A review: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

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matt.wu
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A review: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by matt.wu » Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:52 pm

This thanksgiving, I'd like to reflect on my experience with the Bremont P-51 this far.

First off, my pics suck. I already take pics with an iPhone, and I couldn’t find any good light today, so let’s kick it off with a photo from Bremont’s website.

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Here's the CliffsNotes version for the ADD among us. It's been awhile since a watch has come along that has "aroused" me both intellectually and emotionally. The P-51 broke that streak. A why wouldn't it? It's a watch from a solid company with fantastic and interesting founders behind it, a unique and very well-thought out design, exhibits innovative technology, has ties to history, boasts limited availability, wears with much versatility... I love this watch.

(Disclaimer: All that is not to say it'll never be sold. I'm far beyond ever making that promise. But it isn't even close to being on my mind at the moment. That's about as good as you can ask from me.)

So there you have it. Now, if you've got a masochistic penchant for wordiness, please read on...

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Generally speaking, a watch tends to appeal to collectors in two different ways. The first, the simplest, and often the one that is shrugged off is the emotional, raw, stirrings-in-your-loins appeal. The second is the intellectual, logical, almost snobby, I’m-a-true-WIS appeal. Usually, I’ll find a watch can cater to one but not the other. Ultimately, this results in either finding yourself unable to justify keeping it, or loving to say you have it in your collection but never wearing it.

In this regard, what you get with the Bremont P-51 is out of the ordinary. It's a fantastic watch that runs the entire gamut of what we can love. Not only are you getting a solidly built watch with a bunch of complications (chronograph, GMT, internal bezel, date), a unique design, and a stunning case, but you’re getting a watch with a bit of history from a brand that really is doing things right as far as small watch companies go. There is a lot to love in this watch.

Now I’m going to leave the historical aspect of this watch, which is a big source of what makes it so special, to one of our resident DWC historians, Dr. Jay. He’s already thrown something really great together (I learned a bunch from it) over here: http://thedivewatchconnection.com/forum ... =2&t=22780

Given this excellent summary of the thought-process behind the design and namesake of this watch, I’ll focus a bit more on what’s to love about the physical watch itself.

First off, let me tell you what I think really sets the P-51 apart from many other homage pieces or limited editions. So many watches these days are homages to previous watches. Touted as tribute pieces, they are often just thinly veiled attempts by a watch company to relive past success - whether of their own company (i.e. Omega with the PloProf) or another company’s (i.e. Helson). Not too much thought is put into making the watch unique, since the original is what was so popular. The end result is a pretty awesome watch, usually, but leaves a little to be desired on the creative/innovative front. Another approach used by many companies (Panerai or AP especially) is to create “limited editions” by taking a regular production watch and tweaking one or two minor things (caseback, colors, etc…) and producing a limited number of it. Voila! Instant limited edition. Truly limited in the literal sense, but desirable by default? Maybe not so much. Many folks are quite cynical about the “limited edition” labeling because of this.

But the P-51 doesn’t quite fall into either category. Rather than choosing to model their watches after other watches, the English brothers have decided to make many of their pieces homages to significant pieces of aviation (or British) history. The end result, in the case of the P-51, is not a watch that looks like another watch. It’s a watch that draws subtle, tasteful design cues from the P-51 mustang and integrates them into a timepiece that has a definite identity of its own.

But often, just because a watch is unique, it doesn’t mean it’s great. I can think of a ton of original watches that simply just don’t work. On the P-51 – things work. Lots of things.

Operation – Everything is well thought out in terms of one’s interaction with the watch. Seeing as extreme water resistance is unnecessary (100m for this one), it was a welcome relief to be rid of the screw-down crown and pushers. Anyone else hate screw-down pushers on a chrono? Or getting tired of unscrewing and screwing a crown to set the time on all your dive watches? Additionally, the internal bezel is fantastic, rivaling that of the older-styled IWC Aquatimer, which has the best internal bezel in the biz. The “Roto-Click” bezel operates with similar discrete clicks, though not with quite the same precision as the IWC. The ability to rotate bi-directionally is also a well-thought out decision on a non-diving watch. The chronograph is of the 30-minute variety, which is absolutely fine with me since 1) I rarely time anything more longer than that, and 2) I really hate reading hour totalizers with half-hour increments (like most 7750’s and in fact, many in-house chronographs).

