Bremont unveils new Argonaut Azure timepiece

During World War II, Britain’s Ministry of Defence, accepted 12 watchmakers to make timepieces for its military personnel.

Nicknamed The Dirty Dozen, these weren’t dainty dress watches shrouded with marketing theatrics and masquerading as military watches – these were genuinely tough-as-nails creations that met very specific requirements including being waterproof, luminous, and above all accurate to the level of a chronometer.

Many decades later, The Dirty Dozen, still remains an emblematic version and a blueprint of how to build military watches. It, in fact, served as the inspiration for the new Argonaut Azure, which was recently launched by English independent watchmaker Bremont.

The Argonaut Azure is part of the Bremont Armed Forces Collection, borne out of a collaboration with Britain’s Ministry of Defence, and is a respectful hat-tip to Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.

The satin polished two-piece case of the 42mm military dive watch is made from hardened steel and houses a three-handed chronometer rated BE-92AV movement.

The automatic chronometer features a 42-hour power reserve and a Bremont moulded, skeletonised and decorated rotor. It is water-resistant to 300 meters – the average depth at which a nuclear submarine can cruise at.

Flip it over and you’ll see symbols and Heraldic Badges of all three services stamped on the solid caseback.

It is the only luxury watch manufacturer permitted to use the symbols of all three services on the caseback due to its partnership with the Ministry of Defence.

“Bremont has a very long-standing and cherished relationship with the British military and is the only watch brand to hold the esteemed ‘Armed Forces Covenant’, a pledge that together we acknowledge and understand that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve with their lives,” said Nick English, co-founder of Bremont.

“We are incredibly proud of our military links and adding the new Argonaut Azure to the Armed Forces Collection is very exciting. We hope that it will continue to appeal to both military personnel and civilians alike, delivering a watch that combines performance and reliability in perfect harmony.”

Had this been the 1940s, and the Ministry of Defence were scouting for prospective partners, it’s likely they would have settled on Lucky Number 13.