HANDS-ON: The Bremont Hawking in white gold is a brief history in time of its own
Time+TideI got to wear this icon-inspired Bremont Hawking in white gold for a brief moment in time, which is particularly apt given its association with Stephen Hawking. Here’s my ten pennies’ worth on the watch.
Truth be told, I am desperate for this watch not to disappoint because Hawking is a hero of mine I’d like nothing to ever taint. I went through similar emotions when Omega-loving Eddie Redmayne portrayed Hawking in the British physician’s very own Hollywood blockbuster. Fortunately, Redmayne came through with the goods and won an Oscar. It made me happy that someone of Hawking’s great scientific importance and intellect had been further eulogised and made culturally more relevant because of it.
So, no pressure, Bremont — as long as this watch wins some awards at next year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, we’ll be sweet.
Jokes aside, the thing about collaborations, partnerships, pairings – however you want to describe them – they need to feel authentic by possessing actual meaning and synergy. With a luxury market now rife with brands and personalities looking to make a quick buck or million, a successful one requires a solid backbone for any hype garnered to be able to subsequently launch off.
Before even setting eyes on the watch, Bremont and Hawking makes sense because the UK watchmaker based in Henley has made a habit of celebrating its Britishness via everyone from Jaguar to the Rolling Stones and Orlando Bloom.
The case
On the wrist at 41mm, it sits princely, all clean and simple with the shapely lugs dressing up this piece to give it a more classical air. The white gold adds a nice bit of weight to the piece, but it is also available in steel and rose gold. But the real showpiece comes with the caseback, on which there are numerous talking points and odes to Hawking. The obvious place to start is the inscription of his masterpiece, A Brief History of Time, together with one of the most famous equations associated with him.
But there’s a lot more to marvel at: the stars etched onto it are those that were visible over Oxford on the night of Hawking’s birthday, the four wooden discs are taken from the wood of his actual desk and, last but not least, the number of the collection at 6 o’clock is printed on paper taken from an original copy of Hawking’s notes when he was researching the nuts and bolts of, yep, gravity.
The dial
Again, there is no shortage of Hawking references on offer, but the standout for me is the black hole etched on the centre of the dial in midnight blue. Indeed, its spiralling pattern held my gaze for a good couple of minutes. Even if you’re not a fan of Hawking’s work, you’ll understand the reference and will probably be similarly transfixed by this dial, particularly as it’s offset beautifully against a more glossy outside circle.
The rectangular indices add to the overall classical feel of the piece, and yet another nod to astronomy comes in ‘Sunlight Travel’ written between 12 and 2 o’clock. Because I love to see the intricate workings of a watch on show, my favourite thing about the dial is the retrograde seconds sub-dial at 6, with the date display nicely positioned below 12 o’clock to add a lovely symmetry to the piece.
The movement
Like many of its past special or limited edition pieces, the brand’s trusty BE-33AE automatic movement is housed inside, which has 42 hours of power reserve.
The strap
A lovely bit of blue alligator leather strap.
The verdict
One of the joys of owning watches comes in unravelling its unique features and sharing them with as few or as many people as you wish and this Limited Edition Bremont Hawking is a perfect example. There is no doubting how special a piece it is, it just depends on your affections towards Hawking and theoretical physics as to how special. My parting comment would be that the artefacts in this piece are a very big deal and prove that when collaborations are authentic and well thought out, they make for extremely special watches.
Bremont Hawking in white gold price and availability:
The Bremont Hawking in white gold is $34,495 AU, and is limited to 88 pieces in white gold. For more details, visit Bremont right here.