A staple of the British watchmaking scene since 2002, Bremont has continued their 2024 releases with a high-performance timepiece made of high-performance materials!
For the last couple of years, Bremont has been known for their aviation-inspired watchmaking – inspired by their love for airplanes, mechanics, timepieces and a mutual appreciation of one Antoine Bremont. In just over two decades, brothers Nick and Giles English would see themselves become the face of British watchmaking. However, they had also built a reputation for building beautifully engineered, high-performance timepieces. This became most evident in 2009 with the release of the Supermarine 500, the first-ever dive watch in the Bremont lineup. Its simple design combined with ruthless practicality planted the seed for what would be Bremont’s biggest and most divisive shake-up.
With Davide Cerrato taking over the reins in 2023, it was only a matter of time until Bremont fully realised this directional shift. The release of the Terra Nova collection in 2024 marked the beginning of a new era of watchmaking for the British brand, and has been promptly followed up with an updated rendition of the Supermarine collection! Crafted for toughness in the most arduous of environments, the Bremont Supermarine Full Ceramic in Jungle Green and Tactical Black mark the continuation of an ambitious new era for the Henley-Upon-Thames brand.
We’ve been privileged enough to get our hands on a plethora of Bremont timepieces, including the Martin-Baker II, the Supermarine GMT Diver, and even the recently released Terra Nova 40.5 Turning Bezel Power Reserve. While many of these watches have been disruptive in their design and engineering in their own rights, this new pair of Bremont Supermarine Full Ceramic timepieces may be the most disruptive of all. Standing at 43mm case diameter x 50mm lug-to-lug x 13mm thickness, the Bremont Supermarine Full Ceramic is certainly a big boy, but I’m confident that a guy like me (6.3in/16.5cm wrists) could still pull it off on the NATO strap.
The wearability would most certainly be helped by the ceramic case and PVD-treated titanium bezel, which combined make the watch head weigh a paltry 74 grams! Don’t let the lightness fool you, though – both ceramic and titanium are some incredibly tough stuff, and provide levels of scratch resistance and strength respectively that steel could only dream of touching. Two colour options are available for the Bremont Supermarine Full Ceramic: The 250-piece limited edition Jungle Green, with a green gradient dial and dark green ceramic/titanium construction; and Tactical Black, which has all the same features but in a non-limited black colourway with orange accents.
While the brand may now have a new logo and a remastered collection, the new Bremont Supermarine Full Ceramic timepieces are still signature Bremont in aesthetics and engineering. For example, the new watches maintain the original Supermarine’s whopping 500m water resistance, complete with a helium escape valve. They also still keep the Super-LumiNova®-lumed indexes, as well as the 12 o’clock arrowhead index that was introduced in the 2023 Supermarine GMT. Additionally, the Cal. BE-92AV, based on the ETA2892-A2/SW300 architecture, still powers all the internal functions. Beating at the luxury standard 4Hz (28,800VpH), this reliable movement has been extensively modified to suit the Bremont manufacture’s rigorous standards, including the extension of the power reserve to 50 hours.
My Thoughts
There are already so many icons of British watchmaking out there. Legendary names like John Arnold, George Daniels, and Roger Smith are often thrown around as examples of such. However, the 21st Century has brought about a horological renaissance for those in ‘Old Blighty.’ Even more so, British watchmaking is beginning to appeal significantly more to the mainstream watch community – think Studio Underd0g or Christopher Ward – as modern tastes lean towards finding the ultimate GADA (Go Anywhere, Do Anything) watch.
Related Reading: REVIEW: Hands-On With The Studio Underd0g Mint Ch0c Chip
For this, Bremont needs to be given a significant amount of credit where credit’s due. Before Richard Benc, Christopher Ward, Mike France, or Peter Ellis, The poetically named English brothers had begun their watchmaking journey just after the turn of the millennium. Together, they helped to revolutionise the perceived horological capabilities of the Brits, beyond their artistic archetypes, making watches that can withstand the world. Never in those days would you think that you could see an entirely British made timepiece dive 500m underwater and come out without a single issue, yet in 2009 Bremont was capable of just that!
With the release of the Bremont Supermarine Full Ceramic, the Henley-Upon-Thames brand yet again pushes British watchmaking standards to the limit. With a combination of state-of-the-art craftsmanship, high-performance materials, and over 20 years of experience, Bremont has truly crafted a watch whose durability and capabilities are only limited by where the wearer dares to take it.
Reference: Jungle Green, Tactical Black
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 43mm case diameter x 50mm lug-to-lug x 13mm thickness
- Case Material: Green or black ceramic
- Dial: Green or black
- Movement: Automatic BE-92AV
- Power Reserve: 50h
- Water Resistance: 500m (50bar)
- Strap: Black NATO with hook-and-loop fastening system/Black rubber strap with quick release and pin buckle
