# Some thoughts aboutt The Bremont Kingsman Special Edition



## robattopper (Apr 1, 2009)

*The Bremont Kingsman Special Edition*










_From left to right: Kingsman DLC, Kingsman Steel, and Kingsman Rose Gold special editions. Photos courtesy of Bremont.

_While watches in and of themselves are essentially wearable art, I always enjoy seeing how they fare when prominently featured in fictional endeavors on film or television. Will it be simple product placement that is incidental to any significant aspect of the movie, or will the watches tell us more?The best example of "more" I can think of occurred earlier this year in Christopher Nolan's film, _Interstellar_. In that film, two Hamilton watchesfeatured prominently and served as both integral plot devices and as a metaphor for the sustained connection between a father and daughter who are kept apart due to extraordinary and mind twisting circumstances. When I heard last year from Bremont's U.S. Brand director, Mike Pearson, that Bremont watches would be prominently appearing in the film, _Kingsman: Secret Service,_ I was excited. I was also hoping for "more". This post will discuss a few different aspects of the three Bremont watches appearing in the film.

A key to any successful partnership between a watch company and a movie is the underlying value of the film itself. It's hard to think of something more subjective, but watch companies pick their associations with movies in a similar way that production studios evaluate whether to invest in a film. They talk to the filmmakers, read scripts, look on the prior body of work of those involved, and decide if it's a project they want to associate with their brand. After agreeing to participate in a film production, it has to be an anxious process for the watch company as the movie is shot, edited and subsequently released. Afterall, how many times have we seen great directors make poor movies even with a talented cast? In the case of _Kingsman: Secret Service_, it looks like Bremont made a good decision. All 11 critics to review it on Rotten Tomatoes, prior to its February release, have recommended it. Enthusiast sites like Ain't it Cool also seem approving of the film.

_Kingsman: Secret Service_ is loosely based on the graphic novel series, _The Secret Service_, written by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. The series follows the story of a disadvantaged London teen (Gary) who is constantly getting into trouble. After a particular dicey transgression lands him in jail, Gary's uncle, Jack, decides to take him under his wing. While Jack has the external cover of a computer analyst, he is really a secret agent, "a special operative for Her Majesty's government working on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office." His plan to straighten Gary out involves turning him into a super spy!







_Kingsman: Secret Service is loosely based on the graphic novel "The Secret Service."

_From the previews it appears the movie follows a similar plot line, though it is much more polished and with a greater emphasis on style. The "Uncle Jack" character has been replaced with Harry (played by Colin Firth), who is a similar character, though a stranger to Gary. The Harry character's cover is working as tailor in a shop called "Kingsman." Behind the shop's facade is the gateway to the high tech world of the secret organization known as, "Kingsman," composed of the modern Knights of the Round Table. They protect the world while looking every part the gentleman. The Kingsman, dressed in the finest shoes, glasses, and accessories, are modern day knights with updated armour that show their personality. The Bremont watches function as part of this modern armour.








_Colin Firth at the facade of the "Kingsman" tailor shop. (photo courtesy of Bremont)

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_Colin Firth before the case of the Kingsman's modern day armour. (photo courtesy of Bremont)

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_At center Bremont Co-Founder, Nick English, makes a cameo in the film as a senior member of the Kingsman. (photo courtesy of Bremont)

_Three Bremont's are featured in the film. All variants on the ALT1 model featuring a 43mm chronograph and GMT hand. Kingsman recruits (such as the main character, Gary) are given a black DLC variant of the ALT1-B. Merlin, the recruit trainer wears a stainless steel version of the ALT1-WT, and the Kingsman agents wear rose gold World Timers. The Kingsman models are all slightly understated versions of the Bremont models they are based upon. The model for recruits, available to the public is called the "Kingsman DLC" ($6,650) features stick markers instead of the ALT1-B's more pronounced Arabic numbers. The steel model, called the "Kingsman Steel" ($6,495), features a smooth dial with a silver tone. The look is much less of a tool watch than the ALT1-WT which features a whiter shade dial with a globe pattern. The rose gold model is called the "Kingsman Rose Gold" ($20,285). There is no existing rose gold model with which to compare the Kingsman Rose Gold in the Bremont collection. Perhaps the closest pieces are the Codebreaker RG or the ALT1-C/RG.In the movie, as in real life, the watch has both the name "Kingsman" and the organization's logo on the dial. This is different from the conventions of James Bond's Omega partnership where the character wears production models, and film and watch aficionados buy limited editions that celebrate "007". When I asked Bremont's U.S. Brand Director how it could be that spies would wear watches with the name and logo of their secret organization on the dial, he pointed out that the name and logo were also the name of Harry's (cover) store "The Kingsman". This logo appears on apparel throughout the film. The idea being that while the public would be impressed by the quality, no one would know what the symbol or name really meant.







_The Kingsman logo on the watch dial is also prominently featured on the agents' clothing. (A photo still from the Kingsman trailer)

_There are some key differences between the Bremont Kingsman watches and the ones in the film. While we are to assume the characters are not wearing any kind of sequentially numbered limited edition that is dedicated to their existence, the real world Kingsman models will be limited to 500 of the DLC and steel models, and 100 of the Rose Gold pieces. However, unlike the watches in the film, none of the production models shoot darts.Any time a themed movie like this comes out, there is always the question of whether this is its apex or the start of a franchise. I have a feeling that ten years from now, people will be asking themselves, "When does the next Kingsman movie come out?" On February 5th I will be attending the Bremont premier and will write a follow up post about how all of this promise is realized in the film.

Topper Fine Jewelers is now taking pre-orders on all three Kingsman watches for early February delivery. Click here, for the latest preview of the Kingsman due out in theaters on February, 14th.


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