This watch doesn’t look quite like anything else, and there is a very good reason for that: it was never even supposed to go into production. Bremont made it as a boldly designed, no-nonsense testing module to house a new movement as it was put through its paces.

This is Bremont’s much-heralded ENG300 series of in-house calibres, launched in 2021 in a big move towards independence for the Henley-based brand. This being the aeronautically obsessed Bremont, testing was a little beyond what you normally expect for a watch – it was subjected to the ultra-rigorous testing programme of the world’s leading ejector-seat manufacturer, Martin-Baker.

Based in the Buckinghamshire village of Denham, Martin-Baker started out making planes in the late 1920s, but pivoted after one of the founders lost a close friend in an air crash. The first successful ejector-seat test was in 1946 and after that Martin-Baker grew to dominate the market. Being ejected from a fighter jet can generate as much force as 20 g, so it takes a tough watch to keep on ticking, which is what led them to approach Bremont.

Bremont is only half an hour or so down the road from Martin-Baker, but the tie-up is about more than proximity. Bremont was founded in 2002 by two aircraft-obsessed brothers, Nick and Giles English. They make watches for driving and diving too, but at its core Bremont is about planes, so this made it the obvious choice for Martin-Baker. Together, they began putting watches through testing, including live ejection trials, as well as tests of extreme temperatures, shock and magnetic interference. The success of the first collaboration – the MBI, in 2009 – paved the way for others.

Bremont’s MB Viper, featuring an ENG300 movement

When the new ENG300 movement was made, Bremont wanted to make sure it was ejection-ready. They came up with a quirky-looking test rig for the movement, so they could strap it to the wrist of test mannequins. When the testing module was shown to collectors and the press last year, the reaction was almost universal: why don’t you put it into production? The result is the watch you see here – a limited-production with touches such as the chevron-patterned hands paying tribute to ejector handles, along with a contrasting black, white and orange livery.

‘When Martin-Baker approached us in Bremont’s very early days,’ says co-founder Nick English, ‘it wasn’t a branding exercise, it was with a vision of creating the definitive aviation watch. It’s exciting to still be testing the boundaries of the possible with such an innovative and technically excellent British business at the centre of aeronautical and military engineering. This new limited edition is pioneering for Bremont and it’s a timepiece we are incredibly proud of. It really is tested beyond endurance.’

The watch has been made in a limited series of 300 pieces. It’s a bold piece – even bolder if you go for the optional orange strap. If the test excitement is anything to go by, this model won’t hang around.

Bremont MB Viper, £7,995; bremont.com