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Let’s get straight to the point. Bremont, one of the biggest British watch brands, is in the midst of a transformation. Founding brothers Nick and Giles English are no longer the faces of the company, which has had a new CEO for a year now: Davide Cerrato. As expected, his arrival has been accompanied by a new strategy, starting with the redefinition of the brand around three pillars: Air (pilot watches), Land/Exploration (with a brand new collection called Terra Nova) and Sea (diving watches, known as Supermarine). Today, we’re going to talk about the latter, since there’s a brand new collection, the Bremont Supermarine 300m. And it’s indeed a very different watch from what we’ve known so far.
According to a recent interview with Cerrato (which will soon be published in a video interview in this magazine), the reasons for the changes we are seeing at Bremont are multiple. Firstly, the brand is still very much rooted in the British market, with a large proportion of sales coming from the UK. Bremont, as a brand, needs to expand its customer base and look to new, largely unexplored territories. This, according to Cerrato, has required streamlining the range and creating clearly defined collections, which he has focused on three classic tool watch pillars: land, sea and air. Land is a new theme for the brand, which was recently introduced with the Terra Nova collection. Air needs no introduction, as pilot and military watches are the essence of the brand. Sea is a theme that has been around for a long time at Bremont, with the Supermarine collection, but needed to be redefined – again, according to Cerrato, in order to grow the brand.
And here we are in 2024 with a completely new, completely redesigned Bremont Supermarine 300m collection – there are also date models, not covered here. And yes, it changes everything, starting with the case design, getting rid of the classic (some would say iconic) Trip-Tick case construction. While some feared that this case would be removed from the brand’s catalog entirely, Cerrato told us that it will remain, mainly in the pilot and military ranges, but also on some editions of the Supermarine – the recently revised Supermarine S302 GMT Diver models are still built around this case.
This is not the case with the new Bremont Supermarine 300m, which represents the new flagship model of the collection, the classic diving watch of sorts. In addition to a new logo (called Wayfinder, which claims to sum up the three pillars of the brand), the brand’s aquatic proposition has been completely redefined and made more consensual. Replacing the Supermarine Type 300 and Type 301 (smaller models with a 40 mm case), the new Supermarine 300m aims to be thinner, more efficient and at a better price.
Crafted from 904L stainless steel (a relatively rare choice in the category), the case has pleasing and versatile proportions for a dive watch, measuring 40mm in diameter and 49mm in length – it feels slightly shorter on the wrist than that figure would suggest. Another change is the overall thickness, now at a fairly reasonable 12mm including the caseback and crystal (a reduction of about 1mm). Now let’s talk about the design. As mentioned, the Trip-Tick case is gone in this context, replaced by a more traditional 3-piece design with an asymmetrical shape. Mainly satin-finished, with nice polished bevels on the sides, the case has flat sides and incorporates crown guards, but also a second protruding area at 9 o’clock to add protection to the bezel.
Otherwise, the Bremont Supermarine 300m is a well-equipped dive watch with a domed sapphire crystal, screw-down crown and engraved steel screw-down caseback. It features a unidirectional bezel with an aluminium insert – a deliberate choice by Cerrato, who prefers the metallic sheen of an anodised bezel to the polished look of a ceramic insert. It’s a watch that feels great on the wrist, with an undeniable sense of quality and robustness. The design will surely spark debate, especially from old fans who may miss the old case design, while newcomers to the brand will look at this model with fresh eyes. Evolution for a brand is always a complex task. I would say that the watch has gained in practicality and comfort and that it feels robust. It has, however, lost a bit of its identity.
Dial-wise, the Supermarine 300m No Date comes in two options: blue or green (a black dial is available with a date). Both feature a finely grained texture and a slight gradient effect that matches the bezel color. The identity evolution is less obvious here, with the overall look being familiar, in line with the previous S300 and S301. The no-date display is nice, and the brand has opted for applied indexes and numerals, moving slightly away from the military inspiration of the past. The sword hands are classic Bremonts, while the seconds hand has been redesigned with an arrowhead. A nice detail is the continuity of the indexes from the dial to the bezel, meant to create a naval-inspired reticle.
Inside the case, hidden beneath an engraved caseback, is the BE-92AO caliber, using the latest version of the Sellita SW300 base, with an improved power reserve – now 50 hours. This automatic movement runs at 4Hz and features a stop-seconds mechanism. It is not timed but is internally regulated and should run fairly close to those standards.
The latest evolution of the Bremont Supermarine 300m concerns the bracelet (still in 904L steel), which inaugurates a completely new design. It must be said that it is a very nice bracelet, with small links very flexible and a soft feeling on the skin. The wave design (sort of double roll) is quite unique and the bracelet is equipped with both a micro-adjustment on the clasp and a quick change system. The watch is also available on a color-matched rubber strap (blue or green) or a vintage-style leather strap (both with pin buckle and quick release bars).
The new Bremont Supermarine 300m is now available from the brand and its dealers. Its price is 3,550 euros on a rubber strap or 3,850 euros on a steel bracelet – a slight reduction compared to the previous collection. For more details, please see bremont.com.
https://monochrome-watches.com/2024-new-collection-bremont-supermarine-300m-dive-watches-hands-on-review-specifications-price/