Highlights from Bremont’s 2018 Collection


Starting in 2017, Bremont began skipping Baselworld to introduce its annual novelties on its own turf. After another successful year for the independent British brand, Bremont founders Nick and Giles English plus the rest of the team met in the heart of London last night to introduce the 2018 collection. Alongside additions to the Supermarine and AIRCO collections, the highlights included two new looks for the ALT1-C line and a stealth-focused U-2 timepiece.

There are two new ALT1-C chronographs: the ALT1-C/BL and ALT1-C/WH-BK. The ALT1-C was the first timepiece released by Bremont, so it’s always held a special place in the brand’s short history. As one of the tentpole pieces for Bremont, the team decided to shake things up a bit with a new design.

Applied indices replace Arabic numerals. The hands are filled with Super-Luminova. The case has been enlarged to fully showcase the BE-50AE COSC-certified caliber. However, the small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock still has a crosshair providing it with the vintage aviation aesthetic that Bremont loves to channel and the 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock is identical to previous versions. Overall, this is a more elegant and inspired take on the traditionally sporty timepiece. The dial manages to be cleaner and more spaced out without too much of the Bremont DNA being forcibly extracted. The watch comes in two versions: blue and white. The blue dial is deep and rich; it doesn’t pull any punches and is meant to recall the signature blue of the Royal Air Force. It comes on a blue nubuck leather strap. The white dial has black subdials; tapping into the monochrome “panda” layout that is everywhere right now. It’s a sharp and classic look but not a particularly exciting one. Both versions of the ALT-1C are priced at $6,495.

The new addition to the U-2 range is highly legible and striking in the best way. It combines the high-octane masculinity of aviation with a minimalist, blacked-out design. Where previous editions of the U-2 channeled a more traditional flight ideal, the U-2/51-Jet looks and feels like a stealth bomber for the wrist. The triangular hands have been blued and heat treated, making the spaced out dial highly legible. The faux-patina aged lume treatment is patented by the brand and has previously been used in the Limited Edition P-51 timepiece. To achieve the inky blackness of the middle aluminum barrel (seen in slide four, above), the Bremont R&D team developed a new type of anodization to create a much darker color. The exhibition caseback features tinted black smoked glass. Like all previous versions of the U2 line, the watch has been tested on flights reaching up to 80,000 feet over 12 hours and temperatures as low as -50 degrees. It’s priced at $5,395.

 

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