Three years in the past, Indian model Bangalore Watch Firm continued its efforts to create watches tied to Indian tradition, historical past, and achievement by introducing the Apogee. The mannequin line celebrated the Indian house program, that includes a ceramic-coated metal case, an inside bezel for a second time zone, and an outline of the primary Indian satellite tv for pc, Aryabhata, on the caseback. This 12 months, the model has tried to one-up itself. Not content material with making a space-themed watch, Bangalore determined to ship a watch into the stratosphere to see the way it fared when pushed to the bounds. The brand new limited-edition Bangalore Watch Firm Apogee Karman Line celebrates the flight by introducing a blue meteorite dial to the road.
To check the Apogee in house, BWC labored with a UK-based house engineering agency to hitch a trip on a stratospheric flight in a high-altitude balloon. The watch reached an altitude of 35km earlier than a managed descent. On touchdown, it was examined and located to be functioning completely, having withstood -65°C temperatures and re-entry shock forces. It’s cool to know a watch can go actually excessive and make the journey with out struggling harm or mechanical failure, and the Apogee Karman Line is strain examined to -1 ATM. On the similar time, there’s a little bit of showmanship occurring right here, just like testing a dive watch to something past 300m: loads of cool, little or no practicality. There’s additionally the truth that it’s typically agreed that the Karman Line extends from 80km-100km; as with many house endeavors, maybe the naming is aspirational.
The case of the Apogee Karman Line stays the identical as the unique, with a tonneau form accented by knurled metal crowns at 2 and 4 and measuring 40mm in diameter and 44mm lug-to-lug. In my expertise, the Apogee wears stout on account of its hooded lugs however by no means crosses the road into feeling chunky. For some, it might nicely cross that line, although, and the flatter case and 12mm thickness might amplify the impact. Bangalore Watch Co. launched a brand new (to the model) materials with the Apogee that it calls Cerasteel™. As an alternative of a straight metal case, the mannequin is clad in a ceramic coating for a softer, smoother really feel and a glance that seems extra fashionable and refined. Whereas right here, the Cerasteel™ is executed in a matte black, my favourite up to now was the white of the Manzinus mannequin. By the way, that model featured a small disc of meteorite at 6 o’clock, the model’s first use of the fabric. The watch is water-resistant to 100m and comes on a black leather-based strap with a customized pin buckle.
The dial is the place I feel the Karman Line LE actually shines. Whereas BWC describes this as a blue meteorite, there seems to be much more occurring right here. Utilizing slices from the Muonionalusta meteorite, the dial seems to be a play of blues and greens and purples that go far past different blue meteorite dials I’ve seen. The inside bezel, managed by the two o’clock crown, provides added dual-time performance with a 12/24-hour scale. Legibilityseems to be intact with the rhodium-plated arms and indices, all of which have Tremendous-LumiNova C3 utilized. For the curious: the coordinates on the dial are these of Sriharikota, an island simply off the east coast of India that’s dwelling to the Satish Dhawan Area Middle. The date window is unoffensive and clear, however I might have changed it with a 6 o’clock marker to maintain the deal with the meteorite dial.
Whereas the unique Apogee fashions featured the frequent Sellita SW200, the Apogee Karman Line will get an improve with the La Joux-Perret G100. Constructed on the Miyota 9000 platform, the G100 is upgraded with improved ending and Swiss componentry. The G100 was launched in 2022 to tackle Sellita and ETA, and most notably (particularly when in comparison with its base caliber), it delivers a 68-hour energy reserve at 28,800vph, with customary accuracy of -/+12 seconds per day. Whereas the caseback isn’t proven in these press photographs, it’s reported to share the identical design because the earlier variations, with an outline of Aryabhata, India’s first satellite tv for pc, touring via house above Earth.
No matter you consider space-themed watches, the advertising and marketing round them, or the ubiquity of meteorite amongst them, the Apogee Karman Line appears to be doing all of it nicely. The coloring of the dial is basically what grabs you, and even penning this, I saved trying on the dial time and again, learning the tell-tale patterning and its variations. I think about the way in which it performs within the mild when in individual is much more charming. The Bangalore Watch Co. Apogee Karman Line is priced at INR 240,000 (roughly $2,850 USD) and restricted to 50 items. For extra data, please go to the Bangalore Watch Firm web site.
