Post by timelessluxwatches on Dec 12, 2015 20:08:41 GMT -6
Bremont AC I Review
Bremont's new AC I is part of a collection of four watches designed to honor the America's Cup yacht race and definitely my favorite of the collection. It is arguably the dressiest watch Bremont has ever made and features a gorgeous textured dial. Read on to learn more.
The AC I is one of the four watches honoring America's Cup. It's joined by the also-dressy AC II chronograph, and the much sportier Oracle models which directly honor the defending team, Oracle Team USA. Although I haven't seen the other three models yet, I think it's safe to say that the AC I is my favorite of the collection. In fact, it's probably my favorite Bremont this year, over even the Jaguar MK I.
America's Cup is a yacht race that, since 1851, has raced around the Isle of Wight in England. The title of "America's" is a bit confusing, given its location, but it's actually named after the first yacht to win the race, the eponymous America.
The winner of the race receives a rather elaborate trophy known as the "Auld Mug" essentially meaning an "old cup." This is the inspiration for the most remarkable aspect of the AC I, its very impressive textured dial.
The dial is not the only noteworthy thing about the AC I, but it is probably the highlight. The watch, based on the production Solo model, is really quite classic.
Taking a closer look, we can see two very striking features: its unusually bright blue hands and its textured dial.
The hands are heat blued, and thus have a very dynamic character because the hands appear black in many environments. I will say that these are a bit more vibrant than I usually see, a lighter blue if you will. Bremont says this is inspired by the sea itself. I'm not sure about that, but the nice, broad, flat shape of the hands is a shape that is really benefited by heat bluing.
The dial work is really impressive, and dare I say, somewhat reminiscent of watches like the Grand Seiko Snowflake, a compliment that I do not give lightly. The repeating motif is that of the Auld Mug, the trophy of America's Cup.
The numerals are a very thick, black ink that looks absolutely terrific on a watch like this. Also notice that they have a very precisely manufactured dial here because they have removed the texture only when it is directly in the path of a numeral. Most brands will just flatten an entire area of a texture dial to print on, which is cheaper to produce. Other brands take a more challenging route, writing directly over the texture (like Grand Seiko), but this probably wouldn't have looked good with really thick ink like Bremont is using. This is probably the best possible path they could have taken with the numerals on this dial.
The date is also nice. Placed at 6:00, it replaces that numeral, but the symmetry is not interrupted as it might have been were it at 3:00 instead. It lacks a frame, but with no applied numerals/markers, that would have looked very out of place. Instead we have a clean beveled look. I will say that the smaller movement, relative to the 43mm watch, is a bit apparent here because the date is slightly higher than I'd prefer, but there really isn't much Bremont could do about that.
The AC I also receives a version of the Solo's chapter ring, adding a dash of sportiness to it, but this isn't at all obtrusive. It really works for this watch, in part because it takes the minute ticks off of the dial altogether, giving it a cleaner appearance. A red 12:00 marker is just a bit more aggressive, but it is technically a sports watch (by definition, actually), after all. Just a very, very classy one.
Here's a look at the watch in less direct light. Typical of heat blued hands, they appear black here, but the angle of the light helps create shadow across the textured dial, really bringing out the trophy motif.
Bremont is a company that is better known for their very tough and complex cases. The AC I is certainly a beneficiary of that heritage and, despite its dressy looks, it gives up nothing in terms of toughness or Bremont design.
Bremont once again utilizes their Trip-Tick construction, which uses discrete components for front, middle and back sections of the watch. The steel used is extremely hard and scratch resistant, making it an excellent choice for sporting activities.
At 43mm, it's a bit large for such a classically styled watch, but I hear from a great many people that they wish Grand Seikos and Nomoses, for instance, came in larger sizes, so while it's a little bigger than I'd prefer for myself, there is definitely an audience for this size.
Of course, the most remarkable aspect of this case is the simple fact that it's polished. Bremont only rarely polishes a case, I suspect because it's relatively difficult to do on a hardened material. In fact, Bremont says that this case was hand polished. It was the only way to go on a watch like this, however, just to match the classic look.
Here we see the crown, adorned by Bremont's propeller logo. Interestingly, for a watch designed to be worn while boating, the crown doesn't screw down, but the watch is still good for 100 meters. This also gives us a close up look at the black DLC treated barrel, which should be highly scratch resistant.
The AC I is powered by the Calibre 13 1/4” BE-36AE, a modified ETA movement, which I thought warranted some brief discussion.
Aside from being chronometers, which virtually all Bremont watches are, they're actually quite pretty as they're almost entirely covered in perlage.
The thing I really wanted to discuss was the anti-shock mount, however. If you've read some of my other articles which discussed the function of components like Incabloc and Kif, basically shock absorbers for the balance shaft, you'll be familiar with the basic concept. The anti-shock mount is one big shock absorber that reduces the amount of vibration and shock that gets channeled into the movement, adding to its toughness and, theoretically anyway, even to long term accuracy (although the latter is my speculation, not Bremont's). It also serves a nice aesthetic function, because this movement is definitely not designed for a 43mm case, yet it looks great here. The anti-shock mount is nicely decorated and adds quite a bit of size to the movement (although it's technically part of the case), really filling up the case back like you might see on an IWC Portuguese.
Check out our video of the Bremont AC I here.
The Bremont AC I is a really interesting offering from the British watchmaker. They have been gradually moving into dressier territory, notably with their very popular ALT1-C/PW chronograph, but I don't think they've really ever gone as far into dress watch territory as they have with the AC I.
I'm not sure I'd say it's a dress watch in the purest terms, as it's a bit large and does have some sporty accents to it, but it's more than close enough to give fans of Bremont, or those who just want something that works well with a suit yet gives up nothing in terms of toughness, a great new option. It has the same hardened steel and anti-shock mount that you would find in a "hardcore" Bremont but it'll look great in the office.
The dial, including hands and numerals, really are top notch and will impress you in person. Even if you, like me, are not into yacht racing, there are plenty of reasons to like this watch. I hope they follow up this special edition with a similar full production version because I think there's definitely a place in Bremont's lineup for it, the three hand equivalent to their ALT1-C/PW.
