By Harlan Chapman-Green
Aviation. It’s what Breguet is known for (nowadays anyway). It’s what Breitling is known for and it’s also what Bremont is known for. Why the brands beginning with B are the most popular for pilots I really don’t know.
What I do know is that this watch is littered with historical points of interest. It’s a watch that’s exceedingly dedicated to being simply the best watch for both the aspiring and the professional pilot (and those who simply prefer to spend hour after hour flying every kind of flying contraption on Microsoft Flight Simulator). You might be interested to know that the Z in the name means ‘Zulu Time’. This essentially means UTC or as most know it, GMT (Greenwich Mean Time, the point of both 0 degrees and 0 minutes longitude which is used as the base point for all of Earth’s time keeping, which is why different parts of the world are UTC +/- [insert number] hours). So in its simplest form, the Z part simply indicates this watch has a GMT function.
The model that this watch replaces, the ALT1-Z is well renowned for its durability having being used by fighting squadrons that Bremont works with and also one was taken on an epic adventure by an adventuring legend, Charley Boorman, who took it along with Sir Ewan McGregor on a trip into the unknown where the watch certainly outperformed expectations.
The watch now has a clearer dial than before with new, more advanced SuperLumiNova applied to the hands and hour markers. There’s also more detail on the raised edges of the subdials to help give the dial a 3D look. There’s also the introduction of Bremont’s new Roto-Click bezel which s actually under the crystal and is controlled via a separate crown, reducing the likelihood of disturbance. What remains the same however, is the overall style of the dial which was mostly based on the look of an aeroplane’s altimeter (the device used to indicate both height and the rate of climbing or falling that an aeroplane experiences.
This watch is made of stainless steel that is an amazing 2000 times as hard as the steel you’d usually find on a watch. There’s also a display caseback and the crystal itself has 9 layers, yes 9 layers of antireflective acting on both sides to make it practically invisible.
Movement
Modified calibre 13 1/4” BE-54AE automatic chronometer, 25 jewels, Glucydur balance, Anachron balance spring, Nivaflex 1 mainspiring, 28,800bph, 42 hour power reserve. Bremont decorated skeletonised rotor.
Functions
Hour, minute, second, date at 3 O’clock, chronograph small counters with seconds 30 minutes and 12 hours, 24 hour GMT hand.
Case
Hardened stainless steel Bremont Trip Tick construction with scratch resistant DLC treated case barrel. Case diameter 43.00mm, lug width 22.00mm, case thickness 16.00mm.
Case Back
Stainless steel with integrated flat crystal, 6 stainless steel screws with polished heads.
Bezel
Patented inner bi-directional Roto-Click bezel.
Operated by crown at 8 O’clock.
Dial
Metal dial, coated nickel hands with SuperLumiNova coating.
Crystal
Domed anti-reflective, scratch resistant sapphire crystal.
Ratings
Water resistant to 100 metres (10 ATM).
C.O.S.C chronometer tested and certified.
Strap
Calf-skin leather with solid deployment buckle and engraved security clasp.
Just like Bremont’s Boeing series, I adore this timepiece. It looks great, is solidly made and is also both functional and yet very swish to look at. A marvellous job there, team. What does the future hold? For more info, please visit bremont.com
Harlan Chapman-Green – Contributing Editor
First introduced to horology with the Patek Philippe Calibre 89 by his father few years ago, Harlan enjoys his passion for fine horology. He prefers to spend his time in the boutiques of upmarket brands, trying out new pieces constantly. His preferred 3 brands are A. Lange & Söhne, Breguet and Vacheron Constantin. Although not much for the smaller brands, he still finds the complications intriguing and wishes to own one watch from each of his three favourites. Read his articles here.
