Manzinus
HIGHLIGHTS:
WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT:
The Apogee Manzinus celebrates the Indian Space Program's Moon Missions.
The highlight is a 9mm disc made of a Muonionalusta meteorite neatly placed at the 6H position. This rock is believed to be 4.5 Billion years old and was recovered from the border of Finland and Sweden. The unique patterns formed by Nickel-Iron crystals due to a slow cooling process in Space are irreproducible on Earth. The disc mimics a full moon and makes the watch unique. No two discs will be alike, making each watch your own.
The Manzinus’ case is made of Cerasteel™ - a new material formed by a Unibody case built from high-grade steel, with an outer Ceramic coating. The Moon inspires the bright white of the case.
Our Moon’s polar craters like Manzinus have been in perpetual darkness for billions of years. They are known to contain frozen water. The matte black dial of the Manzinus depicts the dark depths of the Moon’s polar craters.
The two steel crowns and a polished steel caseback make the otherwise matte case surface stand out. With a 100M water-tight case and a Swiss automatic movement, the Manzinus checks all the boxes for a sporty, casual, and futuristic watch with an incredible backstory from the Indian space program that is sure to be the conversation piece of your group.
With a high-quality oil-pulled leather strap and a high-grade steel buckle with a signed BWC logo, wearing the Manzinus becomes easy - night or day!
BACKSTORY OF THIS WATCH:
The 1960s was a decade of the Space Race. Powerful nations competed for supremacy in the Cosmos.
The Gemini, Soyuz, and Apollo missions put people in space and brought them back home safely. It was a technological leap for humans that inspired generations of scientists, engineers, and explorers.
ISRO’s Moon ambitions started in the year 2000 with the National Lunar Mission Task Force. In October 2008, a PSLV-XL rocket blasted off from Sriharikota to travel 384,000 KM to the moon carrying an Orbiter and an Impact probe - this was Chandrayaan-1.
ISRO had a disadvantage - they did not have a rocket as powerful as NASA to send a rocket on a straight path to the moon. While the Apollo mission took 4 days to reach the Moon, the ISRO mission took 21 days. ISRO’s PSLV used Earth’s gravity to slingshot its way to the Moon in the absence of a powerful rocket.
As Chandrayaan-1 orbited the Moon, it confirmed the presence of water ice on the polar craters of the Moon.
11 years later in 2019, Chandrayaan-2 launched with greater ambitions. Not just to orbit the moon, but to put a lander on the surface, and a rover to explore.
India’s Moon missions are a demonstration of ISRO’s ingenuity. It has inspired millions of young people to look up and aspire.
The Apogee Manzinus is a watch named after the Primary landing site of the Chandrayaan-2 mission on the South pole of the Moon - the Manzinus Crater.
About Cerasteel™
Since 2021, we have been working on a proprietary coating technology. The objective was to achieve a case finishing that would offer the robustness of high-grade steel, adding a level of surface hardness, and aesthetic qualities like colour and surface finishing. The result of this experiment is a unique combination of a steel inner core with a Cerakote application that is unique in terms of colour, application thickness, and the application environment of heat and humidity. This new material is rated for 9H hardness in the pencil hardness test and allows us to offer cases in a variety of colour choices. We are calling this material Cerasteel™.
Why BWC?
Don't wear a watch, wear a story.
A mid-century-inspired dress watch paying tribute to HMT, or a robust aviation watch paying tribute to the Indian Air Force, our collections tell stories that give you one more reason to wear a wristwatch.
They'll last you a lifetime.
A good wristwatch lasts a lifetime. So, we built them with the highest quality components - be it surgical grade stainless steel, Swiss automatic movements, or scratch-resistant sapphire glass, our wristwatches are built to last you many years.
Because we care.
