Hands-On Bremont Builds Heat With The Supernova

Bremont, now in its 20th year of operation, has spent the last three developing the Supernova and it's not at all a stretch for me to say that it's something new for the brand. Even among the three new models announced last month, the Supernova stands out from the Fury and the Audley as being something decidedly outside the norm of what we've come to expect from a Bremont.

The Supernova represents an upgrade to the brand's core lineup in every conceivable way. The movement, the case, the bracelet, it's all a step above what I've come to expect. But let's start with the numbers.

The Supernova measures 40mm wide, 11.1mm thick, and 53mm lug to lug. Aside from dimensions, the weight (with the bracelet sized for my 7-inch wrist) is 173 grams and the Supernova has a screw-down crown and 100 meters worth of water resistance.

The Supernova is available in three versions, Midnight blue, Albus silver/white, and the Pitch black version loaned for this review. All three versions come on a full steel bracelet and use an execution of the ENG300 called the ENG375 which sports both a big date and a power reserve indication. The models have sapphire crystals front and back and the dial-side crystal is both flat and well-treated against reflections.

As with most Bremonts, indeed anything outside of the HMAF collection, the Supernova has a three-piece case design that has the lug/bezel element as a top, a middle case barrel with a DLC black treatment, and finally, a steel display caseback. For the integrated bracelet, the case design maintains the overall structure but feels like a higher-end example of the form. The edges are sharp, the underside exposed lug elements are polished, and the dimensions work well to balance each other nicely, resulting in a watch that doesn't wear quite as large as the numbers might suggest.

The case has a mix of finishing, with curving polished bevels that accent the case/lug shape and a bezel that is vertically finished on its face and polished on its sloping and curved edges. It all feels like Bremont, but in closer accordance with the price point, at a higher grade. Take a closer look at the way the middle case barrel integrates with the crown guard. And then there's the bracelet.

At first glance, the Supernova's bracelet looks very much like that of the Royal Oak, no? A closer look shows that the link design is different, and relies upon a t-shaped link design that has a small outward projecting wing on the intermediate link. Like the case, the outward edges are beveled and polished. Furthermore, the links use a single-sided screwed construction to make sizing straightforward for anyone with a steady hand and a small enough screwdriver.

On wrist, the Supernova's bracelet is chunky and robust, but not in any sort of way that messes with the overall balance of the watch on your wrist. Yes, it's a rather heavy package, but it wraps well and sits far better than I expected. While I'm speaking from a bias for my own wrist, I'd love to see how a ~37mm version would wear. I enjoy integrated bracelet designs but find they suit my wrist best when they are of a smaller size than what I might prefer for a watch with conventional lugs.

The bracelet tapers from 25.2mm at the lugs to 19.8mm at the push-button butterfly clasp. With only polished accents and edges, the largely brushed Supernova bracelet feels appropriate for a steel Bremont and is finished with a circular medallion bearing the brand's propeller logo (much like the enamel crown insert).

Being the Pitch black iteration, this Supernova's dial is a flat black with applied and luminous Arabic numerals set into an outer ring of the dial that is finished with circular graining. The outer edge of the dial hosts a minute track that is easily reached by both the minute and seconds hands and proudly bears "Made in England" at six o'clock. For those working on their night moves, the lume is good, but not great, with the hour and minute hands doing much of the heavy lifting after the sun goes down.

Both of the ENG375-supported complications break the wall of the outer ring, with the two distinct wheels of the big date being nicely bisected by the transition between the inner and outer dial and the rather handsome power reserve indication nestling into the outer element, as well. With a light touch of red accents and no lack of legibility, the Supernova's dial feels like the premium and more complicated take on what I had with my Bremont Solo. It's sporty but elegant and the details read as connections to the mechanical world rather than mere fanciness. Very Bremont.

For me, it works well, though I do lament the lack of a tactile element with which I could fidget, be it a chronograph or a timing bezel. It's hard to take the dive watch out of the man, especially when that man is me.

I do get quite a kick out of setting the date and seeing that zero sit still while the outer date wheel adjusts. Likewise, though a power reserve is likely not a crucial complement to an automatic movement, I did find myself taking little breaks throughout the day to give it a few winds and watch the meter adjust. I promise you, I am a full-grown adult and have even been known to occasionally pay my taxes.

Speaking of maturity, we should probably get to the movement as it represents a not insignificant portion of both the price and the appeal of the Supernova. The automatic ENG375  ticks at 3.5 Hz (25,200 vph) while offering 65 hours of power reserve. A rubber anti-shock mount surrounds the movement (in testing, the ENG300 did survive a ride in a Martin-Baker airplane ejection seat), and it employs a silicon escape wheel, a free-sprung balance, and a tungsten winding rotor.

