A limited edition watch created to commemorate the centenary of the Royal Air Force is set to fly at auction. The incredible timepiece, which was built using elements of the RAF planes which flew in both World Wars, is number 164 of just 275 ever made. The Bremont 1918 watch has an estimate of £4,500 - £5,500 at Fellows Auctioneers. Featuring as Lot 20, the item is due to go under the hammer in the Luxury Watch Sale, a live behind-closed-doors auction taking place in Birmingham on Monday 15th February.

Bremont
Lot 20 in the Luxury Watch Sale

The chronograph watch was designed during a limited edition run in 2018, 100 years after the formation of the RAF. The phenomenal exhibition case back showcases elements of the watch which were designed using parts from British military aircrafts. Specifically, components of a Bristol Blenheim, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane that all flew during the summer of 1940 were combined in the creation of this watch. Materials sourced from these aircrafts were used to create propeller blades in the rotor of the watch. At the centre of the item, there is also a veneer of original wood from the Shuttleworth Collection’s 1917 SE5a (a WWI British biplane fighter aircraft).

Bremont, a British watchmaker founded in 2002, has become renowned in the 21st century for creating limited edition timepieces for the purpose of the armed forces. The 1918 RAF watch is one of Bremont’s classic examples. The timepiece for sale at Fellows includes a stainless-steel case and a signed automatic calibre BE-16AE with a quick date set. The watch has a silvered dial with Arabic numeral hour markers, subsidiary recorder dials to three and nine, an AM/PM indicator to six, and a date aperture between four and five. An outer GMT track and a telemeter scale is eloquently incorporated onto the timepiece. Fitted to a signed black alligator strap with stainless steel pin buckle, a box with papers is included with the purchase.

RAF
The Bremont has an estimate of £4,500 - £5,500

Steven Yambo, Senior Watch Specialist at Fellows Auctioneers, said: “The 1918 Bremont watch is the perfect example of a modern timepiece which expertly captures the essence of British aircrafts. The watch is incredibly elegant to look at, and the exhibition case conveying the parts inside the watch adds to the beauty of the piece. The watch features in our first auction of watches in 2021, alongside over 250 desirable lots. The auction will take place on 15th February, and there’s an abundance of superb timepieces going under the hammer.”

The Luxury Watch Sale is Fellows Auctioneers’ flagship watch auction. The live sale will be held behind closed doors, where customers can bid via the internet or the telephone. Fellows Auctioneers is offering free shipping on all items purchased in this sale, and the company’s own internet bidding platform, Fellows Live, alongside The Saleroom can be used to bid on the sale. Commission bids can be placed now by visiting Fellows’ website.