UK’s coveted watch mansion Bremont is relatively new in watchmaking totaling only 19 years in the watch manufacturing business. And still, they manage to add to the menu accurate and well-built watches that many love for their distinctive designs too. If you share the appreciation and passion for beautifully engineered tool watches then you will love the new Bremont Supermarine S302 GMT.
As you have already understood by the title of this article, the UK-based watch brand has brought to us a do-anything, multi-functional Dive GMT Watch. The new Bremont GMT Diver ref. S302 joined the world of watches on March 23rd along with other announcements from the brand including the military-inspired Argonaut Azure and Supermarine Chrono introduced straight out of their new manufactory “The Wing”.
The new Bremont S302 is a dive watch with a GMT function. It offers the best of both worlds and is suitable for heavy travelers who want to keep track of multiple time zones simultaneously. And if by chance your flight is delayed and you have a few hours to submerge into the nearest dive site, the Supermarine S302 got you covered. That will rarely happen, however is good to know you are equipped with a go-anywhere watch. It has a 300 meters water resistance rating, its lume is great and the COSC certified movement will not let you down. Read on…
Reviewing the New Bremont Supermarine S-302 GMT Diver
Overall Aesthetics
The new 40mm vintage-inspired dive watch from Bremont is priced at slightly over $4000 USD. Its design manages to meet halfway the conventional appearance of classic dive watches with a selection of materials that renovate and bring a refreshing look to it. The watch brings a charmingly warm feel to the wearer with its “P-51” cream-colored painted hour markers, the orange-ringed crown, the matte dial, and the brand’s name (at the time flying under the radar) positioned as usual at the 12 o’clock position.
Although luxurious, the new Bremont Supermarine S302 is a low-key adventure watch that doesn’t just have the looks to prove it. As a prototypical tool watch from the 60s, the S302 GMT is thoughtfully sized a 40mm. It wears quite modern and strikes the sweet spot for the ones who prefer classical dimensions on a watch. As for legibility, which is more than necessary underwater where sunlight fades as you go deeper, the Supermarine is not called that way for no reason.
In addition to 300 meters of water resistance and the diver’s uni-directional bezel, the watch comes with a Super LumiNova paint in the hands, markers, and the pip in the bezel as well. The watch’s overall design doesn’t provide the most contrast (useful to increase legibility) but by no means it is a drawback or a limitation for the professional diver.
Movement and Functionality
If you’re a diver who travels or a traveler who dives, then the new Bremont Supermarine S302 is made just for you. Underneath the timepiece beats a reliable and accurate automatic modified Swiss-made ETA movement calibre 2892-A2 and renamed after Bremont’s final touches as Bremont caliber BE-93-2AE. It is responsible for the accuracy of timekeeping, a calendar, and the GMT function. It has an adjustable 24-hour hand and provides a reasonable 38 hours of power reserve.
The movement itself is chronometer-certified by COCS, meaning it has passed the precision criteria established under ISO 3159 for an accuracy rate of -4/+6 seconds per day. (Only 3% of Swiss-made watches have obtained the COCS Chronometer Certification). The conventional 60-minute scale on the uni-directional ceramic bezel further punctuates its capacity as a dive watch.
And if you need to keep track of only two time zones, the GMT function ensures those appointments won’t get missed. Further functions include a date display positioned at the three o’clock position and a combination of numbers and markers (24-hour format) set in the outer rim, thus complementing the burnt-orange GMT hand.
Case and Materials
This is where Bremont’s engineers and craftsmen spent their time the most. The watch is built with durability in mind as it comes with a stainless steel case treated with Bremont’s DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coating to increase resistance to scratches significantly. As with every Bremont watch, the Supermarine S302 comes with its unique DNA, the patented Trip-Tick case.
The triple case (case bezel – case middle – case back) brings a new item to the menu of watchmaking but its goal is simplicity and innovation in design. And as you would expect at this price range, the watch’s glass is sapphire crystal, but domed and treated with nine layers of anti-reflective covers to ensure the coating won’t peel with the passing of time.
