Bremont: The British watchmaker changing the game…
Earlier this month I was invited to a special showcase by Bremont, one of the UK’s hottest watchmakers.
If you aren’t already familiar with Bremont, where have you been? The brainchild of brothers Nick and Giles English, it’s one of the UK’s fastest-growing watch labels and a brand that stands for class, culture and the epitome of British design. For this particularly special showcase, Bremont chose to sidestep the usual chaos of Baselworld (the world famous annual watch fair) and create its own watch wonderland in four-storey London townhouse.
The sheer genius of this idea meant that Bremont could demonstrate the full span of its collections in an immersive display. With a huge array of timeless designs, strong military connections and links to seasoned events like the America’s Cup yacht race, you would never think that Bremont is a brand that is just fifteen years old. The vintage aesthetic of many of the designs and the masterful craftsmanship that goes into them gives the brand a far more classic appeal.
Each room of the Bremont townhouse event told a story, and some of them were quite extraordinary. Take, for example, the Bremont MBI Chronometer – that’s a specially-designed shock proof watch that initially launched with exclusive eligibility. The criteria? Surviving a pilot’s ejection seat.
Yep, you read that correctly. That contraption you can see is the Martin-Baker ejection seat, which has so far saved nearly 7,500 lives in global air forces and these incredible watched are so strong they can withstand being blasted out of an aircraft that has the power to crush a man’s spine.
The commemorative design means that every edition of the original series has an incredible story of a near-death experience attached to it. These days the MBII is available to all and a Bremont bestseller. No airborne initiation test required!
Exclusive design is where Bremont excels. Aside from creating unique capsule collections for military squadrons and thrill-seeking adventurers, the luxury label is also sponsoring the 35th America’s Cup competition, which will see world-class sailing talent battling the elements in the fight for victory in Bermuda this June. To commemorate the occasion, Bremont will produce just 35 models of its rose gold AC35 chronograph.
This dream design is inspired by the legendary J-Class yachts of the ’30s and comes with beautiful blue steel hands and a black dial subtly embossed with a print of the award cup, fondly known as the “Auld Mug”. We also love the “London” manufacturing label visible on the back. That’s an extra Seen in the City brownie point.
It is this kind of attention to detail that makes Bremont collections so thoughtful, especially when you consider that most of the watches are designed with open case backs, enabling you to peer into the movement and get a glimpse of the captivating engineering that goes into them. A particular favourite of mine is the Jaguar MKII, which pays homage to a classic Jaguar race car in the heyday of 1960s racing.
It’s the ultimate union of sports car culture with luxury timepieces. What strikes me is not the red stitching on the strap (reflecting the racing stripes which adorned the original car) or the ‘tyre tread’ grain on the winding crown, but the unique steering wheel-shaped winding weight visible through the back of the watch. These clever features are Bremont at its best.
But it’s not all military madness and flash cars, nor is Bremont out of touch with the everyday man (or woman). The watchmaker also offers a range of highly wearable designs that are right on trend, like its new AIRCO watches and SOLO 32 lines. AIRCO, while staying true to its aviation links, also offer’s this season’s favourite striped NATO straps, with new models adopting a classic calf leather strap with bold stitching. It also has those retro glow-in-the-dark numerals and an automatic movement.
The Solo 32 is the lovely ladies range from Bremont. With all of Bremont’s military action, fast cars, flights of fancy and adventuring on the high seas, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s exclusively a boy brand. Not so. Bremont’s ladies’ range proves that women can be adventurers too, just with slightly more style.
The SOLO 32 (so named for their smaller, 32mm dials) are elegant, classic time pieces that pack an automatic movement with 40 hour power reserve into a case just 9mm thick. In stately yellow gold set upon white leather, or edgy 18k rose gold on a black alligator strap, these gorgeous watches scream “power woman” and are just begging to be worn to your next brunch or business meeting.
All in all, we’re not just new converts to the Bremont brand, we’re huge fans. Can you tell? So next time you’re in the market for a top-of-the-range timepiece (cough cough Father’s Day) be sure to check out www.bremont.com. You can also visit Bremont in person in London, New York and Hong Kong.
