Bangalore Watch Company is a burgeoning Indian brand that celebrates its country with watches that capture its history and spirit. Following the successful MACH 1 series and later MACH 1 Officer’s Blue editions, both of which celebrated India’s first supersonic jet fighter, the MiG 21 Type 77, the brand is back to honour the game of cricket. Cricket was introduced in India during the British occupation in the 1700s, but it wasn’t until 1932 that Indian teams began competing overseas. The Bangalore Cover Drive is loaded with cricket references on both the case and dial, paying tribute to a sport that has become somewhat of a religion in India.
India won the ICC Cricket World Cup in England in 1983, becoming a major international force in the sport with world-class players. The game is so popular in the country that it’s common for cricket pitches to pop up on any small piece of vacant land. The Cover Drive, named after what is considered the most graceful shot in this gentlemen’s sport, is a robust sports watch that really comes to life as you take a closer look. The 316L stainless steel case is 40mm in diameter and 12.3mm in height, what many consider perfect proportions for such a piece, with a lug-to-lug of 48mm. The first thing you’ll notice is the external unidirectional rotating bezel that tracks elapsed overs in a 50-over or T20 cricket match. It can also be used as a 60-minute countdown timer for non-cricket players. The knurled pattern on both the bezel and push/pull crown resembles the grip on a cricket bat, while the caseback displays a detailed and deeply embossed image of a right-hand batsman playing a shot to the covers. Water-resistance is 100 metres.
A sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating covers the dial, which continues the cricket theme. There are three dial colours available – black, green or brown – and all have a sandwich design akin to a Panerai Luminor. The models are aptly named the Pavilion (black), Outfield (green) and Pitch (brown). The bottom dial layer is C3 Super-LumiNova, exposed by cut-outs of the indices and two Arabic hour markers. The indices are shaped like cricket stumps with the triple markers at 12 o’clock resembling the wicket protected by the batsman. The Arabic numerals at 4 and 6 o’clock indicate the boundary shots (comparable to a home run in baseball). Looking at the hands, the counterweight of the seconds hand is shaped like a cricket bat, while the hour and minute hands are bold and filled with Super-LumiNova. The outermost minute track has an image of a cricket ball at 12 o’clock, acting as the index point for the rotating bezel.
Powering the Bangalore Watch Company Cover Drive is a Sellita SW200 automatic, a clone of the ETA 2824. It has 26 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) with a 38-hour power reserve. Functions include central hours, minutes and seconds, and the date has been eliminated to avoid a phantom setting. The strap is oil-pulled leather with stitching mimicking a cricket ball and comes with a signed pin buckle.
The new Bangalore Watch Company Cover Drive collection has a pre-order price of USD 670 (starting today) and standard retail price of USD 760. For more information and to place an order, visit the Bangalore Watch Company website.
