Readers, I’d like to invite you to step back in time. Let’s go all the way back to the middle of April of 2024, in the days following this year’s Watches and Wonders. Amidst much content creation by many a watch media figure, there was a single story for which a consensus view began to emerge. While opinions might have differed on the viability of the new Lange Super Watch or the retail pricing of those gorgeous manually wound Grand Seikos, there was one brand on which just about everyone shared a take. Coming out of the fair, just about all of us agreed that Bremont was in trouble.
There’s no need to dwell here on what we’ve already covered, except to say that the reaction to the new look at Bremont was the rare occasion in the watch media landscape where it felt like (almost) everyone was getting their unfiltered digs in. That usually doesn’t happen in our space. The reason is simple, at least at Worn & Wound, and that’s because here we tend to cover stuff we like. We want to share our enthusiasm for the things that get us excited, new releases included. But Bremont rebranding as they did at the biggest watch event in the world was newsworthy in a way that couldn’t be ignored, and we had to (as we always do) cover it honestly. We saw the watches in the metal, and gave our reactions, as did many others, and the many stories that were filed speak for themselves.
It’s been several months since Bremont debuted their new look, and the storm has died down considerably. The brand has been quiet. I imagine that’s partly a reaction on their part to the response they received in Geneva, but they also showed us a lot of watches scheduled to be released throughout 2024, so it’s certainly possible they simply weren’t planning on new release announcements to dot the calendar in the months following Watches and Wonders. But as July wound down, what I think is our first glimpse at a new Bremont since Watches & Wonders: the new Broadsword Recon Bronze.
The new watch is effectively a bronze version of the Broadsword limited edition that we covered last year. This watch was fairly well received, and the new bronze piece doesn’t deviate too greatly from what came before. The idea behind the Broadsword is that it’s a contemporary recreation of the classic “Dirty Dozen” military issued watches that have become so collectible. We see a lot of watches that use the Dirty Dozen as inspiration, and they’re usually, if we’re being honest, squarely in “homage” territory. Bremont’s rendition is a little more complex and a more thorough reimagining of the idea behind the Dirty Dozen, and less of a one to one port of a watch from the past.
The sandwich dial construction goes a long way toward making the Broadsword feel like a fresh take on the Dirty Dozen format, and it feels particularly at home in this bronze version, with tan lume (that glows green) complementing the bronze tone of the case. There are little details on the dial that I imagine will make the Broadsword Recon Bronze feel like a premium product, such as the sandwich construction being extended beyond the Arabic numerals to the running seconds register at the 6:00 position, and the gloss black edges on the frame of the apertures on the dial’s upper layer.
Like last year’s Broadsword release, this one is made under an official partnership with the Ministry of Defense, and is the only watch brand permitted to use signs, symbols, and badges of the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force. The caseback is stamped with these symbols and simple text stating “Approved by Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.” And yes, it seems odd on first blush that the “her” pronoun is used here as King Charles has ascended to the throne. Bremont explains that the timepiece was designed and approved prior to the passing of Queen Elizabeth, and that once new crests are decreed, the casebacks will be updated accordingly.
The Bremont Broadsword Recon Bronze measures 40mm in diameter and is powered by the BE-95-2AV caliber, which has been chronometer certified. It’s a limited edition of 100 pieces, and the retail price is $3,950. It’s somewhat fitting, I think, that the first release of note from Bremont following Watches & Wonders is a watch whose DNA was set prior the rebrand. It reinforces the idea that Bremont, as it stands today, is very much a work in progress, still looking for their footing during a complicated time. Bremont
