BREMONT & JAGUAR CONTINUE E-TYPE LEGEND WITH NEW MKII CHRONOGRAPH
In 1963, a legend was born, which continues to be
celebrated decades later. Just 18 Lightweight E-type racing
cars were intended to go into production, but only 12 were
manufactured – until Jaguar completed the final six in 2014.
The car found immortality on a Florida racetrack at the 12
Hours of Sebring, one of the foremost endurance races of its
era. Two Lightweight E-types led the field in the GT 4.0 class
and number 23, in Old English White with bold red and blue
stripes, crossed the finish line first.
Number 23’s victory is still celebrated today. And with such
a distinguished racing history, Bremont has chosen this car
as the inspiration for its new MKII chronograph. Through
the launch of Bremont’s E-type collection the British watch
company has paid homage to the dial and car designs of that
time, a source of constant inspiration for co-founders Nick
and Giles English.
This new white-dialed counterpart to the existing Bremont
Jaguar range incorporates very similar design features to
the successful MKII black dial, but with a new internal
tachymeter dial ring which can be used to measure speed. The
Sebring MKII also has new hands and a red stitched ‘racing’
leather strap, a nod to the red racing stripes which adorned
the car and the vintage embroidered branding details.
Giles English, Bremont co-founder, said: “Bremont has
enjoyed a very special relationship with Jaguar over the years.
Nick and myself have always loved the old E-types and were
thrilled to be a part of the Lightweight story in 2014 when
Jaguar completed the production run of these 18 original
racing cars from the 60s. The Sebring has such a lovely story
18 | The Gentleman Magazine
in its own right, having won its class in 1963, so seemed a
natural source of inspiration for our new MKII release.”
The MKII model, designed to instantly transport the wearer
back to the golden era of 1960s sports car motoring, carries
the Jaguar heritage logo above the six o’clock position as well
as hour markings in the style of the numerals found on E-type
instruments.
The classic chronograph layout – featuring two subdials at the
three o’clock and nine o’clock positions – is achieved through
the use of the beautifully decorated BE-50AE automatic
movement which has been customised by Bremont to a
unique specification.
A subtle ‘red line’ on the 60-minute counter pays tribute to
the E-type’s tachometer.
The 43mm, polished stainless steel case – fitted with a double-
domed crystal to enhance the vintage appea rance of the watch
– is made entirely in the UK by Bremont using its renowned,
three-part ‘Trip-Tick’ technology which ensures a hardness
seven times greater than that of a normal steel watch. Visible
through a sapphire crystal case back, the mechanism again
takes design cues from the E-type with an automatic ‘steering
wheel’ winding weight.
Further automotive imagery can be seen in the ‘tyre tread’
winding crown, which is topped with the Jaguar heritage logo
to match that of the dial.