Baselworld 2014 had some clear-cut winners – Omega, Nomos, and Bremont all brought the noise this year. And if there were ever a brand that really fit the Wound For Life philosophy, it would be Bremont. Although we would have loved to see them release an in-house movement (fingers crossed for later this year), Bremont’s Basel 2014 releases confidently ticked every other box with the MBIII, Terra Nova, and the Boeing Model 1 and 247.
Side view of the Bremont MBIII and its bronze mid-case
MBIII
The Martin-Baker collaboration produced the MBI and MBII, with the MBII being one of Bremont’s most successful watches to date. I actually owned an MBII for a short period of time, and I recall thinking to myself, “the only way this watch could be more awesome is if it had a 2nd timezone function.” Well, Nick and Giles English must have heard my inner thoughts, because that’s exactly what they did with the MBIII.
For those familiar with the original MB series, you will immediately recognize the MBIII. The 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock knurled crowns, the brushed stainless steel Trip-Tick case, and the very clean and legible dial are all there. For a pilot watch, the addition of a GMT hand makes it perfect. Having undergone the same stress testing as the other MB pieces, you’ll have a hard time finding a more capable and practical pilot watch. The icing on the cake is the rotating inner bezel now reads as an alternate timezone, whereas before, it had 60-minute marks for counting purposes – I think folks will get a lot more use out of the timezone bezel.
Terra Nova
Bremont Terra Nova, limited to 300 examples
While Bremont is already a good fit for the Wound For Life mantra, their new Terra Nova could be the Wound For Life poster child. Seriously, I’m conservatively rating it as the ultimate tool watch. And so you know I’m not just blowing smoke, there’s a reason why it’s the ultimate tool watch – Bremont designed it for the ultimate adventure. Known explorer, Ben Saunders, was set to take on one of the most grueling treks known to man, a 1,795-mile trek to-and-from the South Pole, and he needed a timepiece with outrageous resistance to the elements to go with him. Fortunately, Bremont was up for the task.
For a watch to operate in the conditions present in Antarctica, it essentially needs the best of all tool watch capabilities: compass bezel, shock proofing, waterproofing, temperature resistance, and hell, let’s throw in magnetic field resistance and a 2nd timezone. Combine all those features with Bremont’s bombproof cases and a sapphire bezel, and you’ve got yourself one serious black-box of a timepiece. While the rest of Bremont’s Basel releases were home runs, this was a grand slam – it’s exactly what I hope to see more of out of London.
Boeing Model 1 and Model 247
Black Dial Bremont Boeing Model 247
Bremont certainly is a big fan of collaborations. I’m not usually a big fan of 3rd party collaborations, but Bremont tends to get them right. When I heard about the Boeing partnership a couple of months ago, I took the usual amount of caution with my opinion and waited for the reveal. Well, I’m glad I didn’t jump the gun, because the 3-hand Model 1 and the chronograph-outfitted Model 247 are easily two of their best-looking watches. Nothing about them screams collaboration – the only telling cue being the Boeing logo slickly integrated into the seconds hand.
You’ll find a lot of the hallmark Bremont features in the two new models: chronometer certified movement, Trip-Tick 43mm case, domed sapphire crystal, and a custom Bremont-stamped rotor. The impressive bit is what truly came out of the Boeing partnership, aircraft-grade metals. Each model is being produced in two different metals: a Ti-64 titanium, and the custom-made 465 Stainless Steel. Sporting either a white or black dial, the Models 1 and 247 have killer looks with bulletproof jackets – kind of like Derek Zoolander as a cop. If this is how Bremont intends to collaborate, we can’t wait for the next one.
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