The many partnerships that are being forged by British luxury chronometer brand Bremont are very possibly some of the most exciting developments going on in the field of ocular horology at present, and Bremont’s current portfolio contains some genuinely extraordinary examples. From alliances with aerospace giant Boeing and motorcycle legend Norton, to one-off pieces that commemorate the Wright Flyer and Admiral Nelson’s Victory flagship, there’s no shortage of heritage on display at Bremont. However, proudly British ventures are always particularly special to Bremont co-founders Nick and Giles English, and their work alongside automotive icon Jaguar is one such notable project.
We first brought you details about Bremont Jaguar watches back in August, when the scheme to honour the E-Type was undergoing its inception. At this stage, the plans for widespread distribution of these chronometers hadn’t yet been finalised, but that’s not the case anymore. As you might expect, the forthcoming watch and jewellery fair at Baselworld 2015 is the date that we’re all going to be waiting for, but many details about the pair of forthcoming Jaguar watches are already known.
Such was the reception to the initial six Jaguar chronometer concepts that a more widespread release was always going to be expected, and these two Jaguar watches are a way to ‘cement’ the long-term partnership between these two British icons. Dedicated to the E-Type, these paired chronometers are known as the MKI and MKII. In the rest of this blog, we’ll look at each in turn…
The MKI
This chronometer has been refined by Bremont as a sagacious response to feedback on their ‘Lightweight’ limited edition, and this newly trimmed-down spectacle dispenses with the former’s white gold and aluminium, instead electing to adopt a stainless steel aesthetic. Equipped with a tachymeter dial and a crimson ‘quadrant’ marker, the dashboard of the actual E-Type has strongly inspired the MKI. Even the exhibition caseback features a small winding weight that echoes the form of a three-spoke steering wheel. When you compare the dial of the MKI with the rev counter on an E-Type, the resemblance is clear, and that’s no bad thing when aiming for a stylish appearance.
The MKII
Taking its cue from 1960s automobiles, the MKII again echoes the E-types, but this time it does so in the form of a chronometer timepiece. Adorned with the Jaguar Heritage logo – like its brother, the MKI – this piece also features many other nods to the E-Type, including a splash of red on the 60 minute sub-dial that’s almost directly taken from the tachymeter of the vehicle in question. Again, the ‘steering wheel’ shape is found upon the exhibition caseback, but the movement in this watch is a particularly unique Bremont specification; a fitting power source for such a special chronometer.
It has been the English brothers’ intention to bring the Jaguar watches to an ‘everyday’ audience for quite some time, and given the reception of the original proposals, who could blame them? Neither of these timepiece will be limited releases, but both will be produced in restricted annual production runs, so they’ll always remain that little bit extraordinary; just like the E-Type itself. We’ll certainly be bringing you both of these watches in due course, but until Baselworld 2015 rolls around, feel free to contact us for further information about any of our Bremont watches. We’ll be happy to help.
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