Bangalore Watch Company™ unveils the new historically inspired Forty-Seven

• It is the Indian brand’s first pocket watch and celebrates the years that built modern India. • Its off-white linen-pattern dial is inspired by India’s mid-20th century self-reliance movement. • Its 46 mm case is made from 316L surgical steel. • It is powered by a Swiss Made quartz movement.

Kunaal Khemka

August 11, 2026

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What is the new Bangalore Watch Company (BWC) Forty-Seven?

It is BWC’s first pocket watch. The name “Forty-Seven” is the year India, with a then-population of about 300 million, gained independence (15^th August 1947) from the United Kingdom. The Forty-Seven marks a time in modern India’s history when the newly independent debt-ridden nation had a literacy rate of about 12%, a per capita income of only $50, and where decisions were made with an eye towards the future and without any “resentment for the past.” Yet this reality did not stop India’s citizens from dreaming and aspiring towards a better and more prosperous future.

What are its dial features?

Off-white linen-pattern dial. The hour and minute hands and Arabic numerals are coated with vintage Swiss Super-LumiNova.

“Forty-Seven is a tribute to the years that shaped modern India. A pocket watch was the natural choice, because it belonged to that time. Bangalore Watch Company™ has always told stories of the India of today. With this watch, the brand goes back to where those stories first began.” – Nirupesh Joshi, Co-Founder of the brand.

What are its case and strap features?

The case is made from 316L surgical steel coated with rose gold-coloured PVD. It measures 46 mm (diameter) * 12 mm (thickness). The dial side features a K1 Hardened Crystal. Water resistant up to 3 ATM or approximately 30 metres.

It comes with a lanyard-style oil-pulled genuine leather strap fitted with a rose gold-coloured PVD clip.

What are its movement features?

It is powered by the Ronda 6004.D, a Swiss Made high-quality quartz movement that drives the hours, minutes and small seconds. Its battery life is 40 months.

“We’ve demonstrated our capability as a watchmaker with several firsts – meteorites, aircraft carrier materials, and even captured carbon. The pocket watch is our attempt to broaden our capability as a watchmaker, and to give our customers a new format to enjoy high-quality time-telling devices with a strong backstory.” – Mercy Amalraj, Co-Founder of the brand.

What do we think?

For a watch brand that prides itself on conveying meaningful Indian stories through its watches, the Forty-Seven’s historical inspiration is fundamental to them. The story of a young nation finding its footing after independence could well be their first-ever story. While the Forty-Seven’s story is perfect, I have mixed feelings about the actual timepiece.

I love the linen-pattern dial, the vintage-lume-coated numerals and hands, the stepped case, the personalised engraving option on the caseback and the lanyard-style leather strap. I would have preferred a mechanical movement. The position of the crown should ideally be at 12 o’clock, not 3 o’clock. (Perhaps this was not possible with the Ronda quartz movement.)

Pocket watches are different creatures than their wristwatch cousins, and for a young brand (BWC was founded in 2018) it is a commendable endeavour. The Forty-Seven adds diversity to the brand’s catalogue, one that is sure to entice enthusiasts and collectors of the brand.

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