The story of a Bengaluru wristwatch that went to space

Bangalore Watch Company’s Apogee Karman Line wristwatch, the company claimed, completed a stratospheric flight by travelling 114,000 feet (35 kilometres) into the Earth’s atmosphere

Nightmares of Xenomorphs lingered long after a young Nirupesh Joshi first saw Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror classic Alien. Yet, the terror was not enough to extinguish the spark ignited in his heart — a fascination with the vast unknown of space. Years later, that same passion for the cosmos culminated in a very real feat: Bangalore Watch Company, a luxury watch brand he co-founded with his wife, Mercy Amalraj, sent a wristwatch to space.

A customised 2 kg carbon-fibre unmanned spacecraft launched from Sheffield, UK earlier this year. It carried the prototype watch [called the Apogee Karman Line] on a stratospheric balloon flight. The balloon reached 114,000 feet (35 kilometres), experiencing -60°C, no oxygen, and no atmosphere. Exposed outside the craft, the Apogee endured this harsh environment before the balloon’s controlled descent.

“Throughout the four-hour spaceflight, several 4K cameras recorded the watch. The watch worked flawlessly throughout the flight with no visible timekeeping issues, condensation, or other issues despite the extreme pressure and temperature changes that the watch was exposed to,” the company’s statement read.

Though no institution has recognised this feat, Nirupesh claims his watch company is the first in India to achieve it. “Unlike Omega’s NASA-certified moonwatches, chosen through a rigorous selection process, no official programme exists in India. But we have proof to show our watch is spaceworthy.”

The Bangalore Watch Company built its reputation on its themed collections — cricket-inspired Cover Drive, aviation-themed MACH1, and the space-inspired Apogee launched in 2021. But Nirupesh and his team wanted to go beyond mere inspiration. “Why just be inspired by space? Why not create a watch that could actually go there?” This question became the driving force behind the Karman Line project, a two-year journey to create “the first space-qualified wristwatch” by an Indian brand.

Unsurprisingly, the space-tested watch comes at an astronomical price. The 50 limited edition Apogee Karman Line watches, which can be ordered via the brand’s website, cost ₹2,40,000 apiece. 

But don’t expect some sci-fi features like remote missile launchers in the timepiece besides its ability to survive outer space. There isn’t any. It just shows the time. According to Nirupesh, however, recording time is merely a vestigial function of a wristwatch. “The key thing is the emotional connection,” he explains, “You wear a watch because of what it means to you. Maybe it was a gift from your grandfather, a celebratory purchase with your first paycheck, or an anniversary present from your spouse. Unlike most things we own, a watch can hold decades of emotions and memories.”