# Bremont, Quintessentially British Swiss Watches



## Ernie Romers (Apr 27, 2005)

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*Quintessentially British Swiss Watches*​
Bremont Watch Company launched its collection in July 2007, offering a range of highly-developed timepieces of exceptional quality. Each model is designed to exacting specifications, while possessing enduring aesthetic values. In the last year Bremont has had a meteoric growth as they have launched into over 25 of the best retailers across the UK and the States.

Although Bremont watches are made using only the finest quality Swiss components and are hand-assembled by skilled watchmakers in a dedicated atelier in Biel-Bienne, they contain something which no comparable timepiece can match: an air of quintessential Britishness derived from the background of the brand's founders, brothers Nick and Giles English. All the design of the watches and case finishing happen in the UK.

The English brothers are professional aviators who have lived in and around aircraft since childhood, thanks to the enthusiasm of their father, the late Euan English.

Euan English was an exceptional man: an adored father, a talented engineer and, notably, an RAF aerobatic champion and display pilot of the highest calibre. It is to Euan English, who died in March 1995 while practicing for an air display in a North American Harvard, that his sons dedicated the time, thought and energy that have resulted in the Bremont watch - a watch of which the brothers are proud and of which they believe their father would be proud as well.

_*Why 'Bremont'?*_

Part of the impetus to create this watch stemmed, perhaps surprisingly, from gratitude. Although Euan English lost his life in that Harvard, his elder son, Nick, was spared: he was flying with his father and sustained multiple injuries in the crash. As the aircraft spiralled to the ground, Giles could only look on before running to help his brother, simultaneously creating a fraternal bond which can never be broken.

The following year, Nick and Giles were back in the air, flying across France in a 60-year-old plane. Bad weather forced them to make an emergency landing in a pea field in the Champagne region. 

As fate would have it, the field was owned by a former WWII pilot who, despite his considerable age, remained as passionate about aircraft as Nick and Giles. 

Also passionate about horology, he assembled a house full of clocks, and wore a particularly special wristwatch - the one given to him by his father. His name, Antoine Bremont, was chosen to grace this new family of watches because his passions in life exactly matched those of the brothers.

_*Stories for Years to Come*_

Perhaps he was an overly-sentimental man, but M. Bremont believed a much-worn, much-loved wristwatch is invariably party to more experiences than any other precious object we own. 

The brothers took this on board, and were determined to make a watch which would last more than a lifetime. To that end, it had to be made from the best available materials using the most tried and tested techniques. Indeed, this led to the company's maxim: all Bremont timepieces would be tested above and beyond the demands placed upon conventional wristwatches.

As a result, the stainless steel case of each Bremont is made to an exceptional hardness of 2000 Vickers, meaning it is nine times as durable as an average steel watch case. The anti-reflective, convex sapphire crystal is equally hard and, during the arduous chronometer certification process carried out by COSC, each Bremont watch returned an accuracy level of 99.998%. 

*Bremont- Tested Beyond Endurance*

It took more than three years of research and development to bring the first series of *Bremont* watches from the drawing board to reality. Since then, with new, expanding and limited edition collections, the brand is proving to exceed all expectations. Bremont, in 2007, their opening year, had the honour of being awarded and recognised as a 'Brand of Tomorrow' by Walpole, spearheading British luxury and an astounding achievement in their first year. As Bremont is growing and expanding at a great speed, they are now found in 18 stores across the UK, including Harrods, Selfridges, Hamilton and Inches and Watches of Switzerland just to name a few. Bremont is also found in 7 stores in the U.S including Barneys and 
The high standard of finish and attention to detail seen in everything from the hand-cut and engraved winding rotor in the sapphire crystal case back to the meticulous machining of the three-part 'Trip-Tick' cases take considerable time and skill to apply. As a result, no more than 1,000 examples of each model are produced annually. An individual record of each watch will be kept at the Biel-Bienne workshops for security and servicing purposes, and all Bremont watches are supplied in beautifully crafted wooden boxes, along with a spare strap and the accompanying Chronometer certificate. 

