New Bremont Watches For 2018

For the second year running, British watch brand Bremont launched their watch collections for the year ahead at their own special Townhouse event in London – and we were lucky enough to be there.

Determined to bring watchmaking back to British shores, Bremont are renowned for a passion for aviation and mechanical engineering. Founded by brothers Nick and Giles English, each Bremont watch is a certified chronometer and is designed to go beyond endurance.

With collections like AIRCO, named after the first British military aircraft manufacturers Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited, and U-2, designed exclusively for the elite Spy Plane Squadron based in California, it's clear Bremont live and breathe all things aeronautical.

Unsurprisingly, the new watches for 2018 continue to build on this passion, with additions to the ALT1-C and U-2 collections as well as an extension of the AIRCO collection to celebrate the RAF’s centenary year - the Bremont 1918.

There’s also additions to the core Supermarine diving range (proving Bremont can do the oceanic world just as well as the aviation world) and a very special limited edition developed with British polar explorer Ben Saunders, the aptly named Endurance. This is a follow up to 2014's collaboration between Ben and Bremont, when Bremont created a special watch for Ben’s South Pole expedition in 2014, the Terra Nova.

‘Tested Beyond Endurance’ On Trans-Antarctic Solo Expedition

Based on the Supermarine line, this Bremont Endurance limited edition was created to accompany Ben Saunders on his remarkable Trans-Antarctic Solo Expedition.

Whilst the Terra Nova was designed to accompany Ben on the longest human-powered polar journey in history, this Bremont Endurance watch set out with Ben in November 2017 to make the first solo and unsupported crossing of Antarctica. A pretty impressive way to truly live Bremont's ethos of 'Tested Beyond Endurance'! 

Did you know? Bremont have always tested their watches to the absolute limit. The Bremont Martin Baker watches are tested by being ejected out of aircraft strapped to Martin-Baker ejection seats.

This expedition from Berkner Island to the Ross Ice Shelf via the South Pole and the Shackleton Glavier was planned by Ben’s close friend Lt Col Henry Worsley, who nearly completed the challenge before falling ill and passing away in hospital in Chile in January 2016. A challenge close to Ben's heart, he reached the South Pole on 28th December 2017 - making him the third person in history to have skied full-length expeditions to both poles solo, and the first person in the world to have skied solo, unsupported and unassisted to both poles solo. 

The Bremont Endurance is named in honour of the famous polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, whose 1914 expedition saw him rescue his entire crew after his ship ‘Endurance’ was crushed in the sea ice (the route of which Ben was retracing) as well as a nod to Bremont’s mantra; ‘Tested Beyond Endurance’.

Worn on the outside of Ben’s jacket, this timepiece not only withstood the extreme climate conditions of the Antarctic but was used as a (very crucial!) navigational device with its bi-directional rotating compass bezel and GMT hand adorned with the North indicator. The orange-against-black design ensured absolute readability, even in the tough, low-visibility conditions of the South Pole.  

"A reliable timepiece is a vital piece of equipment on a polar expedition, and this new watch performed faultlessly on some of the toughest conditions I've ever encountered." Ben Saunders, British polar explorer. 

One thing Ben insisted on with the design was the use of titanium, which proved successful with 2014’s Terra Nova watch for obvious reasons – extremely lightweight and durable. Another request from Ben was an exhibition caseback, believing the level of meticulous engineering in the movement should be showed off.

This resulted in Bremont designing a brand new caseback, developed with a military project. Thicker and more robust, the end result was robust enough to reach depths of 500m and still able to function in the harshest of climates.

Limited to just 300 pieces, this Bremont Endurance comes on a bold orange nato strap. 'Tested Beyond Endurance' is really what Bremont are all about, creating finely engineered watches for real-life adventures, that are rigorously tested in the field. Coming soon to Beaverbrooks, the Bremont Endurance is a perfect example of this.