Bremont would like to introduce you to the Viper and the Vulcan, two new aviator watches with a decidedly non-traditional twist.
The Vulcan is a chronograph named after the Avro Vulcan, an RAF bomber. The watch costs $4,795 and is limited to a run of 250 pieces. Each watch comes with a set of cufflinks.
From the release:
Whilst retaining some of Bremont’s core design codes, the new chronograph weaves in some subtle details synonymous with the historic aircraft.
The Vulcan’s matte black dial features a running seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock with a two-tone 3-D camouflage design, and the elapsed minutes 3 o’clock counter features a nuclear symbol indicating the arsenal carried onboard.
A date function is situated at 6 o’clock.
In line with the wider Armed Forces Collection, legibility is key and a high degree of blue emission white Super-LumiNova® is applied across the dial. For the first time, Bremont has introduced elegant, skeletonized, cathedral minute and hour hands which are also applied with white Super-LumiNova® and complemented by a striking RAF blue chronograph hand. These distinctive design details took inspiration from the coldwar clocks fitted in the Vulcan cockpit.
Turning the watch over reveals a stainless steel enclosed case back decorated with an engraving of the Avro B-1 Bomber and the heraldic badge of the Royal Air Force encircled with the inscription: ‘Approved by Her Majesty’s Armed Forces’ given that this timepiece was designed and approved by the MOD under Her Majesty’s Reign.
Once the crests of His Majesty’s Armed Forces have been decreed, all case backs within Bremont’s Armed Forces Collection will be updated accordingly.
The Viper is another watch entirely. This is Bremont’s first manufacture movement and, as the company suggests, it’s been put through its paces.
“To test Bremont’s manufactured movement series, the ENG300, the luxury British watchmaker created a concept test instrument to put it through the most extreme testing environment, equaling that of fighter ejection seat technology.”
In short, this thing is the G-Shock of British aviator watches. For example, the team even fired this thing out of an ejection seat.
This included Live Ejection Testing, Zoom Temperature Climb Testing, Extreme Temperature Endurance, High Altitude Testing and Salt Fog Testing. To this end, Bremont initially developed a functional and minimal casing housing a shock isolating mount that could be fixed to the cockpit ‘dashboard’ of a Martin-Baker live ejection ‘simulator’.
The test instrument was then developed further with the addition of forged carbon fiber lugs so that it could be affixed to an ejection manikin. Most importantly, the movement, protected by Bremont’s patented Anti-Shock movement mount, passed with flying colors and maintained impeccable time.
Bremont aviator watches: Pricing
Now for the bad news: this lovely little piece, one of Bremont’s first manufacture movements, is about $8,995 and is limited to 200 pieces. I’m a fan of the watch, just not the price.
