Three years ago, the Indian brand Bangalore Watch Company continued its work of creating watches connected to Indian culture, history, and achievements by introducing the Apogee model.
This model line celebrated the Indian space program: a steel case with a ceramic coating, an inner bezel for a second time zone, and an image of India's first satellite, Aryabhata, on the case back. This year, the brand aimed to outdo itself. Not content with just releasing space-themed watches, Bangalore decided to send the watch into the stratosphere to see how it would perform under stress. The new limited edition Bangalore Watch Company Apogee Karman Line is dedicated to flight and features a blue meteorite dial.
To test the Apogee watch in space, BWC collaborated with a British company specializing in space technology, conducting a stratospheric flight with a high-altitude balloon. The watch ascended to 35 km and then made a controlled descent. Upon landing, it was examined and found to function perfectly, enduring temperatures of -65°C and impact forces upon re-entry. It's gratifying to know that a watch can ascend to great heights and make a journey without damage or mechanical failure. The Apogee Karman Line watch is tested under pressure up to -1 ATM. At the same time, there is a degree of showmanship here, similar to testing watches for depths beyond 300 m: a lot of coolness, little practicality. Moreover, it's generally agreed that the Karman Line extends to 80-100 km; as with many other space endeavors, the name may be more of a preference.
The Apogee Karman Line case remains the same as the original: it features a tonneau shape, emphasized by knurled steel crowns at 2 and 4, and measures 40 mm in diameter and 44 mm lug-to-lug. In my experience, the Apogee watches look substantial due to the hooded lugs but never cross the line into appearing bulky. Although, for some, this line is quite possible, and the flatter case and 12 mm thickness might enhance this effect.
Bangalore Watch Co. introduced a new (for the brand) material in the Apogee model, which it calls Cerasteel™. Instead of a direct steel case, the model is coated with ceramic, making it softer and smoother to the touch, with a more modern and refined appearance. Although the Cerasteel™ here is in matte black, I currently prefer the white color of the Manzinus model. Incidentally, this version features a small disc of meteorite at the 6 o'clock position - the first use of this material. The watch is water-resistant up to 100 m and comes on a black leather strap with a custom buckle.
The dial is where I believe the Karman Line LE truly shines. Although BWC describes it as blue meteorite, there seems to be much more happening. Using pieces of the Muonionalusta meteorite, the dial appears to play with blue, green, and purple colors, extending far beyond other blue meteorite dials I've seen. The internal bezel, controlled by the crown at the 2 o'clock position, offers an additional dual-time function with a 12/24-hour scale.
Rhodium-plated hands and indices, coated with Super-LumiNova C3, provide good readability. For the curious: the coordinates on the dial are those of Sriharikota, an island off the east coast of India where the Satish Dhawan Space Centre is located. The date window is unobtrusive, but I would replace it with a 6 o'clock marker to avoid distracting from the meteorite dial.
While the original Apogee models used the common Sellita SW200, the Apogee Karman Line received an upgrade with the La Joux-Perret G100 model. Built on the Miyota 9000 platform, the G100 watches have improved finishing and Swiss components. The G100 model was introduced in 2022 to compete with Sellita and ETA, and notably (especially compared to the base caliber), it provides a 68-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph with standard accuracy of -/+12 seconds per day. Although the case back is not shown in the press photos, it reportedly has the same design as previous versions, featuring an image of Aryabhata, India's first satellite, flying through space over Earth.
Whatever you may think of space-themed watches, the marketing around them, or the widespread use of meteorite among them, the Apogee Karman Line seems to do it all well. The dial coloring is what really draws attention, and even while writing this article, I kept looking at the dial, studying its distinctive pattern and variations. I imagine how it plays with light when you see the watch in person, and it's even more mesmerizing.
The Bangalore Watch Co. Apogee Karman Line is priced at 240,000 Indian Rupees (approximately 2,850 USD) and is limited to 50 pieces. For more information, visit the Bangalore Watch Company website.