Homegrown watch brand Bangalore Watch Company has introduced two new timepieces in its Apogee line. Launched in 2019, the Apogee line finds its roots in the Indian space programme. Extending that idea now are Manzinus and Earthshine, which recall the legacy of India’s Moon Missions.
Manzinus with a Muonionalusta meteorite disc on the dial
Earthshine’s brown fume dial and caseback featuring an engraving of the Aryabhatta satellite
The new timepieces essentially build on the previous Apogee designs. So far the collection has consisted of 40mm models like Horizon, Supernova, and Deepspace that boasted tonneau cases in grade 2 titanium with a micro-bead-blasted finishing and fume dials (blue, green, grey). There was also the 100-piece limited edition Extraterrestrial with a meteorite dial. All models boasted a double-crown, one to set the time with and the other to set the second timezone via an internal rotating bezel. All watches featured the coordinates of ISRO’s rocket launch site in Sriharikota on the dial, and on the caseback an engraving of the Aryabhatta satellite.
Manzinus, named after the Manzinus crater located at the South pole of the Moon – it was also the planned landing site of the Chandrayaan-2 mission – has a matte black dial on which features a 9mm disc of the Muonionalusta meteorite. Earthshine, inspired by the faint-brown glow that appears with the crescent moon, has a brown fume dial. Like their predecessors, Manzinus and Earthshine are powered by the automatic Sellita SW200 movement and flanked by leather straps. The watches have a 100-meters water resistance.
The major update in both watches comes by way of case material. Both timepieces are now in 316L surgical steel, with a Cerakote coating, which improves durability and also allowed the brand to play with colours. There is also an increased level of hardness, specifically rated 9H, the highest on the Pencil Hardness Test. Together, all these aspects come together to make a CerasteelTM case. Manzinus features a white Cerasteel™ case that mimics the full moon, while Earthshine, has a matte grey Cerasteel™ one. In fact, the brand has announced that going forward, all the new Apogee releases will be upgraded to CerasteelTM bodies.
Thanks to the meteorite on its dial, Manzinus’ production will be restricted to 100 pieces this year. Earthshine, however, will be a continuous production model in the lineup.
Manzinus is priced at Rs 1,20,000, and Earthshine at Rs 90,000.
Images: Courtesy Bangalore Watch Company
