No need to eject

We are big fans of Bremont here at ESCAPEMENT, as many of you will be able to ascertain from articles previously written.

Bremont, led by Nick and Giles English, produce high quality wristwatches offering robust construction and attractive pricing. Moreover, the quintessential British brand has enjoyed widespread praise for its designs.

Nick and Giles are keen aviators and this is evident in the models produced by Bremont. Furthermore, they have created watches for many flying professionals within the military which will no doubt be sought after by collectors for many years to come.

The brand has had a long relationship with Martin Baker, world leader in the design and manufacture of ejection seats. I was recently a guest of Martin Baker at Farnborough Airshow and I chatted to several pilots who had benefitted from the safety device which conferred a second chance.

Those pilots who have used a Martin Baker ejection seat receive a tie and membership of the Martin Baker Ejection Tie Club, now numbering in excess of 5,800 members. An additional benefit of membership of this elite and exclusive club is the opportunity to purchase the Bremont MBI.

My fellow ESCAPEMENT contributor and ex-RAF Officer, Clive Girven, has pined for a Bremont MBI and he often talks of wanting one. However, sadly for Clive he lacks membership of the aforementioned club. The MBII is the default choice for those who have typically worked on terra firma and have not ejected to the heavens courtesy of Messrs Baker.

The MBII has a stainless steel case, hardened to 2000 Vickers, and features Trip-Tick® case construction. A patented inner bi-directional Roto-Click® bezel is another unique feature which differentiates this timepiece from other watches on the market.

Now there is a rare, limited edition MBII/TWG which harnesses all the wonderful aspects of the regular MBII and yet offers greater scarcity that even the MBI.

The Watch Gallery has just 30 limited edition pieces unlike any other MBII. The colour of Watch Gallery’s logo, a patriotic blue hue, features on the caseband.

The MBII ordinarily features an inner soft-iron anti-magnetic Faraday cage, whereas, this limited edition features a sapphire crystal caseback instead.

I am a huge fan of casebacks which afford a view of the movement as they allow the wearer to immerse themselves in the romanticism of horology. Mechanical watches have a soul and charisma lacking in quartz offerings.

If you examine the movement of the MBII/TWG you will see wonderful finissage, sometimes lacking in watches costing substantially more. Blued screws, a warm gold coloured rotor and circular graining on the plate all distinguish this watch as a high quality timepiece of peerless construction.

This limited edition version also has the MBI dial ring and yellow second hand.

Conclusion

Like millions of people, I am unlikely to ever deploy a Martin Baker ejector seat. However, with this limited edition, Bremont fans have the opportunity to own a very rare timepiece with handsome looks and a charming character without the need to leave the safety of the ground.