Wristy Business: The Broadsword Bronze in 'tobacco' brown
Bremont's lean, mean, mil-spec machine returns - this time with a decidedly prehistoric twist.
When it comes to pilot’s watches, historically I’ve never been hugely interested. Despite the segment’s popularity among a large (often younger) part of the community, they always felt like too much of an exclamation point to me — a ‘!’ design defined by military pedigree, to the exclusion of almost all other considerations. Besides, my first love — the segment that really awakened me to the rich possibilities of collecting — was always small ‘shape watches’. So, pretty much the antithesis of anything you’d see Iceman and Maverick wearing.
Nevertheless, late last Christmas, whilst doing my usual doom scrolling, I happened upon the latest pilot’s watch from Bremont: sported on the wrist of one Felix Scholz (host of OT: The Podcast). At the time, what felt most striking was the colour of the ‘Sotek’ dial, but as we trundled into 2021 I found myself recalling the balance in the design -- its wearability, discretion, and palpable aura of restraint.
Little wonder then that when the brand’s office in Hong Kong called me, to confirm the arrival of several carnets intended for local journos, I jumped at the chance. In deference to the medium of Substack, what follows is a brief review (at least, by my standards) of the Broadsword Bronze with tobacco dial; plus a few errant musings on the kind of enthusiast who will most enjoy this.
Old dog, new tricks
The Broadsword isn’t exactly a new phenomenon. Bremont debuted the original back in 2019. Much like its newer bronze siblings, the idea was to offer a “contemporary take on the ‘Dirty Dozen’ watch design” -- a WWII-era lineage of robust three-hand models (from makers like Lemania, JLC, and Omega) which would meet the needs of the British Ministry of Defence (“MoD”). What were those needs exactly? A Collected Man describes them thusly:
“The MoD specs were exactly what you’d expect a military watch to be — waterproof, luminous, regulated to chronometer level and composed of a case that was rugged.”
Bearing that in mind, the Broadsword manages to satisfy the overall remit of a ‘Dirty Dozen’ watch, but obviously adjusted for advancements in technology which have been made in recent times. All of the dial’s functional components are painted with multiple layers of extremely powerful lume (even under direct sunlight, the glow is impossible to ignore) while the case has a water resistance of 10 ATM — a rating acceptable to all but the froggiest of frogmen.
Mechanically speaking, the Bronze isn’t much different from its steel predecessor. Both utilise an in-house version of the Sellita SW260-1 (with the upside here being that Bremont performs the assembly and chronometer regulation of these movements at its manufacture in Henley-on-Thames). The beat rate is 28,800 vph and at full wind you get a power reserve of about 38 hours -- solid if somewhat familiar territory. What is different however, is the case build.
The Broadsword Bronze’s eponymous amber casing is reportedly inspired by the “material’s importance in naval engineering”. Personally, I don’t quite see how that translates into equipment that’s primarily going on the person of servicemen, but it’s a nice enough nod to bronze’s reputation as a robust metal broadly associated with weaponry and advancements in the field of metallurgy.
The precise formula favoured by Bremont (CuSn8) utilises a high percentage of tin, adding to bronze’s already formidable strength and corrosion resistance. I honestly can’t say I’ve handled a ton of bronze watches in the past, but based on my limited experience, the copper alloy being used here is a good deal more muted and stable than most bronzes. Part of the reason for that may be the application of a smudge-proof coating -- something Bremont introduced in response to feedback surrounding the previous Broadsword. In any event, this isn’t the sort of case that will satisfy those with a taste for dramatically polished surfaces. Admittedly, the last thing you’d want if you were wearing this on a cheeky stealth infiltration. I assume.
Wearability
At 40mm x 13mm, the Broadsword fits neatly into that category of watches which wears chunkier than it is big. Slung around the average size wrist (i.e. mine) 40mm is an objectively moderate size: it’s only when you extend your arm or see the case catch against the sleeve that you’re reminded of the Broadsword’s definite wrist presence. For a purist, I’d wager that necessarily eliminates it from the realm of a true ‘dress watch’, though I have to offset this by saying that the whole time I was wearing the Broadsword it was exclusively with casualwear (think denim, overshirts and German Army trainers). In these sorts of situations, it excels.
The excellent tension in the Broadsword’s design really becomes apparent when you’re looking straight at the dial. Even with one’s arm extended, there’s no loss of fidelity because of the relationship in scale shared by the indexes, sub-seconds and date window. To be sure, that’s the sort of instant visual recognition you need for a time-only watch in the mould of the ‘Dirty Dozen’, but it was impressive how consistent Bremont were on this point, across every element of the Broadsword’s visual language. And in comparison with the punchy persona of the ‘Sotek’, the tobacco-coloured dial feels softer and somehow more low-key -- call it the ‘tone-on-tone effect’.
The bottom line
All told, for just shy of 3,000 GBP, I’d be comfortable recommending the latest iteration of the Bremont Broadsword — albeit with certain caveats. Unsurprisingly, the first of these is that you have to like bronze: the look, the warmth, and (as a “living metal”) its propensity toward unique patterns of ageing. That might be a deal breaker for some, but I could still conceivably see this particular expression of bronze harmonizing with most outfits short of a full-blown suit. Again, this can hardly be considered a legitimate failing of the watch and is instead down to personal preference.
And since we’re on the subject of superficial gripes, I can’t say I was the biggest fan of the factory-issue strap: over the course of a week, even though I wore the Broadsword consistently, the nubuck remained stiff and abrasive — so much so that it often stood away from my wrist and caused the watch to roll off its axis. Again, in the grand scheme of things, the problem is a small one. Easily resolved with any number of 20mm straps made in a softer, close-fitting calf leather.
Or, try three alternatives pitched at a trio of price points…
Timor Heritage Field — £910
The Club Campus Neomatik 39 — £2,380
IWC Spitfire pilot’s watch — £4,790
The Broadsword Bronze is available in 3 dial configurations: bronze, slate, and sotek blue. All are priced at ₤2,995, available from Bremont online.