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Bangalore Watch Co makes watches with MiG-21 fuselage metal

BENGALURU: Bangalore Watch Company, a startup, has unveiled a limited edition 21 piece collection of mechanical watches whose components are made of metal of the fuselage of the MiG 21 aircraft.

These are part of the larger collection of the Pilot-style watches inspired by MiG 21 Type 77 aircraft, which is the first supersonic fighter jet of the Indian Air Force.

The company claims this is the first time watches with components of Aircraft metal are made in India.

"The metal is from the fuselage of a Mig21 aircraft. The IAF has a no scrap policy . We received a fuselage metal part from a decommissioned MiG plane,"Nirupesh Joshi, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Bangalore Watch Company, told ET. The designer collection is named MACH-1, indicating the speed of sound.


The MiG Type 77 aircraft was inducted in the IAF in the 1960's and was retired from the service in 2013. The fighter was used extensively during the 1971 war with Pakistan.

"We wanted to pay tribute to the Indian Air Force with an aviation-style watch collection. HAL is headquartered in Bengaluru, the city has played a critical role in the history of the Indian Air Force and we’re proud to bring stories from the city and India through our watches,” said Co-Founder Mercy Amalraj. “We want to make watches in India that tell stories from India. When people think of high-end watches, it’s usually Swiss brands that come to mind – but India has such a rich history,” she added.

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The plane was produced under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd from the Soviet Union.

The watches run Swiss Made automatic movements, made with surgical-grade stainless-steel, anti-scratch sapphire crystals, built for 100 Meters of water resistance, carry fighter-plane cockpit inspired dials, and a deep laser etched MiG 21 design motif on the caseback, the company said.

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