I suppose we have to talk about Bremont…

Everyone else is. Or was.

I understand… it was a bit of a shock when they seemingly rebranded, relaunched, and reset, but there was always something (to me) under the surface that was not quite clicking. Be it before, during, or after, I have always found Bremont to be a little bit of an oddball. Outside positioning, even amongst the British watchmakers, they do derive equal amounts of praise and scorn depending on who you talk to.

Despite the narrative that seems to be permeating the boards, I have always seen the recent activity as a brand that is correcting course and mounting a fresh offensive, all whilst trying to appease the financial backers (of which there are more), and bringing on a seasoned CEO with “a” track record. It is not the Ides of March.

And so, weeks after the bullshit, the hype, the wringing of hands, the gnashing of teeth… I wade in. Why?

Well, I had the privilege of having an evening with Bremont at their Mayfair boutique last week, with the Watch Collectors Club. I like popping along to these things, usually because I get to chat to people who have better watches than myself, and every now and then meet a WatchCruncher who discovers that “Porthole” is not a vindictive AI. The purpose of the evening was to learn about the new releases, which are out and available for purchase, try them on, and drink gallons of sparkly plonk after work. It was the perfect detox for a shit day at work; 20 years in engineering and I am still explaining the raw basics to chartered engineers who should know better, and I despair for the future of my industry as I had yet another STEM outreach engagement that lacked engagement from the young men and women who were invited to attend. I was in a mood… I needed drink and watch-related shenanigans.

And so… a blow-by-blow account?

I will start with the basics: much of the old stuff is not going anywhere… this has been communicated badly. Fine, there might be a shake-up, and we will have what might be considered a heritage line of popular models, but the new lines are not the be-all-and-end-all. Massive f**k up there. Put your pitchforks down.

New lines are built off Sellita movements, which has caused a bit of a hoorah, and I did ask “what” they do the base Sellita… that was not known, and I may investigate further, but… the cat is out of the bag, the brand is honest about this, and this is the direction they are going down. Honestly… I am unsure what to think about this overall, it seems strange to effectively abandon the in-house movement they invested all that money into, but when you consider the price of the Audley, Fury, and the Supernova, I guess they needed to recoup the investment via sales and therefore we pay for it as a customer. I did baulk at the Fury at RRP, despite how much I think it was a beautiful watch, but as very little are left, and might be scarce for a while, I will lick my wounds.

So… the Terra Nova

I like the case, it reminds me of some of my skin divers from the 1960s and 1970s (my Talis for one – a slab of plated brass with delusions of grandeur), and it is pleasant to behold. The engineer in me loves the sharp lines.

The 38mm two hander, at around £2500 (£2750 with the bracelet), is nice. Ironically, by becoming less British (harsh – Ed.), they seem to have made the most British watch you can get, with pilot numerals, field watch stylings, and London on the dial in an old-timey font. The black is beautiful on the bracelet, the white works incredibly well on the leather. It seems to have its own type of vibe… a bit of a weird mix, but I think it works. You may disagree, but that’s the beauty of all this.

Whilst we are at it, can we just talk about that bracelet – it is… pure… sex. It is incredibly well made, and the clasp… this had everyone cooing. I would probably recommend getting one regardless of reason if you purchase any of the Bremont models, it is that good.

From conversations with one attendee, who is heavily invested in the brand, he floated a hypothetical that if Bremont made the 38mm with a plain black dial, painted indices (no fauxtina), priced around the £1500-2000 he would have walked out with it on day one… I concur, it seems like it could be the perfect entry level option, which they have missed. Maybe down the line?

The 40.5mm date three-hander is very handsome. Green dial variant is particularly pleasant. I find it wears a little too squat on my wrist, but it is also something that I could get used to. It is nearer to the £3000 mark, and therefore is a struggle for me to recommend outright. The construction is brilliant, it wears well, I would recommend trying one on, because it does look good “in the metal”.

The £3450 40.5mm turning bezel with the power reserve is an odd beast. It failed to grab me like the others. I am not a fan of the bezel – losing the zeros on the compass looks odd to me. I also find it very busy on the dial, and that is a shame, because I think there is a lot to love. 

The Terra Nova chronograph is heavy… it is a lump of a watch if you like that sort of thing. Think Cartier Pasha Seatimer heavy, arse-end of a ship. F**k the iceberg heavy. It’s also £4700… we are in second-hand Omega and Breitling territory; it would be heard to recommend it at that price when you consider the other options.

The other line they have introduced is the updated Supermarine, with date and no date options redesigned with a slimmer profile.

The no date 300m is nice – I seemed to gravitate to the green model on the green rubber, at around £2950. It wore beautifully on my wrist – it weighed very little and felt like a lightweight vintage skin diver. I feel this is where the objectivity goes out the window for me here because I genuinely, honestly, loved this watch. I loved the shape, the fit, the dial, the wear… I could probably swallow the price, provided I knew what they do to Sellita movement for me to consider that in my final decision, but there is a small problem.

Well… it is a large problem now, but also one that might disappear going forward… the old Supermarine is still available. For a little more, you can get the old Supermarine GMT, with the beloved Triptych case and a “better” movement (and a GMT complication), and that is a no-brainer on paper. But it is thicker, heavier, and (in my opinion) uglier. I fear the Bremont-hardcore would be screaming at me right about now, but wearing the new Supermarine is a much nicer experience than the old Supermarine. It might pain some of you to hear this… the new Supermarine was one of the nicest watches I have worn in a while on the rubber strap. I think I would you know; it is a guilty pleasure for sure. It clicked with me.

 

What else? Here is a selection of others:

I was not a fan of the Bamford – apologies to Bamford, I think black PVD style watches are not really for me, despite the neon green which is something I do like. It does look like it would take down an armoured vehicle, but so would my Corum Bubble, ask that doorframe in that Devonshire Inn from a few years back I brutally murdered when I forgot how far out it protruded.

Fury – what I inadvertently described as the bastard-child of the W.W.W. and an IWC, the black-dialled Fury is just beautiful. I think this might have been the last one left… No blue left. I can but dream.

So – in summary?

I think people need to remember this is just a couple of new lines, not a complete abandonment of the older models. This is a brand changing course…

They need to elaborate on the movements – I noted that nothing I saw out of the new options was marked as a chronometer, so what grade of Sellita is a good starting point.

I think the new Supermarine is a nice watch, but could be a little cheaper? Value proposition compared to the old models is a struggle to justify, despite my love for the new model.

I believe the two-hander Terra Nova is a grower and needs a cheaper option, because that would really spark some interest.

 

As an aside – the watch I wore? 1991-issued CWC G10. Very popular amongst the group. My highlight from the other attendees was a new 150^th Anniversary 42mm Piaget Polo Date, an absolute beauty of a watch. Piaget Polo’s are some of my favourite 80s watches, but the new versions in their Aquanaut-esque form, are just incredibly sexy… if was just under £10,000 I think it would be a contender for the greatest watch, but then I don’t think it would be the same watch either.