A year ago I had the pleasure to review the Mach1A by Bangalore Watch Company from Bangalore, India. In late 2019, the MACH 1 launched as the first watch collection to pay tribute to the Indian Air Force. The MACH 1 celebrated the story of MiG 21 Type 77 – India’s first supersonic fighter plane.
The release saw four models with matte-black dials and several design features that exposed layers of storytelling. Namely, the IAF fin-flash on the dial, the afterburner nozzle shaped crown,
MiGs flying in formation engraved on the caseback, and a generous dose of C3 SuperLuminova on the matte black dial, all fit for a pilot styled watch.
Today, Bangalore Watch Company presented two new additions to the MACH 1 line-up: Officer’s Blue Steel and Officer’s Blue Stealth Fighter. While pilot-style watches are monochromatic affairs that place legibility as the number one priority, the Officer’s Blue variants bring fresh colors into the collection. The blue color appears in the Indian Air Force in many forms – like the IAF flag and the officer’s uniform. The Officer’s Blue variants extend the storyline of an IAF inspired watch collection further. The new watch dials have a fresh, eye-catching matte-paint in an Officer’s Blue color with a Flieger Type A dial layout.
All numerals are printed with a contrasting black color to aid excellent daytime wearability. The C3 SuperLuminova lume pips outside every hour marker aid time-telling adequately in the dark. Like other MACH 1 variants, the Officer’s Blue variants carry a Swiss Sellita SW220-1 with a day/date indicator and come with cordura straps with a matching steel buckle.
The watches are priced at INR 52,840 (USD 720) for the Steel variant and INR 56,620 (USD 775) for the Stealth Fighter Black PVD variant.
Both models are available for purchase directly from the Bangalore Watch Company website, with shipping worldwide.
MACH 1 OFFICER‘S BLUE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
CASE MATERIAL: 316L STAINLESS STEEL / PVD MATTE BLACK
CASE DIMENSION: 42MM, 48MM LUG-TO-LUG, 11MM TALL, 22MM LUGS
MOVEMENT: SWISS SELLITA SW220-1
DIAL: MATTE BLUE WITH BLACK ARABIC NUMERALS
CRYSTAL: SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL WITH ANTI-REFLECTIVE COATING
CROWN: SCREW DOWN CROWN
STRAP: CORDURA STRAP WITH GENUINE LEATHER LINING
BUCKLE: STAINLESS STEEL / PVD MATTE BLACK TANG BUCKLE