Introducing: Bremont Evolves The MB With The New Altitude Collection In 904L Steel And Titanium

Elephants are anything but inconspicuous and should not be ignored when entering a room. They should be addressed, just like the much-debated changes at Bremont. Over the last two years, the founding English brothers (by name and quintessential nature) have exited, and Davide Cerrato (formerly of Tudor and Montblanc) has taken the proverbial controls. Following last year’s controversial rethinking of Bremont’s core aesthetic and lineup, the new leadership at the brand waited a full calendar year – until Watches and Wonders earlier this month – to present the next generation of what is arguably the brand’s core model, the MB. 

In their fighter jet fuselage-equipped booth, the mission was revitalizing Bremont’s core aviation-inspired portfolio. Listening to Ben talk to Davide Cerrato in January 2024 before their brand relaunch, Davide noted that Bremont has always had a powerful footprint in the UK but needed refocusing to reach a global audience. One year later, getting the Bremont story across to a new and younger demographic is still key to its growth, and they appear close to finding the right flight path (sorry for the pun) by taking a somewhat lighter touch when considering what could (or should) be changed for the flight (and eject) ready MB, which has expanded to form the new Altitude lineup.

Ejector Seats, Evolution, and Brand Essence

Since 2024, Bremont has quietly toned down the goals of in-house movements, chronometer specs, and complex case designs. The polarizing retro-cushion design of the Terranova and ceramic Supermarines only increased the fan debate, and the new Altitude range is imperative for Cerrato’s success while winning back the enthusiasts. Posing the question at WW25, Cerrato says:” The Altitude collection is fundamental to our architecture of sea, land and air. It’s also very important because it’s the founding collection of the brand and inherent to our DNA”. 

Let’s rewind for context.

The Altitude range puts Bremont back in the virtual cockpit and has the potential to embrace brand loyalists who might feel left out by all the recent changes. A week ago, I tried the collection on for size in Bremont’s hangar-themed booth, and it is a cohesive group of watches. Fans will notice cherry-picked details from the previous ALT1, Solo, and MB – all distilled into a new trio of sporty aviation-themed watches.

The MB collection started in 2007 as a joint project with ejection seat builder Martin-Baker, which supplies 70% of the world’s air forces with ejection seat tech. The 2009 watch had to withstand the same rigorous testing programme as the ejection seats, with shock-proofing and an anti-magnetic Faraday cage protecting the movement. The first MB 1 was only available for pilots who had survived an ejection. The red mid-case barrel of this MB1 is a feature only found on numbered MB1s for pilots who survived being ejected while strapped into the iconic Martin-Baker seat.

The MB range expanded into special editions and the MBII, all rocking the mission-tech vibe that drew buyers to the brand. This sub-range peaked in the limited MB Viper pilot’s watch from 2023, with an in-house movement set in a complex 43.5 grade 5 titanium case with integrated rubber shock absorption and set standards sky high. For this next generation, the new MB and the rest of the Altitude range have pretty big shoes (should that be flight suits?) to fill.

The Altitude MB Meteor

The MB Meteor is the successor to the MBII, which we reviewed in 2020, packed with British DNA, and the case is now made from grade 2 titanium. The big news is a single-link modern titanium bracelet option, with more to unpack. The new case has a slightly softer approach to tool watch design with slimmer lugs and a concave bezel, an element of all watches in the Altitude collection. This gives it an IWC-like look, but you’ll spot a comeback of the Trip-Tick case design from the side with its knurled black centre barrel. The shock absorption and anti-magnetic principles are still at play (including the connection to Martin-Baker and the ability to survive an ejection), but the case has been slimmed down to 42mm versus 43mm diameter in the MBII. The 12.23mm height on my wrist felt noticeably thinner than the previous 13mm spec, with the proportions offering an overall smaller on-wrist experience. 

I know the diehard fans will rejoice at the return of the Trip-Tick case framing a redesigned, purposefully evolved matt black dial. But my eyes were drawn to the vertically brushed silver (galvanic) version. It is crisp, with black-framed applied numerals filled with blue-emitting Super-Luminova. The seconds hand counterweight echoes the evocative shape of the striped pull handle of the ejection seat, with a fun match in the printed frame for the date. 