If you haven't read up on the ENG300 and its development, I highly recommend adding this story from Robin Swithinbank to your reading list as Bremont has gone for maximum transparency in introducing their new movement. But, for those of you who frequently leave your own mother on read, I'll give you a quick cheat sheet.

The ENG300 is based on THE+'s K1 movement, which has been used, for example, by the brand Horage (which is related to THE+). Bremont bought the base movement's IP and then set to work making the design their own, adding a screwed balance, a double-footed escapement bridge, and an additional movement clamp. As it stands, 80 percent of the movement by weight has been changed by Bremont, enough that the IP is their own and THE+ sees the EGN300 as distinct from the K1.

Bremont manufactures the base plate, barrel, balance, automatic bridge, and wheel bridges in-house. They assemble the movement from the T0 phase at The Wing, their home base in England, and they have even developed their own in-house chronometer standard called H1, which is similar to ISO 3159, but has their movements tested as complete, with both the rotor and any modules/complications installed.

While "In-House" may remain a nebulous and problematically broad term, Bremont lays out each element of the ENG300 platform and calls it a "Bremont Manufactured Movement." Again, you should really just read Robin's story, the last few paragraphs you just read were all but copied from his breakdown of Bremont's movement at the time of its introduction, last October.

On wrist and over several days, I found this loaner Supernova to run about +2-3 seconds a day and the movement's design and finishing can be easily enjoyed through the Supernova's display caseback. I'm normally indifferent to display case backs, but if I'm specifically paying for the movement, I'd like to be able to see it.

And with the Supernova and its $8,995 price tag, you are definitely paying for the movement alongside everything else I've mentioned above. As a guy who is on record (and has put his own money where his mouth is) concerning how I don't really mind that Bremont charges quite a lot for an ETA-based watch, the Supernova represents an entirely different offering, even when compared to the also ENG300-powered Fury and Audley, both of which retail for $6,795.

With the brand finally producing enough movements to include them in a production model, they also have to establish what sort of effect the movement will have on the final price. With the ENG300 family slated to eventually account for some 50 percent of the brand's production of some 10,000 watches annually, the strategy isn't to simply have the new movement replace the old one (à la Tudor), but rather to have the new movement establish a more premium spec for certain model ranges.

At $9,000, I'd argue the pricing ensures that Bremont will have an uphill battle similar to that of their ETA-based offerings, especially given the anecdotal increase in price sensitivity I've witnessed in the enthusiast space over the past few years. That said, the reality appears to be that the market placement of their ETA-powered product has never really been one hinged on raw value and it also hasn't seemed to stop the brand from growing over the past 10 years (certainly not enough to inhibit launching the new HQ and vastly expanding the scope and specificity of their manufacturing).

Given my extensive experience with the brand's products, the Supernova feels like a premium Bremont. And despite the inclusion of this specific bracelet design, I really doubt anyone is cross-shopping a Bremont with a Nautilus, Royal Oak, or Vacheron Constantin. Rather, consider the EUR 6000 Citizen "The Citizen" Caliber 0200, the $8,400 Zenith Defy Skyline, or perhaps something like the time-and-date $7,050 Bulargi Octo Roma.

While none of these are comparable on a one-to-one basis, the specs, complications, and execution of the Supernova could place it in a similar mind space, especially for an audience that prefers a sporty execution, appreciates a complication, and has already experienced Bremont's offerings. While I think the price tag feels massive for a steel production Bremont, it's not wildly out of step with their market. Relative to the wider market, the Supernova appears to be priced in a manner similar to the brand's other offerings and the value argument only becomes more nebulous when you hit real luxury pricing alongside a new movement like the ENG375.

Look, let's keep the biases on the table. I like Bremont and have followed their trajectory for years. I've bought and owned two of their watches and still wear my S302 most days of the week. Would I spend $8,995 of my own money on a Bremont? No. But you could also replace Bremont with any other brand, as I've never spent that much on a watch and firmly believe that if you want to argue about enthusiast value (as I often do), "the most watch for your money" scales tip at somewhere around $3,000. Anything more and you're buying an emotion, which is a big part of the appeal, and irrationality, of watch collecting. 

From a wider perspective, I like the Supernova and believe it establishes a line that could evolve in a number of interesting ways. It works as a product, wears quite nicely, and represents the latest evolution of Bremont as the brand enters its third decade. And, though the Supernova doesn't reinvent the wheel, Bremont has managed to make an integrated bracelet steel sport watch that feels like a natural addition to their growing lineup and represents much of their core competencies in a single premium package.