Bangalore Watch Company MACH 1 Indian Air Force-Inspired Watches Review
The second major watch collection from India-based Bangalore Watch Company is the MACH 1, which comes in a few flavors (and first debuted on aBlogtoWatch here). The
watches are directly inspired by the brand founder’s childhood interest in the IAF (Indian Air Force), Fake Watches as well as the MiG 21 Type 77 planes which apparently were the
cornerstone of the IAF’s fighter plane arsenal for 50 years during 1963 all the way until 2013. To celebrate 50 years of the MiG 21 Type 77, Bangalore Watch Company
created this handsome and affordably priced MACH 1 collection.
The “MACH 1” names comes from the fact that the MiG 21 Type 77 was the first supersonic plane in service for the IAF. The MACH 1 comes in both “Civilian” (natural
brushed steel case) and “Aviator” (black PVD-coated steel panerai replica ) flavors. Each of the watches further comes with two dial options that differ only in the style of hour
marker, which on one version uses traditional Arabic hour numerals, and on the other uses Arabic numeral minute indicators as the hour markers. Without being able to
choose one or the other dial — Bangalore Watch Company seems to simply produce both versions, allowing consumers to select which they prefer — frankly, I can’t say
which is better, as it is a matter of personal taste.
https://www.toolpatio.com/
Bangalore Watch Company MACH 1 Indian Air Force-Inspired Watches Review Wrist Time Reviews
The MACH 1 is a very different style of watch when compared to the first Renaissance Automatic timepiece models which Bangalore Watch Company first released
(swisswatchonline.co.uk review here). The Renaissance Automatic watches are dressy in style, while the MACH 1 is decidedly a sports-style watch. What connects the
watches together is a relatively conservative design ethos, a focus on small details, as well as a very solid value proposition. The MACH 1 edges pricing up, but also
includes a more prestigious movement. Whereas the more affordable Renaissance Automatic watches featured a Japanese-made automatic mechanical movement (a Miyota 9000
series caliber), the MACH 1 watches feature Swiss Made Sellita SW220-1 automatic movement calibers. This is essentially the Sellita version of the Swiss ETA 2836.
The SW220 automatic movements feature the time with day and date indicator windows. Operating at 4Hz they, have a power reserve of 38 hours. While smaller brands such
as Bangalore Watch Company can struggle when their products near the $1,000 price point, including upgrades and features such as Swiss Made movements is certainly a
step in the right direction.
Bangalore Watch Company MACH 1 Indian Air Force-Inspired Watches Review Wrist Time Reviews
The MACH 1 case is 42mm-wide (water resistant to 100 meters), 11mm-thick, and has a 48mm lug-to-lug distance. That all translates into a very wearable, as well as
universal, size for a lot of wrists. The matte-finished cases have an industrial feel that connects with the image of something to be connected with an Air Force tool,
and the dials are thankfully very focused on utility. Rather than a lifestyle watch, Bangalore Watch Company really seemed to want to make a tool-style watch that
looks like it could be comfortably worn inside of the cockpit. A flat, AR-coated sapphire crystal over the otherwise matte dial certainly helps to maintain very good
legibility. The only polished element on the dial are parts of the small, applied Bangalore Watch Company logo.
A small detail meant to suggest the MiG 21 Type 77 jets themselves is the watch crown, which is slightly tapered and meant to look like the after-burners as part of
the jet engine system. It is a classy and subtle nod to the planes the watch collection is based on. On the rear of the watch we see a full etching of three MiG 21
Type 77 jets flying in formation, along with celebratory text meant to explain the purpose of the watch collection, in general.
Attached to the case are pretty decent black fabric straps. I typically love how these straps look in pictures but hate to wear them as they tend to be stiff and fray
quickly. Bangalore Watch Company was smart to select softer, and padded straps (leather lined) which are much more comfortable than straps on similarly-priced, or even
much higher-priced watches. The 22mm-wide straps also use quick-release buckles which make them easy to swap out with something else. Also note that Bangalore Watch
Company opted for bespoke steel buckles on the straps, as opposed to using standard off-the-shelf buckles that would have resulted in a cheaper look. This all goes to
the attention to detail that I stated earlier is a highlight of the brand.
What I most appreciate about the Bangalore Watch Company MACH 1 is that it is a celebratory watch (of the IAF) but created like a tool watch. It imagines itself as a
product that would have been worn by actual MiG 21 Type 77 pilots, inspired by history’s large assortment of military and professional pilot watches. The dials are
clean, the faces are legible, and the wearing experience is conservative and sensible. The aesthetic is slightly retro, but there is a fair bit of “timelessness” to
the look which should comfort those buyers wondering if they will still want to don the piece on their wrist years down the road.
As is the case with anything military-inspired, there will be those who are fiercely interested in the story that created these watches and some who will not be so
moved by them. Personally, even though I’ve reviewed countless military and aviation-inspired timepieces, the MACH 1 is the first I’ve ever reviewed that relates to
the Indian Air Force. From a collecting standpoint, I find that interesting, and for the large population of people in or from India with some nationalist flair, the
Bangalore Watch Company MACH 1 will certainly be something to consider. Don’t miss the very decent Pelican-style box that the watches arrive in. Price for the
Bangalore Watch Company MACH 1 Civilian and Aviator watch is $680 USD and $730 USD respectively
