Bremont watches bring sophistication, an appreciation of engineering and a sense of style and taste to every watch that comes out of their UK watchmaking facility.
Mechanical watchmaking has a long, illustrious history in the British Isles, with horologists such as Thomas Tompion, Robert Hooke, John Harrison and Thomas Young producing innovations in timekeeping since the 17th century.
When you put on a Bremont watch you are wearing part of this tradition. And the company’s commitment to excellence, precision and craftsmanship is what makes Jacobs proud to stock the Bremont brand.
In this article, we’ll take a deep look into Bremont’s story and what values and skills the company brings to every watch they make.
Blue Sky Mechanics: The Story of Bremont
Brothers Nick and Giles English, Bremont’s co-founders, were taught a love of mechanics, engineering and flying by their father – an aeronautical engineer and RAF pilot. After Euan English’s tragic death in an air show practice accident, his sons nevertheless continued taking to the skies in classic historic aircraft, as they had done with their father.
It was one of these cross-Channel sorties that later led them to make an emergency landing in a French field, and an extraordinary encounter with the hospitable farmer who shared their love of flying, timepieces and engineering – Antoine Bremont.
Bremont’s name became immortalised when Nick and Giles formed their watchmaking company in 2002. Their goal was to make exceptional watches, distilling the craft of mechanical clockmaking Euan had taught them as children with their admiration for aviation.
The result is a brand that honours pilots, British watchmaking and the adventurous ingenuity of their father.
British Watchmaking
Britain has been responsible for many of the most important technological breakthroughs in watchmaking. For hundreds of years, this small nation has made both an art and science of marking time.
Famously intricate, a chronometer can be made of hundreds of custom-made components. Both the manufacture and assembly require an unparalleled degree of precision.
Bremont’s objective is to carry on this great British tradition. Their new, purpose-built facility in Henley-on-Thames allows Bremont to develop products and assemble all key components in one place. Their ultimate aim is to eventually manufacture every single part of their timepieces in the UK. Until then their focus remains to ensure the highest possible quality of each component, created, assembled and finished with the utmost craftsmanship.
This striving for perfection leads the company to achieve a chronometer certification for every watch in their core collection. The ISO 3159 chronometer designation represents the highest level of accuracy in a timepiece.
It requires rigorous testing for several days on every watch, ensuring it keeps time to within -4 and +6 seconds per day, in five positions, at three different temperatures. With this level of rigour and quality, Bremont has no hesitation in offering a three-year warranty on every watch they manufacture.
Bremont Technology
Each Bremont watch is designed with accuracy, durability and style. In achieving these aims, Bremont uses the latest Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology, investing in state-of-the-art machinery – some of which is the first of its kind to be used in this country.
Here are a few examples of the technological innovations that Bremont employs in its timepieces that make them so special.
Sapphire Watch Crystals
With a hardness rating of 9 on the Mohs scale (diamond is a 10), it’s almost impossible to scratch the surface of a Bremont watch face. Anti-reflective coatings are applied by vapour-deposit, leaving the sapphire crystal display as clear as it’s possible to be.
Trip-Tick® Watch Casing
Bremont watches are all constructed in a three-part casing of hardened steel bezel front, a middle barrel of various metals, and a steel and crystal back. These components provide durability, a range of barrel colours and a strong, beautiful finish from any angle.
B-EBE2000 Hardness Treatment
Bremont has developed its own method for further hardening the casings of all its watches. Using heat-treatment and electron bombardment, the stainless steel elements are made even more scratch-resistant.
Bremont Anti-Shock
Some models are fitted with a specially designed mount around the watch’s inner workings. Rubberised and flexible parts act together to absorb shocks and protect the moving parts, maintaining timekeeping accuracy. This is one element that makes Bremont watches perfect for pilots and other high-energy activities.
Faraday Cage
Another protective element in some ranges is the inclusion of a Faraday cage to disrupt magnetic fields from interfering with the watch mechanism. A soft iron casing surrounds the moving parts to divert magnetic currents around them.
Helium Escape Valve
A small but important design feature to prevent damage, this valve detects when gas pressure inside the watch is too high and releases it through its single-direction spring-loaded mechanism.
Super LumiNova® Coating
This non-radioactive glowing paint is applied 15 to 20 times on certain Bremont models for maximum visibility in dark environments.
Bremont Roto-Click®
A bezel is a rotating dial used to help measure how much time has passed from a certain point in time. Bremont has invented their own mechanism for a bi-directional rotating bezel, clicking neatly into place in every minute position on four ball bearings.
These technologies are all tested not just in laboratory conditions, but on the wrists of pilots, military personnel, scientists, mountain climbers, sportsmen and sportswomen.
Each component is exquisitely finished and assembled in Henley by the specialist craftspeople of Bremont’s watchmaking team. The combination of parts used depends on the model of watch, so let’s explore some of the main collections in the brand’s catalogue.
Bremont Watch Collections
In-keeping with the interests of Bremont’s founders, the company creates ranges of watches designed for pilots, the armed forces and other adventuring groups and individuals. Carefully crafted to suit the specific requirements of the wearer, each type of Bremont watch ensures a trusted standard of timekeeping, regardless of the conditions they find themselves in.
Pilot Watches
As airmen themselves, Giles and Nick know that a reliable watch can be as indispensable an instrument in the cockpit as the altimeter. Bremont has designed pilots’ watches for airforce services, individuals and even based on specific aircraft.