As for the uni-directional bezel, it comes in ceramic with laser engraved markers. As aforementioned, Super LumiNova paint is used throughout the watch, from the vintage-looking nickel satin hands to the ceramic bezel to the hour markers. It is perfectly designed, and engineered in the United Kingdom, with few materials outsourced like the Swiss movement (modified however to meet designer’s expectancies), and stroud rods of Norvegian steel.
Bonus Section – Bremont and the UK Return to the Forefront of the Watchmaking Industry
It is absolutely worth paying tribute to Bremont, which in the last decade alone, has brought the attention of watchmakers and watch enthusiasts back to the United Kingdom. Their new facilities positioned in Henley-on-Thames ( The Bremont Manufacturing & Technology Centre, aka “The Wing”) was recently launched in March 2021 after five years of development and delays by the pandemic.
The co-founders and owners of Bremont watch brand, brother team Nick and Giles English founded Bremont in 2002 with the goal of putting the British Isles back on the horological map where it belongs. The Wing is quite a triumph not only for Bremont but for UK’s horological future as it allows the brand to increase its capabilities in developing in-house movements and earn independence from the mandatory connection with Swiss or Japanese movement manufacturers.
The Wing has so far exceeded its expectancies as the brand’s new facility has allowed Bremont to work on innovations and developing new technologies. Including here the whopping 9 layers of anti-reflective treatment applied on both sides of their sapphire crystals, and the Bremont’s metal hardening technology – B-EBE2000 – used to make their cases at least seven times more scratch-resistant than an average stainless steel watch. And not to forget about the Bremont Anti-shock design; the usage of anti-magnetic Faraday cages, Super LumiNova paint and helium escape valves, and their in-house developed Trip-Tick case construction. The latter provides all Bremont watches with an upgrade in terms of design and durability.
Bremont Supermarine S302 GMT Diver Specs:
Movement: Automatic BE-93-2AV (modified Swiss ETA 2892-A2)
Dimensions: 40mm case, 13mm height, 49mm lug to lug
Power Reserve: 38 hours
Accuracy: -4/+6 sec/day – COSC Certified Chronometer
Water Resistance: 300m (980ft)
Luminescence: Vintage colored “P-51” Super-LumiNova
Complications: Calendar, GMT
Glass/Lens: Domed Sapphire Crystal with 9 layers of Anti-reflective coating
Price and Availablity of the New Bremont Supermarine S302 GMT
The new Bremont Supermarine S302 was released on March 23rd and you can get yours by visiting the brand’s official website. It is priced at slightly above $4000 USD and at this price range, hard that you will find something more reliable. Speaking of which, the new Supermarine S302 comes with three years warranty, however, if you keep good care and maintain your watch from time to time, your Bremont Supermarine can be passed down for generations. It comes with a default NATO strap and if by chance you want to add a flavor of uniqueness and experiment with further combinations, feel free to customize your watch by choosing from eight other straps and bracelets available. It is individually hand-assembled upon request and the watch will arrive at you within one or two weeks.
Editor’s Final Thoughts
Congrats to the brother team Nick and Giles English who by far have helped the British watch lovers brag themselves about the presence of a decent UK-based watchmaker. The teenage watch brand, Bremont, knows how to wow us with new watch models that bring refreshing designs and keep the functionality as primary. The new Bremont Supermarine S302 is, at least in our option and according to the specs, a professional tool watch that doesn’t just have the looks to prove it.
The watch’s 300 meters of water resistance, the excellent and superior Super LumiNova paint, and the legible dial along with the conventional 60-minute diver’s uni-directional bezel – make the Supermarine S302 a must-have for all divers who can enter this price range. Add here a GMT function that derives from a highly accurate Swiss movement and here you have the recipe for perfection.
After taking all these elements of good watchmaking into account, and considering that the watch is handmade in the UK, at the $4000 USD range, we value it as reasonable. We are enchanted by the new Bremont GMT Diver and we fully recommend it to our readers who want to wear something substantial and reliable when traveling, diving, having dinner, going to the office, and basically every time a combination of sport and classy is needed to adorn your wrist.
