The New Bremont Supermarine 500m Ceramic Jungle Green

Following the appointment of Davide Cerrato as CEO of Bremont, there have been many changes at the British brand founded by the charismatic English brothers. One of the first executive decisions was to streamline the brand’s portfolio around three pillars, namely Land (Terra Nova), Sea (Supermarine) and Air (Altitude). The next move was to redesign the collections to appeal to a broader audience. Bremont’s robust Supermarine dive collection was not excluded from the makeover and recently resurfaced with the Bremont Supermarine 300m, now the brand’s core dive watch collection. Bremont expands the offer with a new commando-inspired Supermarine 500m model in full ceramic, a first for the brand. 

As a brand synonymous with pilot and military watches, Bremont’s original whopping 43mm Supermarine dive watch, introduced in 2009, was named after the famous Supermarine S6B seaplane and the Supermarine Spitfire aircraft. Protected by a robust Trip-Tick case with a soft iron anti-magnetic Faraday cage to protect the movement, this formidable diver bore a 500m depth rating.

A comparison between the original Supermarine 500 and the new model will throw up very few resemblances. While it does emulate the original’s 500m depth rating, the new Supermarine 500m Ceramic is not a tribute watch. It is simply the larger, more water-resistant brother of the recent Supermarine 300m and its revamped looks.

Eschewing the original Trip-Tick case that gave the Supermarine a polarizing personality, the monobloc case is made from green ceramic with a titanium container to protect the movement. Renowned for its hardness and scratchproof properties, ceramic also keeps the case’s weight down; when looking at a 43mm diameter coupled with a 13mm thickness, this can make a big difference. Highlighting its tool watch character, crown guards protect the screw-down crown, the helium release valve is on the left case flank, and the case is sandblasted to produce a matte, non-reflective finish.

The insert on the knurled, unidirectional bezel is also ceramic, and the numerals and markings in relief are obtained by laser to ensure the height and outline are precise. The lighter green colour you can see on the notched area of the PVD-coated titanium bezel is microblasted and, depending on the light, changes from lime green to blue – this effect is actually the result of a production error on the prototype, and wasn’t meant to be… but the result was found so cool that it was kept.

The stealth mood of the Jungle Green is further compounded by the matte gradient green dial that darkens in colour as it reaches the periphery. The new Wayfinder logo that replaces the original propeller logo is featured on the dial at noon and on the crown. Unlike the Supermarine 300m, the Supermarine 500 does not have Arabic numerals on the dial. Instead, it features applied circular and trapezoid markers filled with light green Super-LumiNova, producing a blue glow in the dark, including the new arrow-shaped index at noon that characterises the latest Supermarine collection.

The rhodium-plated hour, minute and seconds hands are also filled with light green SLN. The black minutes track on the sloping flange has white and orange 15-minute markings (London is printed at 30-min in orange), matching the Supermarine inscription on the dial. Truncating the 3 o’clock index is the rectangular date window with a matching green background. A domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal protects the dial, while the green PVD-coated titanium caseback is sealed and engraved with a map of the world’s oceans. Powered by the calibre BE92AV (Sellita SW300-1A), the 4Hz automatic movement has an upgraded power reserve of 50 hours, a Glucydur balance wheel, an Anachron balance spring and a Nivaflex mainspring.

The Supermarine 500m Ceramic Jungle Green model is available on an attractive two-tone black and green NATO strap (woven on French Jacquard looms from the 1800s) with Velcro fastening or on a black rubber chevron strap. The Jungle Green model is a limited edition of 250 pieces and retails for EUR 7,750. There is also a non-limited Tactical Black ceramic model (see below) retailing for EUR 7,150.

More information at bremont.com.