Bangalore Watch Company’s watches blend craftsmanship with stories of modern India

A watch is more than a timepiece—it reflects the wearer’s personality and character. No wonder Swiss watches are considered prized possessions, even today, thanks to their fine craftsmanship and precision.

However, not many watch brands in India offer this benchmark of excellence, largely due to the high costs associated with procuring quality components for watches. 

Bangalore Watch Company helmed by former tech consultants Nirupesh Joshi and his wife Mercy Amalraj is a notable exception–known for its superior quality and exceptional storytelling. 

The micro brand that came into existence in 2018 is the outcome of the learnings of the couple during their travels across the world. 

While splurging on luxury lifestyle products like watches abroad, Joshi noticed a glaring difference in the quality of craftsmanship between European and Indian watches. Storytelling was another missing piece in Indian products. 

“These observations led us to compare it (watchmaking) against the jewellery karigari (craftsmanship) in India, making us wonder why watchmaking never took off in the same way,” says Joshi. 

“Of course, certain legacy brands like HMT and Titan are valued; but the precision and quality exhibited by reputed horology craft makers across Europe did not exist here,” he adds. 

In the last few years, Bangalore Watch Company has attempted to forge its own path with innovative themes in line with 21st-century modern India–be it aviation, space, or cricket. Another theme is in the pipeline and will be announced in August this year. 

Storytelling at its core

Joshi decodes the journey of the brand and how novel themes and collaborations have worked to enhance the its sales.

As Joshi began taking a deep interest in horology, he realised that most Indian watch brands had outdated design elements–elephants, monuments like the Taj Mahal and The Gateway of India, or images of deities. Unfortunately, the themes of modern India were neglected. 

“India is a diverse country—people have varied tastes and so many stories to share. The grammar of design barely reflected the themes of 21st-century modern India. These design elements gave into the stereotypes of what the West wanted to believe of India. We wanted to change this,” he reiterates.

Zeroing in on themes wasn’t easy, admits Joshi, but he and his wife were clear that Bangalore Watch Company would associate with stories that are relevant and offer mileage. 

Their first launch in 2018 was a watch ideal for office wear, inspired by the mid-century watchmakers of India like HMT. The next year, they created MACH 1, a celebration of stories from Indian aviation, designed as a modern iteration of the traditional pilot watches.

In 2020, the company launched ‘Cover Drive’ encapsulating the spirit of Indian cricket. 

And in 2021, it came out with Apogee, celebrating 50 years of the Indian space programme. 

“It is machined from a single block of our proprietary material called Cerasteel, powered by a Swiss automatic movement,” shares Joshi. 

Under the Apogee line, there’s Manzinus that pays tribute to India’s moon missions. The highlight of this watch is a 9-mm disc made using a meteorite rock from outer space that’s believed to be 4.5 billion years old, recovered from the border of Finland and Sweden.

The brand launched MACH 1 Admiral last year–a limited edition of 70 uniquely numbered pieces with a dial made of steel recovered from INS Vikrant R11, which served the Indian Navy and was scrapped in 2014. This edition was done in collaboration with HEFTY Art, a Web3 platform. Each piece came with a digital non-fungible token to guarantee the authenticity and provenance of the watch for future transfers of ownership. 

“It’s not just about owning these pieces—it is also a learning opportunity for the wearer to discover details about our country,” says Joshi. 

Crafting excellence 

Most Swiss watches, Joshi points out, have automatic mechanisms–these are equivalent to the engines of a car. However, this part is difficult to procure for anyone outside the Swiss watch industry. This is a big reason why most watches in India are battery-operated. 

However, Bangalore Watch Company says it has managed to crack this conundrum, although it took a long time. 

“We import the ‘engine’ of the watch from Switzerland; we have managed an exclusive licence from a Swiss company that supplies to leading Swiss watchmakers,” reveals Joshi. 

Besides the mechanism, the brand is also particular about the quality of materials used, including high-grade stainless steel that is corrosion-free. The sapphire crystals are from Japan, while some other small components are procured from Hong Kong and the Far East. 

While horology is an art, watchmaking is an industrialised process. 

Joshi says that it’s similar to what happens during the making of an automobile in an automotive factory, which relies on various OEMs for different parts. 

“We design watches, order the components from specialist suppliers from across the world and in India, and bring them to our workshop in Bengaluru where watchmakers put it together and test them to the highest standards at our lab that has been certified to produce Swiss quality watches,” Joshi explains what goes on behind the scenes. 

Precision and attention to detail hold the key. And this perhaps explains the prices of the brand’s watches. Bangalore Watch Company’s pieces are priced between Rs 83,600 and Rs 92,000. The Manzinus watch is priced at Rs 1,22,000.

The limited edition watches are valued higher and sold within a few weeks of launch, says Joshi. 

For instance, the MACH 1 Admiral was priced at Rs 2,12,000–it was one of the brand’s highest-priced pieces. The Mig 21 line had 21 pieces and was priced at around Rs 1,50,000 each. 

“People change their iPhones every two years. Why can’t we build a watch that is around the same (price) range or a little more and lasts much longer? Besides, it will also tell a story when you put it on your wrist,” Joshi reasons. 

Bangalore Watch Company typically creates 1,000 pieces a year, across three collections. 

Peek into the future 

Without divulging too many details, Joshi says there’s a lot happening at Bangalore Watch Company and patrons can look forward to some special pieces in the next couple of years. 

“We have an ongoing discussion with an aviation brand to create a special line of watches for them. There’s also a possible collaboration with a motorcycling brand in the pipeline,” he concludes.