High-quality wristwatch ownership is like car ownership. Be it your first watch, or subsequent purchases, they leave you with lasting memories. Your lifestyle changes with time, and so do your watch-wearing preferences. We understand your needs well - be it a strap replacement, out-of-warranty repair for an accidental drop, or just a regular service, we strive to provide you with a superlative ownership experience. Talk to our team, and you'll know the difference.
| Case: Moon-white Cerasteel™ case, Unibody stainless steel inner core |
| Inner Bezel: Bi-directional, second-time-zone bezel, operated by 2H crown |
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Dimension: 40mm size, 44mm lug-to-lug, 12mm tall, 20mm lugs
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Crown: 4H push-and-pull with BWC logo
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Water Resistance: 100 Meters
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Caliber: Swiss made Sellita SW200-1 Automatic movement
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Power Reserve: 38 Hours
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Dial: Matte black dial, three-step construction
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| Lume: C3 Super-Luminova®, Grade A |
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Crystal: Scratch-resistant domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
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Strap: G-Force oil-pulled genuine leather straps, quick-release pin
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Buckle: Stainless steel tang buckle,with BWC logo
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What is a Meteorite?
Meteorites are space rocks that have fallen on Earth over thousands of years. The specific Meteorite of your dial is from Muonionalusta, along the border of Sweden and Finland. Most meteorites found on Earth such as the Muonionalusta, are ferrous (Iron based).
How we did it
We worked with Meteorite hunters to source pieces from the Muonionalusta meteorite. We then sent it to our manufacturing partners in Switzerland who cut the rock and processed it to our specifications to be used in our watch dials. Due to the rarity of this material and the challenges in manufacturing, we can only make small batches at a time.
Imperfections on the dial
Watch dials are made of brass using industrially perfected processes. Dials can be manufactured with high levels of tolerances with flatness, finishing, and cutting. Meteorite dials on the other hand, are cut from a raw Meteorites. These are not industrially produced raw materials, they're made of iron, and make it challenging to achieve the same levels of tolerances as our other dials.
We pay utmost attention to our dials, we lose 4-5 Meteorite discs for each completed Meteorite dial, making this process cumbersome. You may still find tiny imperfections on the Meteorite dials, especially with the flatness, and cutting around date windows etc. We ensure in our Quality Control process that these imperfections are not visible with naked eye, and may only show with microscopic examination.
Unique patterns
Muonionalusta meteorites consists of Nickel+Iron, the Widmanstätten patterns you see on your dial are unique (the criss-cross of lines), and are formed by a slow-cooling process that occurs over millions of years as the meteorite travels in space. This pattern is impossible to recreate on Earth, so no two dials will be alike.
Colour changes
Iron Meteorites like the Muonionalusta have a tendency to oxidise. Oxidisation will result in a colour change in the surface. This may not be uniform, and may happen only in specific areas or spots. Our opinion is that oxidisation only occurs if the material is exposed to the elements. Since the meteorite is encased in a water-tight case, chances of oxidisation are extremely low. Also, we coat the dial with a layer of electroplating to avoid oxidisation. Electroplating also gives the meteorite a shiny, reflective texture, also enhancing the look of the Windmanstatten patterns. It is still common for meteorite dials to develop a patina, browning, or spotting over many years of use.
Returns and Refunds
We will offer a Return and Replace your item if it is damaged or defective upon delivery. Please read our detailed returns and exchanges terms before placing your order.
Warranty and Service
All our watches are covered by our 24 month warranty, straps and accessories are not covered by our warranty. Please read our warranty and service terms to understand the warranty process.
Shipping
We offer free worldwide shipping for all watches. We ship from Bangalore once every week on Tuesdays via BlueDart for India, and FedEx for International orders. You will bear the customs duty in the country of your import. Please see our detailed shipping terms before placing your order.
Payments
We do not accept Cash on Delivery. We accept payments via Visa, Master, and AMEX cards. For India, we also accept NetBanking, UPI Wallets, EMI on your Credit Cards, or an instant-credit based 3-month payment through India issued Credit Cards. All payment options are presented to you via our Payment Gateway partner at checkout. If you are placing an order from outside India, please read our detailed notes about International payments.