Bangalore Watch Company is an intriguing brand for several reasons. Founded in 2018 by husband-and-wife duo Nirupesh Joshi and Mercy Amalraj, this young company is one of the rare representatives of India's watch scene. Since its inception, the brand has proven its creativity and success in crafting cool sports models imbued with a subtle Indian flavor. After the MACH 1 pilot watch series and the cricket-inspired Bangalore Watch Company Cover Drive, BWC returns with another model. With the Bangalore Watch Company Apogee Collection, the brand pays homage to five decades of India's space exploration.
While the early stages of space exploration are often associated with the USA and USSR (understandably so, given the enormous budgets invested by both sides), other nations were also part of this race. India was among them, albeit with a somewhat more restrained approach. Perhaps the foundations of India's space program were laid on carts and bicycles, and the program began in the harsh economic climate of the late 1960s, but the country's ambitions were immense. Eventually, India joined the Soviet space cooperation program 'Intercosmos' and launched its first satellite, 'Aryabhata,' aboard a Soviet rocket in 1975. From launching rockets from a fishing village on India's west coast to sending missions to Mars from Sriharikota on the east coast, India's space program has grown to such an extent that today, India is among the handful of space powers with its ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), which has become a great source of inspiration for over a billion people, as well as for Bangalore Watch Company.
Given that ISRO's activities began in the late 1960s to early 1970s, Bangalore Watch Co. draws inspiration from this era to create new watches that pay tribute to Indian space research, using typical elements of space watches while possessing their own unique flavor. Named Apogee - the farthest point of a satellite's orbit - this new collection continues the brand's vision of instrumental, sporty watches with Indian-themed elements.
The four models in the Bangalore Watch Company Apogee Collection share the same case and overall design, starting with an industrial case measuring 40mm in diameter, 11mm in height, and 44mm lug-to-lug. The shape and construction of the case, named Unibody by the brand (as it consists of only two parts, one for the entire case and another for the case back), hark back to the so-called 'helmet' watches of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which were very popular among pilots. The case is entirely made of Grade 2 titanium with a micro-bead finish, giving it a matte dark grey surface.
BWC Apogee is also a dual-crown watch, with one crown responsible for the movement and the other for operating the internal rotating bezel used to display a second time zone. The watch is equipped with a sapphire crystal with AR coating, and the screw-down case back, engraved with an image of space, ensures water resistance up to 100 meters.
All four models presented in the new Apogee Collection from Bangalore Watch Company share the same basic elements. Around the periphery of the dial, black in all versions, an additional time zone is displayed thanks to the rotating bezel. In the center of the dial are square appliqué markers with diamond-cut and rhodium plating, as well as rectangular hands filled with luminescent material. The display is classic, with three hands for time indication and a round date window at the '6 o'clock' position. Just above it is the latitude-longitude position corresponding to Sriharikota, the current ISRO base for all satellite launch vehicles.
The Apogee Collection from Bangalore Watch Company is actually more of a 3+1 collection. Indeed, the first three models are classic with a twist, differing only in color. All three models feature a gradient effect, with the central part of the dial being blue (Horizon model), green (Supernova model), or dark grey (Deepspace model). The fourth model is also available with material straight from space in the form of a meteorite dial. This 'Extraterrestrial' model features a light grey meteorite dial with typical geometric patterns, sourced from the Muonionalusta meteorite - classified as a minor octahedrite, which fell in northern Scandinavia, west of the Sweden-Finland border, around a million years ago. This version is limited to 50 pieces.
Inside the case of all models is a classic, time-tested movement - the automatic Swiss Sellita SW 200-1 (an alternative to the ETA 2824). This movement beats at 4 Hz and provides a 38-hour power reserve. The Bangalore Watch Company Apogee watches are worn on a black leather strap, secured with a titanium clasp featuring the same micro-bead pattern as the case.
AVAILABILITY AND PRICE
The three gradient versions of the Bangalore Watch Company Apogee collection will be available for pre-order on the website www.bangalorewatchco.in from August 15, 2021, at 5:00 PM IST, with prices starting from $925 USD. The Extraterrestrial model with a meteorite dial will be released in a limited edition of 50 pieces, with an estimated retail price of $2,200 USD. It will also be available for pre-order on the website www.bangalorewatchco.in from August 15, 2021.
SPECIFICATIONS – APOGEE COLLECTION FROM BANGALORE WATCH COMPANY
Case: 40mm diameter x 11mm height - 44mm lug-to-lug - Grade 2 titanium case with micro-bead finish - sapphire crystal with AR coating - dual crown, one for movement (push-down), another for internal bezel (screw-down) - screw-down case back - water resistance 100m.
Dial: matte dials with smoky gradient pattern - appliqué markers and hands with Super-LumiNova luminescent coating - available in smoky blue (Horizon), smoky grey (Deepspace), and smoky green (Supernova) colors - also available with meteorite dial (Extraterrestrial)
Movement: Sellita SW 200-1 (standard grade) - automatic - 26 jewels - 28,800 vibrations/hour - 38-hour power reserve - hours, minutes, seconds, and date, plus internal rotating bezel for second time zone
Strap: 20mm black leather strap with titanium pin buckle
Price: from $925 USD