Hello, I am new to the forum, and new to Bremont. Thought I'd jump in quickly with some comments.
The BC-S2/bg is a stunning watch straight out of the box. Visually, this watch has just enough London-style color (I see traces of Paul Smith's aesthetic in Bremont's designs) to be uniquely British, but it is also earthy and classic. The brushed finish on the case mellows the whole look, and allows the darker green color of the even-numbered indices and inner second's ring to pop while still being a darker—almost forest—green. Enough has been said about the beautiful Trip-Tick case elsewhere, but I will say that the black inner case piece looks like an extension of the black dial on the BC-S2/bg. That the black dial and middle case-piece pick each other up visually ties the inside to the outside in a way that very few watches ever do so effortlessly. Not all Bremonts have a connection between the dial and the middle case-piece, but it might be something they could explore more down the road as a design strategy that only their unique three-piece case affords.
The vertical Day/Date window at 6 o'clock is a stunner, and I'm glad they did it in bright white, because a unique feature like that deserves to be emphasized. Overall, this dial manages to to be both busy and quiet—a duality that I think only the best watch designs achieve (think Speedmaster). I've always felt that this busy-yet-quiet quality is achieved by allowing only for the most careful interruptions between elements. Here the very bottom edge of the day/date window breaks, yet is perfectly aligned with, the green inner second's ring—it's less an interruption than an integration. To have fully transgressed that seconds ring would have been to "noisy," while tucking the day/date inside the inner ring would have felt claustrophobic. These kinds of details can give a watch that extra 2% of design integrity that sets them apart. Aside from that one overlap, everything on this dial has its uninterrupted place, and as a 43mm 3-hand affair, it manages great legibility without feeling empty (as so many pilots watches can).
This balanced dial design is a testament to the Spitfire instruments that this green version was based on, but the way that Bremont has managed to turn that aesthetic into something I want to wear in all but the most formal settings (I didn't wear it to a funereal recently, for example), is a true design accomplishment. This watch is a casual pilot's watch paired with flannel and jeans, but it becomes a stylish British time-piece when tucked beneath a crisp white shirt and a blazer.
If I have any complaints, they are mellow ones—and as one who has participated in various design projects (I work in the music industry and help design record covers) I can tell you that 95% of the time my suggestions are tossed aside upon actually seeing them. But, were this watch still in design phase, my two sheepish notes would be: (1) to ask prototype wearers if they ever mistook the vertical day/date window as the hour hand, and (2) to try bumping the Bremont logo down in size just a hair to see how it looked. Admittedly, the day/date complaint comes from my mid-40s eyesight late at night when my readers were on the bedside table rather than on my face, and the logo idea would likely fall into the 95% to-be-ignored category of my design feedback.
I have a 7.5" wrist, and this watch fist perfectly. I love that it's relatively large and beefy, but not so tall that I can't get it easily under a shift cuff. The wider bezel helps keep the face from feeling like unfarmed acres, and the crown is well proportioned—not huge, not small—and comfortable. As most here will know, the lugs are spectacularly well placed, allowing one to see the Trip-Tick case between the lugs while placing the strap closer to the wrist for a comfortable and snug fit. I've honestly never worn a watch that feels so sumptuous on my wrist, and the leather strap's tapering thickness helps achieve that.
Case back window reveals that lovely movement, and the serial number showing up both on the case and inside the movement is a really nice touch—one that decades later will certainly allow one to be sure the original case and movement are still married and living together.
So, with no further ado, I offer up my first forum offering here. I hope you'll enjoy having me aboard.
Thank you ACF for such a good review.
Enjoyed reading it and helps me with making a decision on purchase of the same model.
I was recently in the Qatar department store that stocks Bremont watches. And it was the BC-S2 with black -green face that caught my eye!
Was only looking as I have now ordered one of the Fusiliers (Royal Regt of Fusiliers) U22 special projects watch. Fascinated by the quality of engineering and style of these things.
Will see what happens today as the staff let me know that they are having a 40% off Bremont watches this month.
Reply With Quote