*The Bremont Family*

The initial Bremont watch family comprises three chronograph models: The ALT1-C, ALT1-Z and the ALT1-P. For a classic 'three-hander', Bremont then offered the BC-S1 and BC-F1, and early in 2008, the BC-S2 series. As would be expected, each should be regarded as a professional quality timepiece which is sufficiently accurate and durable enough to be used for activities ranging from flying to yachting to mountaineering. In addition to laboratory testing, each model has been tried and quantified 'in the field' by professional adventurers, including the actors Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman, mountaineer Bear Grylls, round-the-world yachtsman Mike Golding, Everest climber Jake Meyer and, of course, aviators Nick and Giles English and their fellow professionals, including pilots of the elite US Navy Test Pilot School.

*The ALT1-C *contains a specially modified BE-50AE self-winding movement inside a 43mm diameter case. It has a classic chronograph layout with sub-dials at the three and nine o'clock positions and has been designed to offer exceptional visual clarity with all data available at a glance. Water-resistant to 100 ATM
*RRP - GBP £3,300.00*

*The ALT1-P *with theBE-54AEmovement represents the perfect choice for professional aviators, with its SuperLumiNova C3 hands and dial markings, internal rotating bezel and three-subdials, and self-winding chronograph movement. Water-resistant to 100 ATM
*RRP - GBP £3,100.00*

*The ALT1-Z *is the flagship of the range with the automatic BE-53AE movement, a UTC (universal time co-ordinated) self-winding wristwatch offering dual time-zone display, a three-subdial chronograph, luminous markings and an internal, rotating bezel. Like all watches in the range, the ALT1-Z is water-resistant to 100 ATM
*RRP - GBP £3,200.00*

*The BC-S1 and F1 ranges *contain the BE-36AE non-chronograph, self-winding chronometer movement inside a 39mm case. Its aesthetic follows a classical aviation theme. Water-resistant to 100 ATM
*RRP - GBP £2,150.00*

*The BC-S2 series- Released in 2008. *_A_ series of automatic chronometers are housed in a 43mm case (unlike the 39mm BC-S1 range) and powered by the modified (and Bremont workshop finished) BE-36AE movement, based on the 2836. The BC-S2 is inspired by some of the original wartime aircraft instruments. It has a date-date at the 6 o¹clock position, and a 43 mm Trip-Tick® three-piece case hardened to 2000 Vickers using Bremont¹s BVE-2000 technology. Waterproof to 100 m (10 ATM), dual anti-reflective domed sapphire crystal (and a crystal case-back). 
*RRP- GBP* *£2,300.00*

*Released July 2008- EP120 Limited edition Spitfire watch*
The recently launched limited edition EP120 watch is named after (and contains parts of) a famous 1942 Spitfire Mk V aircraft, which is possibly the most credited WWII fighter in existence and is now based in Duxford in Cambridgeshire. It shot down 6 German aircrafts on one day during 1942 in WWII, and the aircraft has been used in films such as The Battle of Britain, starred as the lead Spitfire in Pearl Harbour and Dark Blue World. Some of EP120's original parts, saved during restoration, are integrated into Bremont's EP120 range in beautiful ways, including the dial and movement. With a limited number of 120 to be made, each one unique, there has been much interest in the beautifully hand finished time pieces. The EP120 features a black DLC treated steel and titanium case and COSC certified skeletised movement. It has a modified 13 ¼" BE-53AE Automatic Chronometer with 24 hour UTC function and 30 minute Chrono 'Time of Trip' dial, which is an original Spitfire part.
*RRP - GBP £6,450.00*

*Bremont- official timekeeper at Goodwood Festival of Speed *

The quintessentially British watch company has teamed up with that most uniquely British of motor sport events - the Goodwood Festival of Speed - to become the new official timing partner at the world's greatest celebration of automotive culture. The 2008 Festival of Speed was staged from 11-13 July in the beautiful parkland of the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex. ​
Each year the Festival of Speed competition is decided by the fastest time set on the Sunday. There is a winner in each Timed Category of car, and from these class winners comes the overall Fastest Time of the Day, all timed by Bremont's exacting timepieces.

*Related link*: www.bremont.com​


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