We’ve already taken a cursory glance at the new Bremont Martin Baker III GMT watch in our previous Bremont at Baselworld blog, but we thought it was definitely time to take a closer look at this superb new timepiece in a separate feature. The latest chapter in the partnership between Bremont and Martin Baker has been eagerly anticipated for some time, and the realising of this long term expectation has proved to be well worth the wait.
In terms of heritage, the entire range of Bremont MB watches undoubtedly excels. Martin Baker is the British aviation giant who supplies ejection seat technology to a staggering 70% of air-forces across the globe, and so when they approached Bremont in 2007 about the possibility of an associated timepiece, the advanced specifications required for such a watch were instantly very clear. In practice, this high standard of quality resulted in Bremont subjecting each Martin Baker to tests that were previously unprecedented in terms of rigour, and the new Martin Baker III watch continues to uphold that premium paradigm through a plethora of stern assessments.
Each timepiece is designed to withstand the levels of salt fog and humidity that would be prevalent during the regulation 6 month tour of an aircraft carrier, and they are also required to conduct an altitude examination that requires them to spend an hour at 100,000 feet, before then being dropped down to more normal heights at considerable speed. Further 24 hour trials are carried out in environments ranging from -40°C to +40°C in temperature, and then the watches are vigorously shaken to simulate their capabilities when regularly used during the 30 year lifespan of an average helicopter. Last, but certainly not least, these chronometer certified timepieces are exposed to the ordeal of a live ejection test. Needless to say, the subsequent performance of these watches within the cauldron of daily life is never in any reasonable doubt.
As well as serving as the final test for the Martin Baker III watches, the ejection seats that they take their name from also offer substantial aesthetical inspiration as well. For example, the knurled effects of the watch barrel references certain components upon the seats, whilst the yellow-and-black coloured loop at the end of the second hand is almost entirely copied from the style of the ejection pull handle. However, despite a generous choice of three distinct barrel colourations (anthracite, orange and military style anti-reflective bronze), the Martin Baker III was primarily designed to be the definitive aviation chronometer of its type, and to that end Bremont have not merely settled for visual adjustments, but have instead implemented GMT functions to cement this title beyond question.
The Martin Baker III is one of the very first Bremont GMT watches to forgo the presence of a chronograph movement, but this unusual addition is indubitably the evolution that allows the range to claim the mantle of an aviation watch par excellence. GMT watches are an almost ubiquitous adornment for practising pilots – due to their convenience when dealing with 24 hour clocks – and so Bremont founders Nick and Gilles English saw this as the natural step when seeking to advance the Martin Baker watch collection, but without losing its intrinsic and established spirit.
Martin Baker ejection seats are the epitome of their craft, as the burden placed upon them – namely that of saving lives – means that they must work without question as soon as they are called upon. There is simply no room for error, as each ejection seat might be the only thing which stands between it
s user and imminent death. It is therefore to Bremont’s eternal praise that they have created a chronometer that has been described by Andrew Martin (the Director of Business Development and Marketing at Martin Baker) as an object of great ‘respect’, and one which they should be deservedly ‘proud’ of.
At Banks Lyon, we’re pleased to have access to both the Bremont Martin Baker III GMT watch and its predecessor, the Bremont Martin Baker II watch. To express your interest in either of these extremely prestigious timepieces, or to enquire more about any of the other Bremont watches within our collection, please feel free to call our professional team on 01524 38 48 58.
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