British watchmaker Bremont have teamed up with its compatriots at Bamford Watch Department to release a special edition of Bremont’s robust S500 diver, the Bremont S500 Bamford Special Edition.
The Release
The Bremont S500 Bamford Special Edition makes several significant changes to the standard S500. The 43mm case is offered in black DLC-coated steel and measures 51mm lug-to-lug and 16.5mm thick; this is not a small watch and laughs at conventional ideas of wearability. The lugs feature Bremont’s signature sculpted curves and measure 22mm with a black sailcloth strap with a buckle that matches the case. The 2 o’clock screw down crown is signed, provides 500m of water resistance, and is protected by a swooping crown guard. The unidrectional bezel features a deep-grooved grip with a ceramic insert that has polished indices; it surrounds a domed sapphire crystal. The caseback features a rudimentary etching of the Supermarine S6B Schneider Trophy Seaplane, the namesake of the Supermarine line.
The dial has the most pronounced changes, though. Bamford has rid the dial of its somewhat conservative design in favor of his light blue motif that has featured on other collaborations. The dial is now a sandwich dial with a California layout, Roman numerals at the top, Arabic on the bottom. The hands, too, have changed from the stylized sword hands Bremont typically uses to black alpha hands with Super-LumiNova matching that of the indices. The seconds hand features striping against an entirely lumed base. The watch is powered by the ETA 2836-2-based BE-36AE automatic movement, updated by Bremont with a number of elements that allow it to meet chronometer accuracy.
Our Thoughts
It might seem that the only thing holding this partnership together seems to be the brand’s national identity, but apparently the English brothers have been friends with George Bamford for some time. Certainly, the styling is not typical of Bremont in any sense. Whimsy is not part of Bremont’s vocabulary, but it forms the backbone of Bamford’s. However, the Bamford S500 is exactly what collaborations like these are meant for: an outside designer coming in and pushing the limits of a brand’s aesthetic. That’s exactly what George Bamford has done here, applying his trademark black and blue color scheme to the S500, with a new set of indices and a new handset.
A lot of people I know have a profound dislike, if not hate, for California dials. For my part, I think they’re harmlessly quirky (the name comes from the California-based dial refurbisher that would fix up 1930s and 1940s Rolexes that featured the dial style). What I’ll say about this release is that I’m a big fan of Bremont’s typical designs (especially the lugs and sweeping crown guard), and while this watch is great at being what it is, I’m happy it doesn’t represent the future direction of the brand. Oh, and I would’ve like to have seen a more novel material than DLC steel—at least DLC titanium, if not a carbon case (which other brands are doing at a lower price point).
Availability
The Bremont S500 Bamford Special Edition is priced at £3,995 and limited to 250 pieces. It’s available now via Bremont or Bamford.