When I hear about yet another watchmaker collaborating with a non-watch brand or organization, I often follow it up with an eye roll. Reason being, the resulting product typically comes off as a pure market drivel, and over-branded to the point that not many people will want to wear it. However, this isn’t the case with Bremont. One quick look at their website, and you will see how many tasteful, well-crafted collaborations they’ve done. Recently, they’ve worked successfully with Boeing and the awesome spy-action flick, Kingsman, but it’s their Jaguar collaboration that really has us drooling. Jumping at the chance to try one out, Bremont sent us an example for review. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the Bremont Jaguar MKI.
Starting with what I consider to be Bremont’s consistent strong point, the case of the MKI is stunning. They’ve taken their tried and true TripTick construction – which normally sports a very rugged look – and polished both the case top and back. The polished finish dresses the watch up, and is reminiscent of the chrome bumpers of a Jaguar E-Type. Complementing the polished surfaces is the multi-layer barrel, which shows two thick satin finish steel layers sandwiching a third, thinner and lighter layer. The barrel construction adds a tremendous amount of detailing that, to be quite honest, you don’t often find amongst Bremont’s competitors.
The excellent case construction of the Bremont Jaguar MKI
Moving on to the dial, this is where Bremont’s Jaguar collaboration is most obvious. Working with Jaguar’s legendary designer, Ian Callum, Bremont created a respectable reproduction of an E-Type tachometer. Because the E-Type’s tach only runs partway around the dial, the MKI’s dial is a bit non-conventional in layout. However, even with the strange hour and minute track, Bremont did well to maintain visual symmetry. You could draw a line right down the center of the dial and it will look mostly in balance, even down to the running seconds at 9:00 and the simulated redline display counter to it. What’s more, Bremont focused on the aesthetics of the tachometer rather than branding – which is a major plus. There are only three words on the dial: Bremont, Jaguar, and London. The restraint shown here is exactly what we would expect of true British design.
The Bremont Jaguar MKI’s E-Type tachometer dial
There’s no doubt the elephant in the room here is the movement. Bremont’s BWC/01 caliber has been the center of a minor controversy in the watch world, which really can be blamed on semantics and imperfect public relations. I plan on talking more about their proprietary caliber in the near future, but for now, I can say the movement performed admirably on my wrist and is quite handsome to look at. Every watch that Bremont sends to its customers is chronometer certified, so I wasn’t surprised to find the timekeeping to be spot on. I wore the MKI for pretty much a week straight (which is rare for me), and it deviated very little from the exact time. The mainplate features nicely finished Geneva stripes (London stripes?), flanked by perlage on the baseplate. What I loved most was the scaled down E-Type steering wheel rotor with the iconic growling Jaguar in the center. If there were a negative to having a good looking, strong running proprietary movement inside, it would be the price that it dictates. Opting for the MKI over the MKII chronograph is actually more expensive because of the movement it utilizes, despite the difference in complications. At any rate, the good looks of the dial and case are not let down by a basic, off-the-shelf caliber.
A good look at the steering wheel rotor and BWC/01 caliber
The overall wearability of the MKI is excellent. Oftentimes with review watches, I find myself wanting to go back to my personal collection after a couple of days, but I was content wearing this one all week. With the short lugs, the 43mm case sits nicely on my 6.75” wrist. I’d say it’s at the top end of the size limit for a suit-and-tie watch, but I had no problem managing. On top of that, the entire design is a well-done conversation piece. I explained the odd dial layout to several inquisitive people, and then finished them off with the tire tread on the crown.
We’re big fans of Bremont’s watches, but mostly because of how durable and tough they are. With their Jaguar collaboration, we can safely say it’s no longer all about the tool watches – the Jaguar watches are beautiful. Bremont did an amazing job pulling in little details from the E-Type, and turning it into a symbol of classic British design that can be worn anywhere. At $10,950, the MKI isn’t cheap, but you’re getting a top-shelf proprietary movement, as well as something made with the help of one of the automotive industry’s most illustrious designers. Go ahead and mark this one down as another homerun for the independent bulldog out of London. Well done, chaps.
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