as a digital companion, Chronica helps decode individual preferences, milestones, and styles, guiding customers through their watch journey in an intuitive and meaningful way.
By combining human expertise with thoughtful technology, CIRCA makes luxury watch buying feel approachable, informed, and deeply personal.
From concierge led private consultations and curated showcases to phygital touchpoints and community-driven events, CIRCA moves beyond traditional retail formats to create a cultural ecosystem where horology intersects with lifestyle, emotion, and self-expression.
Speaking on the launch, Gaurav Bhatia, Co-Founder & Director, Art of Time, said: “Most of us remember our first luxury watch and the feeling behind it. With CIRCA, we wanted to recreate that for a new generation of watch buyers. It’s not just about collecting watches, but also about assisting people in discovering this milestone, their personal style, and their own relationship with time.”
Bharat Kapoor, Co-Founder & Director, Art of Time, added: “Art of Time has always been built on trust and relationships, and CIRCA is a natural extension of that. It’s designed to make fine watchmaking feel more approachable, especially for a new generation taking their first step into luxury.”
“As part of its expansion roadmap, CIRCA launched its first store in Noida, followed by a Rado boutique opening in Ahmedabad in March 2026, with more locations planned across key urban markets, premium malls, and high-street locations. Each space is envisioned as an immersive destination, reflecting CIRCA’s focus on thoughtful design, curated discovery, and long-term engagement with India’s evolving luxury consumer.”
At its heart, CIRCA represents a new feather in Art of Time’s cap, one that builds on the group’s legacy while shaping the future of luxury watch retail in India. A place where heritage meets innovation, where watches tell stories, and where every journey with time begins.
