Explore the South Pole, Get a Watch: The Bremont White Desert

Bremont has a history of releasing watches that can only be purchased by specific and small groups of qualified applicants. This isn’t completely unusual in watchmaking, where exclusivity is often as highly prized as mechanical ingenuity and great design. Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin have watches in their catalogs that require applications (in the case of Patek) or special units within the manufacture that cater to bespoke, one off requests (Vacheron’s Les Cabinotiers division). Bremont’s approach is, well, a little bit different. To acquire one of their Martin-Baker limited editions, you have to have been ejected from a plane using a Martin-Baker ejection seat. And if you’re interested in buying their newest watch, the White Desert chronograph-GMT, you’ll need to have spent some time at the South Pole, and have explored the barren ice-scape on a White Desert expedition.

Bremont White Desert

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: White
• Dimensions: 43 x 16mm  
• Crystal: Sapphire     
• Water Resistance: 100 meters 
• Crown: Screw down            
• Movement: Modified calibre 131⁄4’” BE-54AE 
• Strap/bracelet: Leather 
• Price & Availability: Available to White Desert clients only 

This is a large sports watch, coming in at 43mm in diameter and 16mm thick. That size, particularly with a white dial that’s giving you tons of information, is going to have a lot of wrist presence. Bremont offers the White Desert in two versions: one brushed stainless steel, the other highly polished. Both have been given Bremont’s hardening treatment and make use of their Trip-Tick construction. 

While the technical features of the White Desert won’t necessarily be more helpful to polar explorers in a real world situation than a run of the mill G-Shock or similarly specced GMT from any number of brands, there’s something fun and whimsical about this watch that I imagine would be an appealing souvenir for someone who took part in a White Desert experience. It certainly beats a t-shirt. Bremont