FeatureBorn To Race: Introducing The Exquisite Timepieces Of The Bremont-Jaguar Series

Since the advent of the automobile industry, cars and watches have shared a special bond. Their pairing is as ideal as that of wine and cheese, milk and cookies, peanut butter and jam. Moreover, it’s quite common to come across car aficionados who are obsessed with watches too and, hence, much has been written and talked about this age-old relationship. The reason for the profound connection between these two worlds isn’t just about aesthetics or craftsmanship. What brings them so close is the shared passion for engineering and drive for innovation. Today, almost every luxury watch manufacturer either offer a dedicated automotive-inspired collection or special editions that cater to the fan base of both industries. One such brand are the young British watchmaker, Bremont.

Known for crafting timepieces that are deeply rooted in English tradition and culture, Bremont were established in 2002 by two brothers, Nick and Giles English. Although they have carved a niche for themselves in the market with the help of their aviation and military watches, the brand also manufactures automotive-inspired timekeepers under their Motorsport collection. These watches offer subtle design cues inspired by vintage motorsport and are best recognised for their highest standards of durability, legibility and precision. Part of this range is a series of timepieces that Bremont made in collaboration with another British company—the legendary carmaker, Jaguar.  

The two brands came together for the first time in 2014 with the release of a limited-edition timepiece that took its design cues from Jaguar’s famous Lightweight E-Type race car. Crafted from high-quality white gold, the watch featured a rotor made from the aluminium used in the original 1963 model, and it quickly became a sensation. Owing to the overwhelming response from the watch collectors, Bremont and Jaguar decided to continue their special relationship and this partnership saw the launch of a host of different watches that not only paid homage to the E-Type but to other cars as well. Let’s delve a little deeper to understand this partnership and have a look at some of the most extraordinary timepieces produced by them. 

On the occasion of E-Type's 60th anniversary, Bremont came out with a limited-edition timepiece, which takes inspiration from the original E-Type car that was launched at the Geneva Auto Salon in 1961. The 43mm watch was released in two colour versions, grey and green, each one a limited edition of 60 pieces

The Legend Of The E-Type

To fully appreciate the series of timepieces launched by Bremont and Jaguar, we first need to get acquainted with the history of the E-Type, a car placed right at the core of the relationship shared by the two British manufacturers. Launched in 1961, the E-Type was widely considered as one of the prettiest race cars that the automobile industry had ever produced. The carmaker based its design on their immensely successful D-Type (Bremont offer a timepiece that pays tribute to this race car too) and gave it a sleek aerodynamic profile with a curvy body. But the E-Type wasn’t just about the looks. It was equipped with a race-bred, six-cylinder, 3.8L, 265hp engine that gave it a top speed of 150mph, which was almost double the average top speed of other sports cars of that time. Not only this, the E-Type featured disc brakes and independent front and rear suspension that distinguished it from its peers. 

However, the E-Type was never meant to race in the first place. Particularly built to run on B-roads—they have less traffic in comparison to main truck roads or A-roads—the car garnered enough publicity right after its introduction at the Geneva Auto Salon and its demand sky-rocketed. Jaguar weren’t able to produce enough units to keep up with the number of orders placed and therefore, they didn’t feel the need or have the time to tweak the design of the E-Type in a bid to promote it as a racing car. However, things changed when FIA (International Automobile Federation) created a new racing competition called the GT category for which the E-Type was almost a perfect fit. Jaguar couldn’t resist anymore and participated in the competition. By 1963, they began producing E-Type cars that were capable of competing in other races too and, later, the car manufacturers decided to create a limited run of 18 Lightweight E-types, with a full aluminium body instead of steel. Unfortunately, the Lightweight didn’t prove to be very successful racers and Jaguar stopped making them after producing just 12 units. It was only in 2014 that the carmaker built the last six units of the Lightweight and Bremont decided to introduce their limited-edition timepieces, as mentioned before, in honour of the race car. 

