Bremont MBII White – In Association with Martin-Baker

Posted on by

So far 7,500 precious lifes of pilots were saved by the pioneering British ejection seat technology designed by Martin Baker. Bremont, the luxury watch brand based in Britain offers a watch collection created in association with the Martin Baker Company. The bestselling MB range of watches has become iconic for Bremont.

This year, responds to a demand for a white dialled version of the timepiece, Bremont unveils MBII White which was designed to be quite simply the definitive British aviation chronometer.

Tested and designed in conjunction with the iconic British aviation company ‘Martin-Baker’, the MBII White offers a fresh and striking new look providing further choice to the classic collection.

The new model features the distinctive knurled effect on the aluminium barrel inspired by components on the ejection seats themselves and will be available in orange, green and anthracite. Equally the yellow and black loop at the end of the second hand is a direct reference to the ejection pull handle.

The MBII White very much retains the classic DNA that has made the MB a must-have for any serious collector.

It has been put through the same intensive, extensive testing schedule that the ejection seats go through including shock, vibration, temperature extremes, and salt-fog tests:

  • LIVE EJECTION TESTING: Live ejection launch (pictured above) puts the watch under extreme G forces.
  • ALTITUDE TESTING: The watches are held in an Altitude Test Chamber to simulate taking them up to 100,000 feet for 60 minutes before being rapidly brought down again.
  • AIRCRAFT CARRIER DECK TEST: The ACDT test simulates the level of salt fog and humidity that an aircraft carrier deck would endure during a 6 month tour. Exposure to salt and then drying for 96 hours tests the watches against corrosion and the binding of moving parts.
  • VIBRATION TESTING: The test shakes and vibrates the watch on the wrist of a test dummy to simulate a 30 year life of an aircraft.
  • EXTREME TEMPERATURE ENDURANCE: The Bremont MB watches have been subjected to Temperature Testing to ensure they continue to operate in extreme conditions. The watch is held for one day in temperatures as low as -40° C, and then up to +40° C for a further 24 hours.
  • MFOS CRASHWORTHY TEST: The Multi-functional Operators seat (MFOS) is used in helicopters such as the Blackhawk. This particular test  simulates a dynamic forward crash at over 18G, moving at 42ft per second.

The robust nature of the MB is not only down to the testing, but the over engineered design of the watch. Both the movement and mechanism of the Martin-Baker have been designed to ‘float’ in a controlled manner within the Bremont patented Trip-Tick® case by attaching the inner case to it via a flexible ring. In doing so, shocks to the movement are minimised and shock energy absorbed. As well as this, the inner case that encloses the movement of the Bremont Martin-Baker has the function of an anti-magnetic shield.

This inner case is made from soft iron and has been created to work as a ‘Faraday-Cage’ making the Bremont Martin-Baker watch immune to extreme magnetic fields, and a timepiece that has truly been ‘Tested Beyond Endurance’.

Technical details
Movement
Modified calibre 11 ½’’’ BE-36AE automatic chronometer, 25 jewels, Glucydur balance. Anachron balance spring, Nivaflex 1 mainspring, 28,800 bph, 38 hour power reserve, Bremont moulded and skeletised decorated rotor

Functions
Hour/minute/second, date and day at 3H

Case
Hardened stainless steel Trip-Tick® case construction
Inner soft iron anti-magnetic Faraday cage to protect movement
Protective patented anti-shock movement mount
Patented inner bi-directional Roto-Click® bezel
Operated by crown at 4H
Case diameter 43mm, lug width 22mm
Caseback: Stainless steel decorated case back, 6 stainless steel screws with polished heads
Crystal: Domed anti-reflective, scratch resistant sapphire crystal
Water resistance: 10 ATM, 100 metres

Dial
White metal dial
Super-LumiNova® coated numerals and hands

Ratings
C.O.S.C chronometer tested and certified

Strap
Calf-skin leather strap and Temple Island rubber strap

Certification
Individually serial numbered with accompanying C.O.S.C certification