Watch Dandy

Frederique Constant has been one of the watchmaking firms that’s taken a leading position in providing a lot of horological bang for the buck. It’s been doing a great job in recent years of making watches that are affordable but also appealing purely on their merits as watches. For fans of a less decoratively elaborate approach to classic, simple watchmaking, it’s just launched two new versions of the Frederique Constant Classic Manufacture watch, with cleaner dials than ever before.

Bell & Ross has just released the Instrument de Marine Collection, a trio of new watches based on the marine chronometers used on ships to aid with maritime navigation (more on chronometers here). The three watches all maintain the characteristic square-shaped case popularized by Bell & Ross, with details specifically tailored to bring chronometers to mind. The watches include the BR 01 Instrument de Marine, BR-X1 Skeleton Chronograph, and the BR-X1 Tourbillon Chronograph.

In recent years, Zenith has been working hard to make its presence felt in the world of vintage cars and motorsports, partnering with the Tour Auto, the Hero Cup, the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, and a handful of other classic car events. Its decision to partner with Land Rover therefore seems in some ways like a natural extension of that effort, though it’s also the first time its partner is an actual modern car manufacturer. The result is a pretty special watch that manages to tick a lot of boxes on its own, partnerships and marketing aside.

Until now, this series has focused on watchmakers with a rather small audience. But there are others In Britain hoping to convince greater numbers of clients, and perhaps even challenge the Swiss in the long term. One such company is of course, Bremont. In this week’s episode, we visit the company’s facilities in Silverstone and Henley-on-Thames, to find out just how close they are to bridging that gap.