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October 31st, 2014

Banks Lyon’s Training Day With Bremont

Here at Banks Lyon, we like to foster close relationships with the horological brands that we stock, and from time to time we have the opportunity to send our staff to some very special occasions. Some weeks ago, a member of our experienced team, Charlotte Rouse, was able to attend a training day with British watchmaking giant Bremont, and quite naturally such a happening greatly piqued an awful lot of curiosity. So, in Charlotte’s own words, here is the story of her day with Bremont:

“After a 5am start and a journey of 5 hours, I arrived at Donington Hall, the proud home of Norton Motorcycles. The hall is situated just outside the quaint village of Castle Donington, and is centred within acres of park land and absolutely stunning scenery. Getting out of the car, the first thing I noticed was the overwhelming smell of petrol, and also the familiar sound of motorbikes racing around a track. As I entered the hall, a selection of Norton motorbikes became instantly apparent, and I immediately became intrigued as to what the rest of the day had to offer!”

“Very soon, I was greeted by the Bremont co-founder Nick English, their regional sales representatives and (thankfully) a much-needed cup of tea and a bacon butty. The day started off with a speech from Nick English himself, reminding us about the famous story of Bremont and its founders. As I had only ever read the story in catalogues or heard snippets from other people, it was really interesting to finally hear it in full; not to mention hearing it related by the person who it had actually happened to. If you’ve yet to hear the Bremont story for yourself, and want to find out more, you can find Nick and Giles’ inspiring tale told in full on the Bremont website. “

“After this, Nick then moved on to speak a little about what the company has recently been up to, and he gave us details about some of the new watches that are being released in the coming months. For example, the new Bremont Boeing watches, the Model 1 and 247, were announced at this year’s Baselworld fair, and are due to reach stores by late November. I can also reveal that the Boeing Model 1 is actually going to have a thinner case than originally advertised, as Bremont’s watchmakers have typically managed to engineer the movement to fit within this slimmer case design.”

 

“We were also given some insightful information about Bremont’s famous limited edition models, which over the years have proved to be extremely popular with horophiles, and also make very good investment pieces too. Word on the street has it that an EP120 model has recently sold for over £15,000, which is a fantastic return on the original RSP. We were also informed that there is still a huge demand for Victory watches at the moment, so for any lucky Victory watch owners out there who are looking to sell, now might be the opportune moment…”

“I really enjoyed hearing the inspirational story of Ben Saunders, the polar explorer who in 2013 was the first, along with his partner, to walk the 1795 miles from Ross Island in Antarctica to the South Pole and back again. To commemorate this amazing feat, the limited edition Bremont Supermarine Terra Nova GMT watch has recently been launched. Optimised for the expedition, it is made of light titanium and boasts GMT functionality, and proved to be an indispensable tool for the mission.”

 

“The new limited edition that’s due for release in late 2014 or early 2015, the Wright Flyer, is particularly special, as it includes material from the 1903 Wright Flyer aircraft itself, incorporates Bremont’s first ever unique movement, and was part developed and designed in Britain alongside Swiss partners. Parts from the Wright Flyer aircraft are usually only ever presented to people or organisations of great importance, such as presidents and astronauts, so it has been a great honour for Bremont to be able to purchase a piece of history which is almost priceless. I will also point out that some of the proceeds from sales of the Wright Flyer timepiece will be going to the restoration of the Wright family home, so the watch is extremely rich in heritage”

“After a very welcome coffee break, Paul Gray, the manager of the Bremont Mayfair Flagship store in London, spoke to us in some depth about the benefits of each Bremont watch in the collection, and in turn he also passed around some pieces for us to have a closer look at them.”

“I was already aware of lot of this information, but there were some really interesting facts that I didn’t know as well. Here are a few more details about Bremont that you may not have come across:

The Bremont Martin Baker is the brand’s best-selling watch to date, with the ALT 1 C following in as a close second.

The Bremont Martin Baker III GMT watch is no longer going to come with a NATO strap. Instead, it will be equipped with their new Temple Island rubber strap. This is because the rubber strap is more durable, especially for use within water

Bremont are currently in the process of developing a brand new technique to make their DLC cases.

In 2015, Bremont plan to launch a titanium version of their new Boeing watches. This watch will have an anti-corrosion coating in place, just the same as is used on the undercarriage of actual Boeing aeroplanes.

Each Bremont watch has 18 layers of anti-reflective coating on the sapphire crystal – 9 on the inside and 9 on the outside of the glass – making for a much clearer dial.

The stainless steel used in the making of Bremont watches has a hardness of 2000 Vickers, which is 7 times harder than standard stainless steel.

Not long ago, a gentleman wearing a Martin Baker watch was sadly knocked off his bike, along with his watch. The watch was crushed by a lorry, but, upon inspection, the timepiece was still fully functional (apart from a slightly dented dial). This shows the true robustness of a Bremont watch. Needless to say, the gentleman suffered no long-term injuries either.“

“Following lunch, we were given a grand tour of the Norton Motorcycle factory, where all the motorcycles are painstakingly put together by hand. If you’re wondering why this day was being held in such close association with Norton, Bremont and Norton famously collaborated on a watch back in 2009. As you might expect from such an exclusive alliance, though, the watch was limited to just 200 pieces. Both brands share a passion for engineering, and have the same standards of quality and manufacture as well, so they really are a perfect fit. In fact, rumour has it that Bremont and Norton plan to team up again in the near future, so watch this space!”

“Towards the end of the day, we were all invited to have a ride on one of the Norton motorcycles (or at least to sit on the back of one if we didn’t have a licence), and needless to say I was more than willing to oblige! After Nick had taken a spin around the block, I put on my leathers and helmet to climb aboard the back of a Norton Commando behind one of the professionals. As we set off, the sheer sound of the bike was the first thing that struck me, then, once we left the factory and approached the roads of the local village, the speed really began to register. What can I say? It was most certainly a breathtaking experience, and I would do it again without hesitation. The bikes, much like Bremont watches, are certainly precise and durable to the extreme! “

If – along with Charlotte – you’re rather a Bremont watch aficionado, then you’ll be delighted to hear that our comprehensive collection includes a wide variety of timepieces from this outstanding British watchmaker, including all of the very latest models. Should you want any further information about the assortment of Bremont watches that we have in store at present, please don’t hesitate to contact us now by calling 01524 38 48 58 or emailing [email protected]. We’ll always be happy to assist you however we can.

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