# Report about the launch of the (historical) Bremont Victory



## Ernie Romers (Apr 27, 2005)

On July 12th my wife and I were invited to the official launch of Bremont's new and historical Victory watch. After the announcement made at Baselworld and having viewed the video (wow, that video screen was big, it seemed like it came straight of a building at Time Square, New York), I was excited to see the final watch. Final is perhaps not the right word here, because, although nearly finished, Bremont showed us a preproduction model. Nevertheless it is a true stunner and will become a historical timepiece in many ways.

Let's start this report with showing you the video of the video I taped at Baselworld, last March. It will help you understand what the Victory is all about and why the English brothers were determined to get this watch build:






_At the start of the video, you will see Giles on the left, and Nick on the right. Please note the mentioning of their new World Timer, to be released very soon.


_click on any of the watches to enlarge and read more about them_

On a side note, I've got one of these on my wish-list. After reading about Bremont again, preparing for my visit, I was struck again by their story, and knowing they only started "recently", I need to get me a Bremont. Ever wondered why you would buy a pilot's watch from one of the established, bigger brands, owned by watch groups, while you could own a Bremont, created by two British guys, with a great "history" and story? Knowing that all their watches have a splendid finish and their movements all have the COSC certificate? Well, it is your choice of course, but I already made my mind up, and this is not a sales pitch for them, is it?
_
Let's start at Henley-on-Thames, where Bremont has its headquarters. On this picture you see where they used to be, in an old brewery, very near Hotel Du Vin:










Henley is a very British village in the countryside, only about 45 minutes from the centre of London. We stayed at Hotel Du Vin (French name, most likely because of all the fine wines they serve. I'd highly recommended it for your next stay), which was very near the Thames (100m).










On the other side of the river is the Leander Club. It is renowned for its 99 Olympic champions, as you can see by the large banner on their building. Hopefully they will _need to_ increase the number very soon.










Bremont's limited edition for Leander Club (99 pieces):









_Picture taken from the Bremont catalogue._

In the afternoon, Mike Pearson (US sales manager/director for Bremont) took us to Portsmouth by car. We were accompanied by the always friendly and charming Sarah Weare, freelance watch writer Elizabeth Doerr, and a couple from Canada, John and Diane. It was a long drive through heavy rain, but we had a good chat and a laugh all the way through, so we were all good.

The HMS Victory, the historical ship of Admiral Nelson, is in the naval harbor of Portsmouth, and we had to pass security to enter the area. It was an "invited only" event. Despite the rain and wind, the atmosphere was quite special. Walking along the old buildings and see the ship.



















It was even more exciting to go on board, after we were welcomed by Giles and Nick and the lovely lady who gave us the tour:



















Entering the ship, we were officially welcomed and saluted by members of the Royal Navy, which felt very special:










The first room we were invited in, was Nelson's Great Cabin. "This is the "Jewel in the Crown" of what HMS Victory has to offer.










_At the beginning of October 1805 Vice Admiral Nelson, Commander of the British Fleet in the Mediterranean, gathered the captains of his ships around the dining table in the Great Cabin in his flagship, HMS Victory. dipping his finger in wine, he drew on the table his plan to defeat the combined French and Spanish fleet moored in Cadiz Harbour. The plan was so radical that it evoked a remarkable response from the assembled company:_

_



when I came to explain (it) to them, it was like an electric shock. Some shed tears, all approved, it was new, it was singular, it was simple

Click to expand...

(letter from Nelson to Emma Hamilton, 1st October 1805)










_Mike Pearson was very excited to be on the HMS Nelson and couldn't stop taking pictures of it. You'll find some of them on his Facebook page or his Twitter.

Like I said, it rained, not just rain, but cats and dogs. And the wind was there too. Despite the tent hanging over the deck, those that didn't find a place under the hood of the deck, got wet, umbrella or no umbrella.










On this deck, just behind the lady, Nelson got hit by a bullet that went through his shoulder, perforated his lung, and broke some ribs. He was taken below deck as quick as possible, but the doctor couldn't save his life. Nelson spoke some last words and told the men standing next to his bed, "not overboard". Going overboard was common when a crew member died, because there was no room to keep the dead body preserved, and it was a danger for the health of the others. The doctor, so the lady told us, then thought of an idea: he put Nelson's body in a barrel of liquid. The alcohol preserved the body very well, and Nelson;s body therefore could be taken to London, where he lies until this day. Most tourists will know him from his statue on Trafalgar Square:









Below deck all of us needed to keep ours heads down. the ship apparently wasn't build for us large(er) Europeans.










Here's the only original canon left on board. All other canons are replica's from wood or even plastic. The ship, not lying in water anymore, just couldn't have the enormous weight of all those original canons anymore. The lady explains how the canon was loaded, fired, cleaned, and reloaded again. The English did this in 1 or 2 minutes, where it took the Spanish and French 3 to 5 minutes. In Wimbledon terms: "Advantage, Nelson". Although it was far from a tennis game, of course.



















The ship, in times of war, had appr. 850 men aboard, hard to imagine, seeing all the (taken) space, needed to be operative.



















