Hands-On The Second Generation Of The Bremont Supermarine S302 GMT

When you grab a watch, what do you want it to do (besides keep the time of course)? Are you the kind of person that's looking for a generalist watch, something all-purpose that can mostly get the work done in any circumstance? Or do you like a specialist, a watch that knows what it is and does it to a "T"?

My daily-wear watch is a GMT but I've never quite concerned myself with watches that try to do everything. The GMT-Master II has 100m of water-resistance which is plenty if you're going to take a dip in the water. If you're going diving, you're pretty much guaranteed to be reaching for a dive watch (or dive computer, more likely) so the idea of a dive-specific watch that can track a second time zone while you're above or below water, well, it seems kind of superfluous to me. 

I can get the appeal if you're traveling to go diving and want one watch that covers all the bases, but you're still going to be spending far more time out of water than under. So while the new S302 has sort of bucked the trend of the Supermarine line (which is otherwise concerned with diving), I can understand the logical decision to refocus the watch toward a new core function: a pure travel watch.

Even looking at the closed caseback, there's a reminder that travel (and flight) is still a core focus of Bremont. On the dial side, you get a uni-directional 120-click GMT bezel. Alongside the "caller" style (independent 24-hour hand and not independent hour hand), this may be one of the bigger hiccups of the Supermarine S302. My gut says that the brand left the, well, guts of the bezel the same from the dive-oriented previous release and swapped in a ceramic GMT insert. This feels like a stop-gap measure to introduce another GMT variant into the lineup, but I hope it will be the start of some more developments at Bremont.

The seaplane on the back tells you it's just as home in the air as on (or in) the water, and the watch hasn't ditched the specs that made it a solid diving proposition. The stainless steel case with aluminum mid-section is light on the wrist but still gives 300m of water resistance. Without the dive bezel, it's not as practical underwater, but if you keep close track of your start time (or even consider setting the watch above water to 60 minutes minus your expected dive time), you could ostensibly get away with diving. You can choose from various straps – steel bracelet, leather strap, or rubber strap – for the watch, and while I chose to wear it on the leather strap, Bremont has proven that their offerings for any of the above are solid across the board.

The watch fit really well on my wrist, thinner than the 13mm measurements suggest. I'm often "all or nothing" when it comes to weight savings of watches. My general sense is brands should either make a very light watch or just make something that has a lot of wrist presence. It took me long enough to come around to titanium watches because of my preference for hefty watches. This, however, hits a good balance with the weight savings from the aluminum mid-case barrel. In fact, I took it on the road with me to Monaco for the Monaco Legend Auction and enjoyed having something on the wrist that saved a bit of weight.

That's one of just a few little details I really liked in my short time with the Supermarine S302. At first blush, the blue and green bezel reminded me of Baltic's GMTs. But the colors are pretty muted and fly under the radar. The accents at 15-minute intervals and the "London" on the dial in orange that match the "Supermarine" font and tip of the GMT hand add a bit of punch. I'm sure that's even more prominent on the other darker versions of the watch, but here it was just a nice way to keep your eye moving around the dial.

This might be one of the strangest things to get excited about on a watch, but one of my favorite features is the lug design. With a nice, soft, sculptural design with brushed facets, not only were they comfortable and didn't dig into my arm like far too many watches, but the high-polish edges pop in the sunlight.

If the more dive-oriented version of the Bremont S302 is more your speed, that watch is still currently available. At $4,200 on a bracelet, it also enters a pretty crowded market for GMTs at the pricepoint. As much as I love the Tudor GMTs, I often end up feeling that, with their design so close to releases from Tudor's big sister brand, they feel like a stop-off on the way to something better. Bremont's new Supermarine S302  gives a bit of variation in color and design at the price point.

More than anything, the new variation with it's more travel-focused design just broadens Bremont's offerings. It's still very early days for the brand's new CEO Davide Cerrato. While this watch was in process long before he started earlier this year, I think this is the kind of gradual and practical expansion of the brand's lineup we probably can expect as Cerrato puts his mark on Bremont.

The Bremont Supermarine S302 GMT in Stainless Steel with an Aluminum Middle Barrel. 40mm by 13mm thick with 20mm lug width. Screw-down crown with 300m of water resistance. Blue dial with a blue and green bezel. Painted indices with Super-Luminova®. Bremont BE-932AV (base ETA 2893-2) automatic movement with 50 hours of power reserve. Hours, minutes, seconds, date, second time zone (caller format). Closed caseback. Chronometer certified to ISO 3159. Double-domed sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflective coating. Option of bracelet, leather strap, or rubber strap. Price: $3,750 on a strap, $4,200 on a bracelet