One Dial, Many Layers

It’s the 1930s. Deep-sea divers descend into near-total darkness, where every second matters. In those dark waters, a new kind of watch dial emerges, built from two plates. The bottom glows with luminous paint. The top, precisely cut, reveals bold numerals through which the light shines. Simple, effective, and brilliantly legible. The result was the sandwich dial.  

Decades later, the sandwich dial has moved from military tool watches into the collections of watch lovers everywhere. Its layered construction, its depth, and its glowing presence still capture imaginations. 

Unlike a traditional single-plate dial, a sandwich dial is a feat of layering and precision. The lower plate is coated with luminous material, in our case, C3 Super-Luminova, while the upper plate is cut with markers and indices. When the two layers are secured together, the result is a dial with striking depth, glowing clarity, and a three-dimensional character.

  
The dial alignment must be perfect with the uniform high-contrast glow. Done right, the sandwich dial transforms a flat watch face into a landscape of light and shadow. It’s functional, and it’s beautiful.  

Originally born in the world of divers and military instruments, the sandwich dial has found a new canvas in cricket. With our Cover Drive watch collection, we wanted to celebrate cricket not just as a game, a player, or a tournament, but as an emotion. In India, cricket is a festival. Every time the Men in Blue take the field, millions watch, cheer, and live every ball. And we wanted a watch that could honour that spirit.

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Sized at 40mm, the Cover Drive carries every element of cricket in its design. The bezel tracks overs in a T20 or ODI match. The seconds hand counterbalance is shaped like a cricket bat. At 12H, a cricket ball marks the position. On the caseback, you’ll find a 3D embossed cover drive stroke, frozen in steel. Even the colours are drawn from the Indian jersey and the pitch itself.  

But then comes the dial. Not just cut-outs, but cricket-shaped cut-outs. At 12H, the three stumps are put together to form a wicket. At 4H, a bold “4” marks the boundary shot. At 6H, the “6” cutout celebrates the big hit. When darkness falls, the Super-Luminova beneath glows evenly through these shapes, lighting up the dial with unmistakable cricketing symbols.  

The layered dial construction means the glow has contrast and depth. Like floodlights on a stadium, it makes the game visible no matter how dark it gets.  

The Cover Drive brings the thrill of cricket to your wrist. Every element of the watch has been carefully designed to celebrate the game, from the elegance of the cover drive shot to the functional bezel that lets you track overs while watching a match. Its sandwich dial adds depth, character, and excellent legibility, making every glance a satisfying experience.  

At Bangalore Watch Company, the Cover Drive is part of a lineup that tells India’s modern story through watches. From the Mach 1 Admiral, crafted from the steel of a historic ship, to a meteorite-dial watch honouring ISRO, every watch captures a defining Indian milestone. These Indian luxury watches are wearable tributes to the achievements and stories that shape the nation. When you see and wear them, it’s clear: there’s nothing else like it. 

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