Bremont
Precision, Winter 2022
In last year’s Precision watch special we brought you news of the rapid progress happening at British brand Bremont’s then recently opened, 35,000 sq ft manufacturing and technology facility The Wing in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Key to that was the launch of the firm’s first in-house movement series, the ENG300, which debuted in a limited edition of 150 Longitude watches named after the ‘home of time’ at the Greenwich meridian.
Making such a relatively small number of watches with manufacture movements is one thing, but scaling the business up to serious production levels is another – which is why Bremont is calling its latest development “the most significant” in the 20 years since the firm was founded by brothers Nick and Giles English.
The launch involves the movement being used in a new generation core collection of three 40mm models, respectively called the Supernova, the Audley and the Fury.
The watches will be available in a total of seven different styles and every watch will be powered by a movement from the ENG300 series that’s evaluated using Bremont’s own ‘H1 Timing Standard’ – a test that’s claimed to be directly comparable with the official benchmark laid down by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) to determine whether or not a watch mechanism is of chronometer-grade accuracy.
Left Bremont Audley and right, Fury. Top, Supernova. All are new models from Nick and Giles Oxfordshire HQ
In fact, says Bremont, the H1 standard is potentially even higher because the movements will be evaluated complete with the sub-systems – such as self-winding mechanisms, date discs and so on – with which they will leave the factory. The tests have also been carried out with the mechanisms placed in concept watch cases that have been taken to extremes, including being put through live launches with ejection seat manufacturer Martin-Baker.
The first of the new models is the Supernova, which marks a departure for Bremont in being its first integrated bracelet watch. The hardened steel case, which is said to have taken three years to develop, is entirely made in-house and features satin-grained and polished areas that require 12 separate stages of finishing. The tapered bracelet is also a bespoke design, while dials come in Midnight Blue, Pitch Black or Albus White with each version having a transparent case back revealing the ENG375 movement.
The Fury model, meanwhile, reflects the English brothers’ love of aviation and the fact that the brand has majored on pilot watch design since its inception. Named after the Hawker Sea Fury aircraft of the 1940s, the watch is described as a contemporary take on a classic pilot’s watch and features a 40mm case with a scratch-resistant, central barrel and dials in traditional black or a rich blue.
The strong Arabic numerals get a healthy dose of Super-Luminova to keep them legible after dark while classic ‘dagger’ hands complete the vintage look.
The third, the Audley, is an understated 40mm dress watch which can be had in rose gold or polished stainless steel, each with a silvered dial topped by fluted and faceted indexes and tapered hands. Bravo, boys.