The jury might still be out on the new logo at 12, but the lineage is clear, including the satisfying click-haptics of the inner Roto-Click bezel and knurled twin crowns. These also appear to protrude less than their predecessors, with an upscaled and more pronounced knurling. Flip the watch over and you’ll find a display caseback that shows the  La Joux-Perret G100-based BB14-AH movement within. This is a proven Swiss-made 4Hz automatic with a 68-hour power reserve.

At $5,300 on a stitched leather-lined rubber strap, the other options are a grey/black 22mm NATO fabric strap with Ti hardware or a full titanium bracelet for $5,700.

The Altitude Chronograph GMT

There is a particular allure to pilot’s chronographs, to many, the ultimate expression of daydream-aspirational functionality. The Altitude Chronograph only comes as a GMT, which adds to its useful functionality. The Altitude Chronograph GMT’s aesthetic and price put it in direct competition with the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph at $7,000 on a strap, with the Zenith Big Date Flyback almost doubling that.

Viewed in this context, the starting price of $6,300 makes the Bremont feel appropriately priced (within the 2025 perspective), being the only watch in 904L steel and exclusive with its GMT functionality. Compared to the MB, it has a steeper angled rehaut with 24-hour markings marked by a red lumed arrow-tipped black hand. The rest is a classic, tidy 6-9-12 chronograph layout with a discreet date within the 12-hour counter at 6, and the Bremont fans in the audience will recognize the influence from past models like the ALT1, especially the ALT1-ZT.

The hands offer the Altitude family’s clean black sword aesthetic, with a fun propeller at 9 for the running seconds. A logo balances this out at 3 o’clock, and the minimal 904L bracelet completes a purposeful 42mm look. The Altitude Chronograph GMT boasts a chronometer-rated movement in the BC781-AC (based on an iteration of Sellita’s SW500) with a rate of 4 Hz, anti-magnetic shielding, and a 62-hour power reserve.

Personally, I’d love to see the 49.62 lug-to-lug shortened a tad, but the Trip-Tick case is still comfortable, especially on the bracelet. If you feel the pure black version is too Germanic, the new brushed silver dial makes this Chrono GMT a fresh alternative, especially on the NATO with its broad grey center stripe. 

Blue emission Super-Luminova makes for vivid low-light legibility throughout the Altitude range. Prices start at $6,300 on a stitched leather-lined rubber strap; the other options are a grey/black 22mm NATO fabric strap with Ti hardware or a full titanium bracelet for $6,600.

The Altitude 39 Date

The Altitude 39 Date is the everyday sweetheart of the new range, with a surprisingly svelte 11.19mm case. It is a wearable sports watch in the pilot-slash-field watch format that remembers Bremont’s Solo line from the past while boasting the thinnest version of the Trip-Tick case yet, crafted from upgraded 904L steel. The case has a black DLC central barrel and a purposeful big crown. In the storyline of Bremont, this can be seen as the spiritual successor to the Solo, a watch that often felt too large for its purpose. The clean-cut brushed aesthetic of the smallest Altitude team member comes across as modern on the new single-link bracelet. It has a decent taper and is crafted from leveled-up 904L steel, making the Altitude 39 Date a comfortable and versatile entry ticket to the Bremont pilot’s line.

The Altitude family’s stencil-like applied numerals and angled rehaut are well-judged with balanced spacing and pop on the brushed silver dial if black is too austere. The fact that details like the seconds hand counterweight and striated date surround mimic the MB legend will surely feel sacrilegious to some, but paired with the bold black sword pilot’s handset, it works well. 

It also adds a touch of whimsy to an otherwise serious and very conventional dial design. The automatic La Joux Perret G100-based BB14 powers the 39 Date with a strong 68 hours of power reserve and retails at $4,250 on leather or NATO, up to $4,550 on the 904 L steel bracelet.

Where Does Bremont Go From Here?

With the Altitude range, Bremont is reasserting its longstanding aviation focus and reminding people that a measure of the old playbook is still in use and that the brand has been listening to feedback from its fans and detractors alike. Sure, there is a much smaller emphasis on in-house, chronometer-spec movements, and hardcore testing. But these new models bring a clean modernity to the brand’s core pilot’s offering while cementing the family DNA of the Altitude collection. I asked Davide Cerrato where Bremont goes from here and if he has any aces up his sleeve for 2025. He tells us,“Now that we have established our core collections, we can really play with some incredible pieces into 2025 and beyond. We have many aces up our sleeves. Stay posted!”

Find out more about the new Altitude collection at Bremont.

​Hodinkee 

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