Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Bremont - MUSTANG P-51 Chronograph "Fragile but Agile" Limited Edition


Bremont - MUSTANG P-51 Chronograph "Fragile but Agile" Limited Edition 

 

 

Following on from the great success and interest generated by the arrival of the very special and unique EP120 Limited Edition watch back in late 2008, Bremont are releasing the Limited Edition P-51, a chronograph chronometer built with original parts from the famous 1944 Mustang WWII aircraft P-51K-10 (serial number 44-12016). This Pacific war veteran which was also known as 'Fragile but Agile', was piloted by Lt. Bert Lee Jr, who was credited with two confirmed victories during the war.



Bremont is delighted to have been awarded the 'People’s Choice Award' in the Watch Category at the Couture 2012 Watch and Jewelery Show in Vegas last week. The vote was cast by a juried panel of fellow designers, Cornerstone Retailers and jewellery editors from leading consumer magazines. With over 162 submissions the criteria that the award was based on design, craftsmanship and saleability.
 

 The award is wonderful achievement for the British watch brand that has seen its retail footprint in the US grow significantly over the past 18 months with a presence now of over 40 doors in North America.

Nick English Co-Founder of Bremont; “We are truly touched by this award and thank all the retailers, journalists and trade that have voted for us. We have really been focusing on the US market and the growth over the last couple of years is really a great testament to the hard work that we have put in."

Michael Person Director of Bremont USA; “We are very fortunate to have a wonderful US retailer and client base that really understand the philosophy of the brand and the incredible amounts of time and effort we put into our watches. Our retailers have been delighted with the performance if the Bremont brand and the US is now quickly becoming our largest market. There is so much still to do but we certainly feel that the excitement out here is just the tip of the iceberg for this territory."

The US is the second largest watch market behind China and in recent years China has really been the focus for growth for many of the watch brands. Bremont took a different approach and decided that their aviation inspired rugged mechanical watches would work well in America. Many British luxury brands that have attempted to make the US work and many have failed but the ones that have succeeded have created global brands.

Glen Bowen, from Couture Time said, "The top retailers in America in attendance at the Couture Time show in Las Vegas chose Bremont's ALTI-WT watch as their show favourite. Winning this year's People's Choice Award demonstrates the popularity of Bremont's aviation-inspired world timer and I believe that this choice was due to the watch's interpretive design and outstanding value. Congratulations to the Bremont team for this great win in the 2012 People's Choice Award."

Jeremy Oster, founder of Oster Jewelers in Denver said, "Bremont is a brand with genuine values, a consistent and authentic approach and a unique combination of style, quality and value. It is wonderful that Couture jewellers recognize the compelling story that is told with every Bremont watch."



                 ‘Fragile but Agile’ – The BREMONT P-51
                          Pre-Release Press Information
Following on from the great success and interest generated by the arrival of the very special and unique EP120 Limited Edition watch back in late 2008, Bremont are releasing the Limited Edition Bremont P-51, a chronograph chronometer built with original parts from the famous 1944 Mustang WWII aircraft P-51K-10 (serial number 44-12016), a Pacific war veteran also known as ‘Fragile but Agile’.


Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ...

 
Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ...

Original aluminium metal from the aircraft fuselage is integrated into both the dial and the movement of the timepiece; with the dial itself inspired by the clocks found in the P-51 aircraft. The 43mm hardened steel Trip-Tick® case, using Bremont’s B-EBE2000 technology, integrates the new rotating ‘Roto-Click®’ inner bezel that houses four ball-bearings inside the case. As with many of Bremont’s latest watch designs, the P-51 is assembled the company’s atelier in England rather than their workshop in Biel-Bienne in Switzerland, and houses a modified Swiss BE-54A automatic chronometer movement that also shows UTC time. The watch will be limited to only 251 pieces and will retail at £7,450.00.
 
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The watch is to be unveiled at Basel 2011 and released in the autumn. P-51K-10 (serial number 44-12016) rolled off the North American Aviation assembly line in
Dallas, Texas, on 18 December 1944 and was then loaded on to a ship on the 15th January 1945 for an assignment in the Far East. It was to take part in the American campaign to retake the Philippine Islands from the Japanese. On arrival in the Pacific Theatre of Operations, the aircraft was assigned to the 342nd Fighter Squadron of the 348th Fighter Group, which then was stationed at the San Marcelino airbase, just north of Manila Bay.
 
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Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ...

 Lt. Bert Lee Jr. was assigned to fly the aircraft and was credited with two confirmed victories
during the war, which accounts for the two Japanese flags painted below his name on the plane. One was a Japanese A6M “Zero” fighter near Manila and the other a twin-engine "Betty" bomber. A lot of Lt. Lee’s missions in the P-51 were ground support in what was then Indochina. Lee and his Mustang both survived the war. Following its time in the US Air Force, ‘Fragile but Agile’ then spent time serving with both the Swedish and Israeli military before eventually being restored by pilot and collector Stephen Grey and The Fighter Collection based at Duxford in the UK. In 2009 the Mustang was acquired by another collector and good friend of Stephen’s – Dan Friedkin, based in Houston, Texas.
The Bremont Watch Company is a British company that was started by brothers Nick and
Giles English in 2002. They offer a range of highly developed aviation inspired timepieces of exceptional quality and high aesthetic value. Bremont had the honour of being awarded the Walpole Award for Best Emerging British Luxury Brand at the 2008 Walpole Awards for British excellence which took place in November 2008.


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Photos of the Bremont ALT1-WT    www.alt1tude.com - Bremont Forum




Technical Details

MOVEMENT

Modified calibre 13 1/4” BE-54AE automatic chronometer, 25 jewels, Glucydur balance, Anachron balance spring, Nivaflex 1 mainspiring, 28,800bph, 42 hour power reserve. Hand-crafted aluminum rotor from 44-12016 skin.

FUNCTIONS

Hour/minute/second, date at 4H, chronograph with seconds and 30 minutes, 24 hour UTC hand.

CASE

Hardened stainless steel Bremont Trip Tick® construction with scratch resistant PVD treated case barrel. Case diameter 43.00mm, lug width 22.00mm, case thickness 16.00mm.

CASE BACK

Stainless steel with integrated flat crystal, 5 stainless steel screws with polished heads.

BEZEL

Internally rotating bezel operated by crown at 8H with Bremont Roto-Click® technology.

DIAL

Metal dial with various ground colours with integrated aluminum sub-dial from 44-12016 skin. Coated nickel hands with bespoke SuperLumiNova®

CRYSTAL

Domed anti-reflective, scratch resistant sapphire crystal.

WATER RESISTANCE

Water resistant to 10 ATM, 100 metres.

RATINGS

C.O.S.C chronometer tested.

BRACELET

Tanned embossed calf-skin leather strap with stainless steel solid deployment buckle and engraved security clasp.

CERTIFICATION

Every watchcase and movement is engraved with its Bremont serial number and is accompanied by its C.O.S.C certification.

LIMITED EDITION

  P-51 limited to 251 pieces.


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