Most watch brands have a back story and some are more compelling than others. Bremont is a British brand (made in Switzerland of course) with an origin that's definitely among the most memorable. Nicholas and Giles English, Bremonts co-founders, are the sons of Evan English, a well known RAF aerobatic champion and, by all indications, a father extraordinaire. Evan also shared a passion for WWII era aircraft with his sons and spent a great deal of time doing display flying of vintage aircraft. In 1995, Evan and his son Nicholas crashed a North American Harvard - Evan succumbed to the injuries he suffered in the accident while Nicholas, with more than 20 broken bones, miraculously survived. Obviously not one to refuse to 'get back on the horse', just one year later, Nicholas and Giles were on their way to meet some friends in France. Their ride - a 60 year old plane. The genesis of Bremont - A forced landing (due to weather) in a pea field in the Champagne region where they met a startled farmer who, as luck would have it, was a pilot during WWII. His name, as you might suspect by now, was Bremont and the trio spent the better part of two days talking about watches and the stories that they tell.
It's great to find a small independent brand like Bremont where the founders of the company are still very much a part of the day to day operations and there's a real passion for the work being done and the watches being produced.
On now to the ALT1Z - my favorite watch in the current Bremont lineup. The Bremont ALT1Z is a great example of a truly functional aviators chronograph. UTC (or time in whatever other zone you prefer) is shown over an internally rotating 24 hour bezel that's controlled by a crown in the 8 o'clock position on the left side of the case. Normal chronograph functions are controlled by pushers on either side of the crown in the customary arrangement. There's a date display at 3 o'clock. All of the indications are easy to read and instinctively positioned on the dial.
The ALT1Z is powered by a Valjoux 7754 automatic movement that's been modified by Bremont - the skeletonized rotor, visible through the transparent sapphire caseback, is especially nice.
At 43mm, the Bremont ALT1Z is the perfect size for a pilots watch that's sure to see at least as much wrist time outside of the cockpit as inside of it. For both venues, rest assured that the ALT1Z will perform flawlessly and look great while doing so. Standard is a leather strap with deployant buckle.
If you like your watches to be part of a story that's much more interesting and compelling than just the result of great ad campaign or an impulse buy while enjoying a change of scenery, you'll love having a Bremont on your wrist. Most watchmakers today rely on a story that they truthfully didn't have any part in - the English brothers are out there living it and their watches reflect that experience.
