From the Depth of the Ocean

Along India’s southeast coast lies a place of rare and rugged beauty called the Gulf of Mannar. A shallow, mineral-rich stretch of the Laccadive Sea, it cradles one of the most vibrant marine ecosystems on Earth. Known for its coral gardens, mangrove forests, and marine sanctuaries, this stretch of ocean is a living archive of natural history, culture, and craftsmanship. 

Dating back to the 2nd century AD, the region’s pearl oyster banks made it a global trading hub. For over 3,000 years, these lustrous pearls were symbols of prestige and power coveted by empires and revered by the Tamil kings. For generations, free divers have explored these waters to collect oysters, pearls, and other marine treasures. 

It’s from these very waters that we draw inspiration, and material for one of its most exotic watch dials to date: Peninsula Professional Mannar. 

The dial in question isn’t just another decorative layer. It’s a canvas crafted by nature, polished by time, and brought to life through human hands. Black Mother-of-Pearl is also called nacre. It comes from the black-lip oyster, a type of oyster found in the warm, shallow waters of the Gulf. Unlike its more common white counterpart, black nacre displays a mysterious spectrum of color, subtle greens, violets, smoky greys, all shimmering and shifting with every turn of the wrist. 

Using this material is no easy feat.

Making a dial from Black Mother-of-Pearl takes a lot of time and careful work. The nacre is thin and brittle, making it prone to cracking with even the slightest misstep. Each dial must be hand-cut, stabilized, and polished by master artisans who understand the unpredictable nature of the material. The smallest flaw, the faintest crack, and the entire piece must be discarded. 

Even before the sculpting begins, sourcing the raw nacre demands great care. The oysters, while naturally occurring, are not in infinite supply. And each dial comes at the cost of multiple oysters, making every finished piece that much more meaningful and rarer. 

It’s no wonder then, that only 50 limited edition watches have been made bearing this dial. No two dials are exactly alike. 

To protect this fragile treasure, BWC wraps the dial under a Superdome sapphire crystal, lending a magnified clarity that brings the deep-sea shimmer to life. 

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Look closer, and you’ll find even more meaning embedded in the design. 

At 9 o’clock, a stylized tree marks the hours, symbolizing the Earth’s forests. At 3 o’clock, a wave motif represents the sea, the very waters of the Laccadive and the Gulf of Mannar. These aren’t just aesthetic choices; they’re storytelling elements, reminders of the interwoven ecosystems that sustain life and inspire design. 

The dial isn’t alone in its nod to nature. Flip the watch over, and the caseback continues the story, etched with symbols drawn from India’s wilderness, a homage to the great outdoors that BWC is devoted to preserving. 

This watch doesn’t sleep when the sun sets. Each diver-style index, precisely applied to the dial, glows with a rich blue hue, powered by Swiss BGW9 Super-Luminova®. Even in the dark, the watch maintains its clarity, a quiet promise that beauty, like truth, endures even in the depths. 

The dial of Peninsula Mannar carries within it fragments that echo the seafloor. Composed of responsibly sourced nacre and coral composites, each dial carries natural remnants of the Gulf's ocean floor. These fragments, stabilized and transformed through meticulous craftsmanship, become a canvas of shifting iridescence. No two dials are ever the same, each a singular expression of the sea’s untamed beauty. 

The use of Mother of Pearl in the Peninsula Mannar reinforces our commitment to making exceptional watches rooted in Indian stories and rare materials. It is a natural continuation of what we’ve built with the Mounionalusta meteorite dial in Apogee, the steel from INS Vikrant in Admiral, and now, the iridescent beauty of the ocean in Mannar. At Bangalore Watch Company®, we continue to build India’s finest luxury. 

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