Here's a famous painting of Nelson on the stretcher, just before he died. Sorry again to the lady, for not reading the sign and using my flash...):










At the end of our tour, we were invited to take a quick look at the Bremont Victory watches. One in steel, the other in rose gold:










Although the pictures were taken in bad light, you get the picture of how stunning these watches are. On the left, and below, you'll notice the oak wood from the HMS Victory, used as a movement holder, visible through the crystal. It also holds Nelson seal. Bremont is the first to be allowed to use his seal!



















On the other side of the deck they showed us the rose gold Bremont Victory. Sitting in a beautiful hand made case.










Both versions have the copper from the HMS Victory on the side of the watch:



















In the unlikely case, you do not know what this watch is all about, I'm happy to share it with you:


> Bremont Watch Company is delighted to be working with The National Museum of the Royal Navy (Portsmouth) to create a limited edition watch unlike any other watch ever created. Each mechanical retrograde watch will be made with original parts of HMS Victory built into it. This beautiful and incredibly unique timepiece will be launched in the summer of 2012, with release planned for later this same year.


*Specifications*
Rose Gold: Victory/RG
Stainless Steel: Victory/SS
*Movement *BE-83AR chronograph with retrograde seconds and retrograde date. Diameter 131/4", height 7.90mm, 39 Jewels, three-legged Glucydur balance with Nivarox 1mainspring 28,800 bph. Incabloc shock protection and 46 hour power reserve.Perlage and blued screwed decoration with hand crafted stainless steel and copperrotor.
*Functions *Sweep hours, minutes, retrograde seconds, retrograde date, sweep chronographseconds, 30-minute counter and 12-hour counter.
*Case *Hardened stainless steel or 18 carat rose gold Bremont Trip Tick case constructionwith original hand engraved copper PVD treated inner barrel (material from HMSVictory). Case diameter 43mm, lug width 22mm and case thickness 17mm.
*Case back *Hardened stainless steel or 18 carat rose gold case back with integrated hand etchedsapphire crystal. Case back inlaid with original oak from HMS Victory.
*Dial *Etched metal dial with off-white ground colours and treated steel hands.
*Crystal *Domed anti-reflective, scratch resistant sapphire crystal.
*Water resistance *Water resistant to 10ATM, 100 metres.
*Strap *Louisiana crocodile leather 

*Related link: *Bremont Victory. The information, the picture ... and soon the real watch

It was a memorable end of our tour, but we were about to come back, after the official speeches in the museum. Outside, heading for the museum, I took these pictures. It is (THE) Elizabeth Doerr taking pictures of Mike Pearson.










Quite an achievement to take pictures and try to stay dry at the same time.










The official launch, and the speeches, witnessed by all the guests:



















The director of the Royal Naval Museum (I'll add his name asap, sorry about that).










Giles English (above) and Nick English (below) were both very pleased.










After the speeches we were invited to go outside, and experience the firing of one of the canons. Spectacular, I must say, and I wonder who many crew members became deaf after a war. The sound of the firing is loud, real loud! Here's a video, followed by a picture:






Turn up your volume, and listen to the explanation of the "commander in chief". It will only take you 5 minutes to watch the video.










And back on board we went. This time to get a closer look at the watches again, and for drinks and finger food. It was a nice way to catch up with people as well.


















































































Good classical music, and at the end Fish and Chips concluded a great event, and a wonderful evening. Thanks Mike, for getting us back to Henley, safe and sound, and having a beer with us at the hotel ;-)










*Thank You
*
Thank you Bremont Team, you all are truly amazing(ly friendly and charming) people. I'll be proud to wear a Bremont. Expect my order real soon.

*About Bremont*

Time for Bremont began when we embarked on a journey to make beautifully crafted pilot's watches of exceptional quality. Flying historic aircraft has been in our blood from a very early age, as has our love for watches and all things mechanical. The timepieces had to be tested beyond any normal call of duty (and not just in the workshop), and of course be immensely precise and durable. We make our watches in very limited numbers and to a very high specification for the price point. Every watch we make is Chronometer certified and we stand by our product and are one of the few companies offering a three year warranty on every watch we produce.

Home - Bremont

*About the Royal Naval Museum*

The history of the Royal Navy dates back over a thousand years to King Alfred's first battle at sea in 882. The Navy has defended Britain from invasion, attacked enemies and eventually established Britain as the dominant world sea power in the 19th century. Today's role involves peacekeeping, fighting piracy and the prevention of drug trafficking. The influence of the Navy can be felt at every level in our society: in our speech, literature, dress, music, character, culture and customs. The history of the Navy is to a remarkable extent the history of Britain.

The Royal Naval Museum, in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard, is one of Britain's oldest maritime museums. The Museum's aim is to preserve and present the history of the 'Fleet' - the ships and the men and women who manned them.

Gifts and legacies have been vital in creating and sustaining the Museum. Go to *Supporting Us* if you would like to make a gift to help us in our work now and in the future.

Welcome | Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard


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## Cybotron (Dec 7, 2006)

Awesome report and fantastic photos Ernie.


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