The Lightweight series might have gone out of production pretty quickly but Jaguar continued making some or the other version of the E-Type till 1975. They ended up creating more than 72,000 units of the car, with around 12,000 being sold in Britain and the majority going to the USA. Such was the popularity of the E-Type that even celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and George Harrison owned it and it became a symbol of the cultural landscape. 

A Befitting Tribute To An Icon

Although Bremont have released a variety of timepieces, including chronograph models, in honour of the E-Type race car, they all share some common features in terms of their aesthetics. For instance, each watch is designed to transport the viewer back to the golden era of 1960s sports car motoring, while featuring the Jaguar heritage logo above the six o’clock position as well as hour markings in the style of the numerals found on E-Type instruments. Apart from this, the display of these watches flaunts a subtle ‘red line’ either inside a sub-dial or on the main dial that pays tribute to the E-Type’s tachometer. There is also a chapter ring at the periphery of the dial along with Arabic numbers to denote the hours, but they are only seen between eight and four o’clock. Small dots assume the responsibility of marking the hours from five to seven o’clock. 

Seen here is the Bremont MKI that transports the beholder back to the golden era of sports car motoring in the 1960s, while it features the Jaguar heritage logo above the six o’clock position

The timepiece is housed in a case that has Bremont’s signature ‘trip-tick’ build, comprising three pieces—the bezel, the caseback, and a separate middle barrel made of aluminium

The self-winding BWC/01-10 calibre can be seen through an exhibition caseback that reveals the special, open-worked rotor, which resembles the steering wheel of the E-Type

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Speaking about the construction, the timepieces are housed in a hardened steel case that has Bremont’s signature ‘trip-tick’ build, comprising three pieces—the bezel, the caseback, and a separate middle barrel made of aluminium. Meanwhile, each one of them is equipped  with a ‘tyre tread’ winding crown, which is topped with the Jaguar heritage logo to match that of the dial. Turning over these watches—except for the MKIII iteration, which features a closed caseback—reveals further automotive imagery in the form of their nicely decorated movement, presented with a special, open-worked rotor that resembles the steering wheel of the race car. 

The Most Notable Timepieces

Out of a slew of timepieces that Bremont and Jaguar have released over the years, two models particularly stand out and perfectly embody the essence of the series, namely the MKII and MKIII. The former—available with a white or black dial—is a chronograph variant, while the latter is a time-and-date model. Featuring a typical chronograph layout, the MKII comes with two sub-dials positioned at three and nine o’clock, in addition to the hour and minute hands and a central chronograph seconds hand that features a lollipop design, aiding visibility. What further differentiates the white and black models of the MKII is the presence of the tachymeter scale on the periphery of the former variant’s dial, which makes the calculation of speed a simple matter. Inside the MKII is the ETA 7750-based calibre BE-50AE that ensures top-notch performance and accuracy. The COSC-certified movement comes with a frequency of 28,800vph and can run autonomously for at least 42 hours. Bremont have beautifully decorated the calibre and it’s visible through an exhibition caseback.

Bremont Motorsport

₹5,99,000

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Meanwhile, the MKIII is more or less a simpler version of the aforementioned timepiece. Presented with an elegant black dial, it adheres to the overall visual theme of the series and offers central, three-hand timekeeping, along with a date window at six. The display remains clean, uncluttered and perfectly legible even in low-light conditions. Powering this timekeeper is the ETA 2836-2-based automatic movement, called the BE-36AE, which is found in almost all the non-chronograph watches by Bremont. The calibre runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and has the capability of storing a minimum power reserve of up to 38 hours. It is hidden behind a solid caseback with a vintage-style Jaguar car logo and an ‘E-Type’ label. Both the MKII and MKIII are presented on a perforated blue calf-leather racing strap with a polished stainless steel pin buckle. 

Although the MKIII is the most pared-down timepiece of the series, it adheres to the overall visual theme of its siblings

The display of the watch flaunts a subtle ‘red line’ placed between three and four o'clock, which pays tribute to the E-Type’s tachometer

Bremont Motorsport

₹4,49,000

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