Legibility – Designed after the instrument panel of a P-51 Mustang, you would hope that you ended up with a legible watch. You definitely do. The large numerals, spacious dial, and understated GMT complication work together to provide a watch that is far more readable than the complications would suggest. The internal bezel eliminates unnecessary hash marks, opting instead to utilize the minute marks on the dial itself. The bezel pip is red/white and easy to locate at a glance, and when viewed at an angle, you realize it has some depth to it as well. Nice little touch. When you’re not looking for it, the GMT track + hand disappear into the dial. But as soon as you need to know that second timezone, it’s easily ascertained.

Now you see it:

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Now you don’t:

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3-dimensional bezel pip visible here:

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At first glance, it seems the chrono subdial obstructs any use of the GMT indicator around the 22:00 – 02:00 timeframe. Upon closer inspection, one notices tiny dots placed on the subdial, presumably to mark 23:00 and 01:00 as necessary. Brilliant!

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Applied markers + matching hands – Often, watches trying to be homages to forerunners are uninspiringly flat and lean too heavily on artificial patina to provide interest. While the P-51 does utilize the vintage lume on the numerals and hands (appropriately, as this matches the original color of the instrument display on the aircraft), it doesn’t end there. Vintage aesthetic and modern design are pleasantly married with the addition of the chromed hands and raised, applied dots on the dial. More than aesthetically pleasing, raised markers do aid legibility in certain lighting conditions.

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Decoration – All together, the decorations creatively (yet tastefully) pay tribute to the watch’s namesake. The stainless and black signed crowns, in addition to displaying the Bremont propeller logo on one side, appropriately prominently display the star on the other. The chrono second hand is striped like the tail of the P-51, and the checkered chrono sub-dial is made from aluminum from the P-51 itself. The running seconds is indicated by a propeller at 9. This would be borderline cheesy, but the fact that it’s practically invisible tones it down. The script on the caseback is elegant, classic, and appropriate for the timeperiod in which people still actually wrote in cursive with pens. The excellent design of the rotor mimics the propeller of the “Fragile but Agile” P-51 (both in design/coloring and material). And I’ve never seen a Valjoux movement look this good. Each “decoration” is purposeful and respectful, which is a large part of what makes this such a successful “tribute” watch.

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Date – One of my pet peeves is when a date window looks like an afterthought on a watch. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of circular date windows, but this one is alright. It especially works because of the placement along the ring of GMT hour indicators. Additionally, the date window is nearly flush up to the dial – I hate it when a date is sunken too deep below a dial (due to the movement choice or thickness of the dial).

Lume – I’m far from a lume junkie, but it’s hard to ignore the way this one glows. Supposedly, it was a certain formula that took years to get right. I’m not sure I believe lume development takes years, but even if it was the case, it was an impressive result.

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Overall, this is definitely my favorite Bremont to date. One of the things I appreciate about the brand is the way each watch is completely unique while maintaining brand “DNA”. It seems there aren’t many cookie cutters in the Bremont factory.

Now I know I might come across as someone pushing Bremont propaganda, but I truly am over the moon with this watch. There really isn’t much I’d change at all, and believe me, I delayed this write-up a bit to try to ensure I had a good grasp of the watch. It’s not boring, but it’s not gaudy. It’s unique, yet classy. It’s innovative, but incorporates more than a nod to the past. I guess one could argue that perhaps the development of an in-house movement would really put it over the top (and more appropriately justify the price tag). Personally, I feel that though “in-house” is assumed synonymous with quality these days, it wouldn’t quite be appropriate for a young brand like Bremont. I think Bremont embraces their strengths (innovation, creativity) without being too pretentious. I’m certain an in-house movement will come in time, but for now, the decorated and modified Valjoux is a perfect solution in my eyes.

