Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Breakpoint Watch… The Entirely New Bremont Supermarine 300m
Bremont's dive watch, the Supermarine, undergoes a drastic update. In short, it's entirely new.
Let’s go straight to the point. Bremont, one of the foremost British watch brands, is changing. The founding brothers, Nick and Giles English, are no longer the faces of the company, which has had a new CEO for about a year now: Davide Cerrato. As expected, his arrival has meant a new strategy, starting with redefining the brand around three pillars: Air (pilot’s watches), Land/Exploration (with a brand new collection named Terra Nova) and Sea (dive watches, known as the Supermarine). Today, we’ll be talking about the latter, as there is an entirely new collection, the Bremont Supermarine 300m. And it is indeed a very different watch from what we’ve come to know in the past.
According to a recent encounter I had with Cerrato (which will be posted in a video interview soon in this magazine), there are multiple reasons for the changes we can witness at Bremont. First, the brand is still very much rooted in the UK market, with a large part of the sales effected in the United Kingdom. Bremont, as a brand, needs to enlarge its customer base and look at new, largely unexplored territories. This, according to Cerrato, required streamlining the range and creating clearly defined collections, which he has focused on three classic pillars for tool watches: land, sea, and air. Land is a new topic for the brand, which has been presented recently with the Terra Nova collection. Air needs little introduction, as pilot and military watches are the essence of the brand. The sea is a topic that has long existed at Bremont, with the Supermarine collection, but which needed to be redefined – once again, according to Cerrato, in order to expand the brand.
And here we are in 2024 with an entirely new, completely redesigned Bremont Supermarine 300m collection – there are also date models available, not covered here. And yes, it changes everything, starting with the case design, getting rid of the classic (some would say emblematic) Trip-Tick case construction. While some feared that this case would be entirely suppressed from the brand’s catalogue, Cerrato told us that it would stay, mostly 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.
However, this isn’t true for the new Bremont Supermarine 300m, which represents the new core model for the collection – the classic dive watch, if you will. Aside from a new logo (called Wayfinder, which claims to summarise the three pillars of the brand), the brand’s aquatic proposition has been entirely redefined and made more consensual. As a replacement for the Supermarine Type 300 and Type 301 (smaller models with a 40mm case), the new Supermarine 300m wants to be sleeker, slimmer, more capable and at a better price.
Made from 904L stainless steel (a relatively rare choice in the category), the case has nice, all-rounder dive watch proportions, measuring 40mm in diameter and 49mm in length – it does feel marginally shorter on the wrist than this number would suggest. Another change concerns the overall thickness, now at a fairly reasonable 12mm including the caseback and crystal (a reduction of about 1mm). Let’s now talk about the design. As said, gone is the Trip-Tick case in this context, replaced by a more traditional 3-part design with an asymmetrical shape. Mostly satin-finished, with nice polished bevels on the sides, the case features flat flanks and integrates crown guards, but also a second protruding area at 9 o’clock to add protection to the bezel.
For the rest, the Bremont Supermarine 300m is a well-equipped dive watch with a domed sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown and an engraved steel screwed back. It features a unidirectional bezel with an aluminium insert – a deliberate choice from Cerrato, who prefers the metallic sheen of an anodized ring rather than the polished look of a ceramic insert. It is a pleasant watch on the wrist, with an undeniable feel of quality and robustness. The design will surely generate debate, mostly from the old fan base that might miss the previous case design, while at the same time, new-to-the-brand enthusiasts will look at this model with fresh eyes. Evolution for a brand is always a complex task. I personally would say that the watch has gained in practicality and comfort and feels robust. It has, however, lost some of its identity.
Regarding the dial, two options are available for the Supermarine 300m no-date: blue or green (a black dial is available with a date). Both have a fine-grained texture and a light gradient effect to match the colour of the bezel. The evolution of the identity is less blatant here, as the overall look feels familiar, in line with the previous S300 and S301. The no-date display is enjoyable and the brand has made the choice of applied markers and numerals, moving away slightly from the military inspiration of the past. The sword hands are classic Bremont, while the seconds hand has been reshaped with an arrow tip. A nice detail is the continuity of the markers from the dial to the bezel, said to create a naval-inspired crosshair.
Inside the case, hidden under an engraved back, is the calibre BE-92AO, using the latest version of the Sellita SW300 base, with an upgraded power reserve – now 50 hours. This automatic movement runs at 4Hz and features a stop-seconds mechanism. It is not chronometer-rated but is adjusted internally and should run pretty close to these standards.
