Bangalore, Karnataka, India
In the spirit of producing world-class watches that tell stories from modern India, Bangalore Watch Company celebrates women in aviation with a new watch in the MACH 1 collection. The new watch is called – MACH 1 Silk Scarf.
“We introduced the MACH 1 collection in 2019. Since then, this collection has seen a strong identity as a compelling aviation-styled watch with Indian aviation backstories. We did several watches in the past that celebrate the Indian Air Force, and most recently the Indian Navy. The Silk Scarf extends the MACH 1 collection into a commercial aviation backstory for the first time,” said Nirupesh Joshi, Co-founder and Creative Director of the brand.
In 1936, 21-year-old Salra Thukral became the first Indian woman to acquire a commercial pilots license. Although aviation was not a popular career choice for women of India in the mid-century, India’s economic liberalisation in the 1980s changed that. Thousands of Indian women entered aviation in the 1980s, not just in piloting careers but also into ground-crew, and air-traffic roles.
“Indian women don’t just keep our skies safe, and make air travel efficient, but they also carry with them the dreams of millions of young girls that look up and aspire. 15% of all commercial pilots in India are women. This number is surprisingly 3 times higher than the global average. This storyline formed our inspiration to create a new watch,” said Mercy Amalraj, Co-founder and Head of Ownership Experience.
Given the unique backstory, the designers at BWC have come up with a new colour scheme for the watch. A new light-pink shade called Aerobloom was developed for this watch. The dial also carries a motif de grain, that gives the watch a shine and luster not seen before in the MACH 1 dials.
In the formative years of modern aviation, an aviator’s scarf mostly made of silk was worn by pilots. Today the scarf adorns the neck of many flight-crews and stands as a symbol of their freedom to fly. The Silk Scarf watch carries a decorated caseback that shows an Aviator’s Scarf etched to it.
MACH 1 Silk Scarf is priced at INR 86,000/-. The watches can be reserved through the brand’s website www.bangalorewatchco.in starting today.
