Space exploration has inspired countless watches. You know Omega’s Moonwatch and perhaps others associated with NASA or Russia’s space program, for instance — but what about other countries’ achievements? Did you know, for example, that you can get watches made for France’s space agency and those for Chinese taikonauts — and now, you can even get a very cool tool watch by an up-and-coming Indian brand celebrating that country’s 50 years of space exploration?
Bangalore Watch Company is a microbrand to keep an eye on. Since 2017, they’ve produced a number of watch collections with a deft eye for the details, refinement and quality watch enthusiasts tend to appreciate — and a touch of local pride always gives their take on traditional watch styles a shot of character that helps them stand out. Following interesting concepts like a recent Cricket-inspired watch, the new Apogee takes cues from another area of national pride.
The Apogee is the brand’s third sport watch collection, and the most tool-like yet — and, as with many space-themed watches, it’s based on a pilot’s watch concept. Powered by a Swiss Sellita SW200 automatic movement, it has an entirely bead-blasted titanium case and an inner 24-hour bezel for tracking a second time zone, controlled by the crown at 2 o’clock. The 4 o’clock crown is for normal winding and setting and both are proportionally large and textured for easy gripping.
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The finishing and sporty retro shape along with 100m of water resistance suggest an almost German-feeling tool watch, but the brand has injected an element of elegance for the modern wearer: A reasonable case size at 40mm should help keep the Apogee wearable for many wrists and for sliding under cuffs. Further, gradient (fumé or “smoked”) dials — as featured on three of the models — are currently a popular way give a watch some aesthetic flare. The case backs features an engraving of the 1975 Indian satellite Aryabhatta.
Three models feature the gradient treatment in blue, green or gray, and a fourth is a special limited edition of only 50 examples and has a meteorite dial. Each gradient dial version has a price of $922 and the limited edition with the meteorite dial will cost $2,270. They’re available to pre-order now from the brand’s website and will ship in December 2021.
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