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Huge thanks to Todd for hooking me up with a watch I thought unreachable. Looking forward to spending some quality time with it.
:htfu:

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rockmastermike
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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by rockmastermike » Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:15 pm

I appreciate the thoroughness, knowledge, time and effort of the post and of course the epic watch itself. at a glance one can tell the legitimacy of the watch and getting more of the intimate details from your post makes it even more appealing, if that is possible.

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by demer03 » Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:43 pm

It's beautiful. Nice write up.

Love the tan NATO too.
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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by FlyPenFly » Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:46 pm

Its kind of crazy how far how fast a new brand has come.

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by johnh1265 » Thu Nov 22, 2012 6:05 pm

I need to get one,if anyone sees one for sale please let me know.

Cheers from down under.

John

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unixshrk
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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by unixshrk » Thu Nov 22, 2012 6:10 pm

Great write up, that is one nice watch Matt

:thumbsup:

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by moishlashen » Thu Nov 22, 2012 6:18 pm

One of the best watch reviews I've ever read. The watch is amazing and the historic DNA that's involved is from a time in world history that should never be forgotten-even though with each passing day it is. Hopefully I'll get to see this in person at some point.
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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by spiceballs » Thu Nov 22, 2012 6:26 pm

Great watch nd equally great writeup - thx

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by mattcantwin » Thu Nov 22, 2012 6:51 pm

spiceballs wrote:Great watch and equally great writeup - thx
:cheers:
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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by jimyritz » Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:48 pm

Enjoyed the review Matt...Well done.. Beautiful watch..

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by kfalk » Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:59 pm

Great review Matt. This one certainly hits all the notes! Enjoy it!
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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by moishlashen » Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:00 pm

Oh and I didn't even notice it was a GMT :o
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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by sfglenrock » Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:02 pm

Excellent writeup, Matt! Bremont has really done a remarkable job across the board but with the P-51 have gone to another level. A really well thought out and executed design. Enjoy it!

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by nishant » Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:19 pm

Great Review ! Undoubtedly, The best Bremont to date. Makes me wanna own one.

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by RALAustin » Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:27 pm

Love it. Is that the vintage Bremont leather strap? Looks really thick and nice.

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by aikiman44 » Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:31 pm

Excellent review!
So that's two of us that Todd's hooked up with P-51's.
Thanks buddy!
"We'd better synchronize our watches."

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by craniotes » Thu Nov 22, 2012 9:24 pm

You're lucky I didn't know that Todd had this watch and that he was selling it, otherwise I'd have been the one starting this thread.

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by aztecknight » Thu Nov 22, 2012 10:08 pm

Great review. Makes me want to buy one.

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by BBK357 » Thu Nov 22, 2012 10:08 pm

The cool thing is how involved Bremont is with their watches.
Excellent review.
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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by SpaceCowboy » Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:33 pm

So, now there's the P-51 Mustang and the P-51 Bremont. Two excellent pieces of design and machinery if you ask me. Nice one!

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by GGD » Fri Nov 23, 2012 1:05 am

Just awesome Matt!!!! Killer watch & great review :thumbsup:

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by snootydog » Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:03 am

Nice write up Matt. That sure is a tidy looking watch :thumbsup: Bremont can do no wrong at the moment and I'm looking forward to see what they come up with next. They have plenty of scope from the Wright brothers to the Typhoon Eurofighter....all good stuff.
Andy :uj:
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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by el presidente » Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:11 am

Not a fan of the dial, but the rest of the watch is just awesome :love: :love: Bremont cases has to be the most beautiful out there, piece of art!
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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by dukerules » Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:14 am

Great review. That is one freaking cool piece. Love seeing quality and real innovation coming out of a young company.

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Re: I'm thankful for... the P-51!

Post by tmw » Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:53 am

aikiman44 wrote:Excellent review!
So that's two of us that Todd's hooked up with P-51's.
Thanks buddy!

Excellent Matt!

I can't think of better hands than both of you to fully enjoy and appreciate the history and horological mastery of the p51.
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