The final evolution for the Bremont Supermarine 300m concerns the bracelet (again in 904L steel), which inaugurates a brand new design. I must admit that it is a very nice bracelet, with small and highly flexible links and a soft feeling on the skin. The undulating design (sort of a double rouleaux) is pretty unique and the bracelet is equipped with both micro-adjustment on the clasp and a quick-change system. The watch is also available on a colour-matched rubber strap (blue or green) or 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 retailers. It is priced from EUR 3,550 on a rubber strap or EUR 3,850 on a steel bracelet – a slight reduction compared to the previous collection. For more details, please visit bremont.com.
25 responses
Fire the designer that drew this monstrosity and the CEO that approved this. This is what kills a brand.
4k euros for this?!?! hahahaha! most aliexpress brands put more effort in their clomages at a couple hundred euros, lol
Nice watch but for the price point an in-house movement would be preferable to compete with watches in this category.
I’ve been trying to understand why Bremont has gone in this direction. It had a definite presence and character that is totally absent in the new releases. The CEO has driven Bremont off the cliff stylistically. I’ll keep and enjoy my Solo and ALT1-Zulu, both unique, well-designed and executed watches that stand out. This change in direction is a fail. These are bland, uninspired and vastly overpriced watches that do nothing for me.
This could be any generic Chinese-made microbrand watch – though at least those would have a ceramic bezel instead of this cheap-looking strip of soda-can… Genius move by Cerrato: binning all of the brand’s hard-won USP!
Absolutely disgraceful. Cerato is a **** ****. This will be the end of Bremont (comment edited to avoid insulting words)
Overpriced, inferior and uninspired designs that really do a disservice to the standards set by Bremont with their previous watches. New management has significantly lowered the bar in terms of quality and desirability. I hope the brand survives this and returns to their roots.
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Brice
I really like Bremont. I think they have played a key roll in the resurgence of British watchmaking, which I greatly appreciate. I would have expected a more interesting dive watch from them. This leaves me uninspired. I wish they would have tried for a dress watch. I think their design language would transfer well to that. At least they are using a good movement. I am so sick of all the pointless gimmicky inhouse movements.
excellent replica of the Orient Mako!
“…a new logo (called Wayfinder, which claims to summarise the three pillars of the brand)”. I must say I am almost out of words. This is so incredibly embarrassing, and such a shame. What I also find a bit annoying is that most watch magazines tend to just republish what seems to be something written by the company. I know, I know… this is done industry wide, but in the Bremont-case it feels so… blatantly obvious. Am I alone in thinking this?
The design is quite generic and doesn’t really seem to have much Fremont DNA, good or bad. The only positive thing I can say about it is that it doesn’t have a date which has been a deal breaker for me on many of their models, besides the I flated price, obviously. There are definitely not getting global with this.
So, what we’ve got is a massively dumbed-down design with a minor downward price adjustment. What Cerrato is doing to this company is appalling. He seems to have little concept of the brand or direction whatsoever.
Boring generic design.
I’m lucky to own three “proper” Bremont watches. To me, these new pieces are simply ordinary and of no real interest or merit.
So sad to see such a cheap looking uninspired design. It feels like Bremont has lost its way. I was always drawn to the story of the brothers and their father downed during the war and given shelter by a French farmer. It was an authentic starting point for great pilot watches which generated dive and other styles. Thus all appears to have been discarded for yet another ‘me too’ brand and design language.
With the arrival of the new CEO Bremont has gone from concentrating on making watches to concentrating on making money. It will not end well.
With the arrival of the new CEO Bremont has gone from concentrating on making watches to concentrating on making money. It won’t end well.
Certainly a decently made watch, and I appreciate the use of 904L steel.
But how bland is this new design ! It makes brands such as Baltic, often operating in the sub € 1000 range, look like the epitome of creativity. Disappointed former Bremont customers shoud seriously consider SERICA. Yes, I know, another French brand 🙂
Where has the Britishness gone ?
Would be interested in having an honest chat with the English bothers to hear their thoughts about where the new CEO is leading the brand.
Sad 😢 change of direction.
If you like this style the Montblanc Ice Diver has a similar but more interesting dial and the Ultramarine Albatross comes with the Kenissi 5402–and both are less expensive than this new Bremont. As others have said it’s quite generic and expensive for what it is.
Why was the name on the dial so large you can’t do a 10 & 2 dial shot without covering the brand name. How did that make it past anyone?
There’s best part about this watch is the bracelet. The rest of the watch is so incredibly bland and underwhelming that I’m amazed it isn’t sold as a sleep aid for insomniacs.
Cue the new “Chinese knock-off, mall watch, this is not Bremont haters!”
from an overpriced pseudo-Breitling sort of design, it’s become an overpriced pseudo-whatever sort of design. neither was even the least bit interesting, at any price.