Bremont is a brand determined to push the boundaries. The watches are tested beyond endurance, again and again, hurled out of planes and under the water, and taken to the ends of the earth as part of the watchmaker’s quest to make the unbreakable. The brand pushed the boundaries again, challenging Swiss watchmaking conventions by calling England home and constructing a state-of-the- art manufacturing facility in Henley-on-Thames to rival anything in the Jura valley. Most recently, Bremont once again upped the ante, appointing industry veteran Davide Cerrato as CEO in May 2023.

In the few short months since Cerrato has had the top job, he’s already making his presence felt, and is enamored with the brand’s functional design language and very British take on over-engineering. Revolution caught up with him to talk design, the importance of details and the strategic direction of this pioneering brand. So, what does Cerrato’s formidable design experience look like when applied to the updated Bremont Supermarine collection? “The new 40mm S302 GMT designs mark the first step of design refresh of the Supermarine product line,” Cerrato explains, “The design elements of a dive watch are highly codified, and we have sharpened them all in this first step of the refresh. There’s stronger visibility and legibility, with a new 24-hour unidirectional rotating bezel and more technical fonts. We have fine-tuned the colors of the GMT hand as well as included the use of orange for the ‘Supermarine’ name on the dial, for the 15, 45 and 60-minute [markers] and London at six on the dial flange. On the blue and green version, we have also introduced a bicolor bezel insert to highlight day and night time. The leather straps have been improved as well as a new slimmer and tapered integrated rubber strap, which is available on all models.”

On their own, each of these changes is relatively incremental, but taken as a whole, the effect is impressive. While the Supermarine name is a nod to the legendary Supermarine Spitfire, this watch deviates from the brand’s traditional safe space of the skies. Cerrato explains just where this contemporary diver fits into their catalog: “Adventure and exploration is our main brand territory and this informs our new product collection segmentation: Sea, Land and Air. The Supermarine is dedicated to sea exploration. It’s a rugged and highly reliable dive watch collection that has been worn extensively in some of the harshest environments on earth. It is a natural choice for many of our ambassadors, who rely heavily on their watches as a vital piece of their equipment in extreme conditions.” Indeed, there’s a limited edition version of this new Supermarine clad in “Thresher Gray,” which is the model of choice for free diver and marine conservationist, Ocean Ramsey.

Of course, the core models have a lot to offer too; both the regular steel and the black DLC-treated Jet versions feature Bremont’s famed Trip-Tick case construction, measuring at 40mm across and 13mm tall. All models are offered on the new integrated rubber strap, as well as a vintage-style leather strap, with the steel version also getting a steel bracelet. The blue and green bezel on the steel model, in particular, is a refreshing point of difference from the industry’s “standard” GMT color palette. The limited edition Ocean version offers an appealing mix of contemporary gray on the dial, ceramic bezel and rubber strap, along with just the right amount of those vintage vibes we all know and love.

These new divers are just a taste of things to come, and Cerrato has a clear idea on what the future of Bremont watches looks like. “The name of the game is ‘Simplify to Amplify,’ to build a single narrative focused on adventure and exploration.” In addition to this, Cerrato plans to offer a much simpler product collection, with less of a focus on limited editions and model variations. “We will have a much clearer offer with three key product lines displaying the three main territories of exploration: Sea, Land and Air. New complications will be coming and [there will be] a sharpening of our design expression, which will be more technical and unique.” On top of that, 2024 sounds like an exciting year, as Bremont is making its Watches and Wonders debut with a bang. “We are launching an entirely new product line at Watches and Wonders in 2024 dedicated to land exploration and adventure. It will host our iconic watches for the years to come,” says Cerrato. In terms of the broader strategic direction of the brand, Cerrato is equally bullish. “Bremont is a brand of huge potential, and I truly believe that we can be the champion of tool watches. We will become stronger, and we will own the exploration and adventure category.”

Movement: Self-winding modified caliber BE-932AV; 50-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, GMT and date
Case: 40mm; stainless steel with Trip-Tick construction, DLC- treated case barrel, and gray ceramic bezel; water resistant to 300m
Dials: Gray metal; Super-LumiNova printed indexes
Straps: Stainless steel bracelet; “Thresher Gray” integrated rubber or vintage brown leather with pin buckle
Price: USD 4450 on bracelet; USD 4000 on rubber or leather strap
Availability: Limited edition of 400 pieces

Bremont Supermarine S302 Jet

Movement: Self-winding modified caliber BE-932AV; 50- hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, GMT and date
Case: 40mm; DLC-treated stainless steel with Trip-Tick construction, DLC-treated case barrel, and black ceramic bezel; water resistant to 300m
Dials: Black metal; vintage Super-LumiNova printed indexes
Straps: Black integrated rubber or vintage black leather with pin buckle
Price: USD 4250

Bremont Supermarine S302

Movement: Self-winding modified caliber BE-932AV; 50- hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, GMT and date
Case: 40 mm; stainless steel with Trip-Tick construction, DLC-treated case barrel, and bicolored blue-green aluminum bezel; water resistant to 300m
Dials: Blue metal; white Super-LumiNova printed indexes
Straps: Stainless steel bracelet; blue integrated rubber or vintage brown leather with pin buckle
Price: USD 4200 on bracelet; USD 3750 on rubber or leather strap