The range includes watches with applications for flight, as well as sleek designs for ground-based formal dress occasions. But they’re not just for airmen. Anyone with an appreciation of aviation and the design inspired by its technological history can enjoy the luxury and style of a pilot watch.
Typically, a pilot watch has a large face with optimal visibility for the wearer in flight. These watches also need to be able to withstand speeds, altitudes and pressures beyond your normal piece of jewellery, so they are made to exacting specifications.
Ranges stocked by Jacobs include:
AIRCO – inspired by the British Military
ALT1-B – for stealth
ALT1-C – the classic chronometer
ALT1-P – the pilot’s chronograph
ALT1-WT – the Bremont world timer
ALT1-Z – military-inspired chronograph
The SOLO-34 and SOLO-37 are another beautiful range of watches made by Bremont. These narrower watch faces are more suitable for a lady’s wrist, but they don’t compromise on the functionality, durability and precision of the rest of the Bremont output.
Other Armed Forces / Military Watches
Bremont partnered with the Ministry of Defence to produce a collection of luxury watches for Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. These models are made with military functions in mind, and they aim to echo the “Dirty Dozen” designs of the watches made for the armed forces during World War II.
Ranges stocked by Jacobs:
- HMAF ARGONAUT – for the Royal Navy
- HMAF ARROW – for the Royal Air Force
- HMAF BROADSWORD – for the Army
As well as these, Bremont has a dedicated Military and Special Projects division to create bespoke watches for armed forces personnel and other relevant communities and organisations.
Bremont Limited Editions & Other Partnerships
Jacobs proudly stocks a number of exquisite Bremont lines. Many of these watch ranges are a result of relationships the watchmakers have built with other world-renowned manufacturers and groundbreaking engineering companies.
Bremont respects anyone with a passion and flair for mechanical excellence. Partnerships with these organisations allow timepieces to be created which complement the design, ethos and lifestyle of many of Britain’s top companies.
Furthermore, Bremont is fond of celebrating important milestones, and anniversaries of (usually British) events and figures. Hence, their collection includes the production of special and limited edition watches, for the consumer who’s after something truly exceptional and meaningful.
These are the collections of Bremont’s currently available at Jacobs:
- 1918 – a limited edition to celebrate the 100 years of the Royal Air Force. These watches include parts of a Spitfire, Hurricane and Bristol Blenheim
- HERCULES – commemorating the H-4 Hercules aircraft, each limited edition watch contains a piece of birchwood from the original “Spruce Goose” fuselage
- PROJECT POSSIBLE – celebrating Nims Purja’s epic mountaineering achievement in 2019 of climbing the world’s 14 tallest mountains in under 7 months
- SUPERMARINE – Bremont’s watch for divers, water-resistant up to 500m and available in three sizes
- JAGUAR – It’s not just aircraft that attracts the engineering passion of Bremont. The ongoing relationship with this famous British car manufacturer pays tribute to some of their most impressive vehicles, namely the E-Type and its precursor, the D-Type
- U-2 – An extremophile of the watch world: named after the high-flying reconnaissance plane, the U-2 is tested to altitudes of 100,000 feet and -50 degrees C.
- SOLO – A stylish, varied collection inspired by the elegant pilot watches of the 1940s.
- MARTIN-BAKER – The British manufacturer of ejector seats, which have saved thousands of aviators’ lives, partnered with Bremont to create a series of brilliant anti-shock watches. The MBI model is reserved only for those pilots who have ejected using a Martin-Baker seat, but the rest of us can enjoy the MBII and MBIII editions. Jacobs sells a beautiful range of Martin-Baker watches – and you can now customise each element of your chosen piece before you buy it using the online configurator.
Other limited editions ranges by Bremont
Supersonic
In commemoration of the 50 years of Concorde, Bremont has partnered with the iconic supersonic aeroplane to produce a unique watch containing a piece of the plane’s aluminium built into each member of this limited edition.
The 1947 Collection
A series of 47 truly unique, one-off watches, hand-painted by Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones.
Rose Collection
As the official timekeeper of England Rugby, Bremont produces special editions with a subtle rose relief and ‘England’ imprinted on the dial.
When it comes to selecting a wristwatch from these unique, dazzling collections there are many factors to consider. Bremont has produced a number of models to reflect different values and uses.
A piece from the Solo collection might be most appropriate for a formal occasion, whereas a watch from the U-2 or Martin-Baker ranges have real, specifically practical uses for active wearers.
However, you shouldn’t feel that wearing a diver’s watch means you have to be a diver, or that strapping on the ALT1-B means that you have to become a stealth pilot. The joy of Bremont’s collection is that their watches are beautiful pieces of craftsmanship that can be worn for pleasure and to impress in any scenario.
Conclusion
Jacobs stocks Bremont watches because they share many of our own values: elegance, excellence, precision, beauty and an attitude of confident British individualism.
What could be more appropriate for an independent jeweller to sell than a watch that was made by a family firm? Sons loyally following their father’s passion and expertise, striving for the best possible standard of workmanship chimes perfectly with our own story. These are the elements that bring our customers coming back to Jacobs again and again.
A Bremont watch speaks to the quality, trustworthiness, and eye for detail of its wearer. It is a discrete yet assured statement of sophistication, and the range we stock in our Reading store is enough to suit any occasion.
To enquire about which Bremont watch would best suit you, look at our website for our latest stock. Alternatively, give us a call to discuss your options or come into our shop to see the range for yourself.