These Bremont watches will complement the six continuation Lightweight E-Type vehicles being built by Jaguar Heritage
Drawing inspiration directly from the car, the 43mm watch features a black dial based on the look of a Lightweight tachometer and features a subtle ‘red zone’ quadrant. The chamfered hour and minute hands replicate the instrument’s tachometer needle, while the chassis number of the relevant car is printed at the six o’clock position.
The central band of the white gold case is made from aluminum remaining from construction of the new Lightweight body panels and will be anodized to match the color of the car it is designed to complement.
Other touches include a winding crown which is engraved with the pattern of the period-correct racing tires used on the continuation Lightweights, and straps made from the same Connolly leather which is being used for the interior trim.
Turning the watch over reveals an automatic winding rotor shaped like the alloy-spoked Lightweight steering wheel, which is visible through a sapphire crystal case back. The details of the rotor include an authentic wooden rim. The back of each watch carries the engine number of the car it is paired with.
“The Lightweight E-Type project is so special that we thought we really needed to create something which complemented the cars and, since most classic enthusiasts also tend to be horophiles, a wristwatch seemed to be the answer. Bremont was the obvious choice as a partner, both because we have worked closely together in the past on the clocks for the C-X75 and XJ75 Platinum concept cars and because, like Jaguar, it is a quintessentially British brand. We didn’t want a watch that was too obvious in terms of design, but something which captured the spirit of the Lightweight in a subtle yet relevant way and I think Bremont has certainly achieved that goal.” says Jaguar director of design, Ian Callum
Giles English, who co-founded Bremont in 2002 with his brother, Nick, says the new Lightweight watches provided the firm with the perfect opportunity to take the important step of launching its own proprietary movement.
“We have been working on designing, developing and producing our first exclusive movement for more than a year, and it seems fitting that it is going to make one of its first appearances in this very special watch for Jaguar. Creating the watch proved to be a fascinating project, as we were given access to the Jaguar archives in order, for example, to ascertain the exact font for the numerals used on the dial of the original rev counters. The fact that we were required to make just six examples enabled us to be very creative in a way that is not always possible when designing a watch for larger scale production – and that’s why we have been able to feature touches such as using real wood for the rim of the ‘steering wheel’ winding rotor. Each watch is, essentially, bespoke.” said Giles English
The launch of this exclusive Lightweight E-Type watch marks the start of a long term relationship for Jaguar and Bremont. Future editions will be announced at a later date.