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Bremont Argonaut 43mm Mens Watch
Ref. ARGONAUT-BL-R-S
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Stepping up in Bremont's range
Bremont holds a distinction no other watchmaker in Britain can claim: the sole luxury manufacturer permitted to carry the signs and insignia of all three armed services. The Argonaut sits at the centre of that relationship, created in formal partnership with the Ministry of Defence and named for a word that has appeared on commissioned Royal Navy vessels for nearly 250 years. Its design lineage runs back to the Dirty Dozen — the twelve tool watches ordered for the British Army in the Second World War — and the azure dial is a deliberate echo of that tradition rather than a styling choice made in isolation. The BE-92AV movement is rated to chronometer specification, which in a dive context matters more than the label suggests: it means the watch has been independently tested to a degree of accuracy the armed forces require rather than merely aspire to, with a 42-hour power reserve to carry it through extended operations. The internal rotating bezel keeps the timing function protected inside the case, and the mint-tinted Super-LumiNova against the blue dial creates enough contrast to read cleanly at depth without the ambient light that makes surface legibility straightforward. The orange minutes hand and the rubber strap are coordinated deliberately — the strap is named for Temple Island — and the pairing keeps the watch readable under pressure while looking considered rather than assembled from a parts bin.
- Reference
- ARGONAUT-BL-R-S
- Brand
- Bremont
- Case size
- 42mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Bezel
- Rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- BE-92AV
- Water resistance
- 300m
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap
- Strap colour
- Orange
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Warranty
- 3 years
Learn more about Bremont
Nick and Giles English founded Bremont in 2002, four years after their father died in a plane crash that Nick survived. All three had restored and flown vintage aircraft together, and the brand that emerged is inseparable from that. The name comes from Antoine Bremont, a French farmer who sheltered the brothers after an emergency landing.
Bremont set out to rebuild British watchmaking, which had effectively ended in the twentieth century. The early watches used Swiss movements in British-designed cases, with the Trip-Tick three-part case construction and a hardened outer barrel treated to over 2000 Vickers.
The military and aviation work is real rather than thematic. Bremont holds contracts with squadrons across the RAF, the US Air Force, and other services, producing issued watches for specific units, and has made watches for Martin-Baker ejection seat survivors — tested to the ejection forces themselves.
The company has also built watches incorporating material from historical objects: oak and copper from HMS Victory, aluminium from the Wright Flyer, and steel from Bletchley Park.
The manufacturing ambition advanced with the opening of a facility in Henley and the release of the ENG300 series in 2021, the first Bremont movement designed and largely made in England. Production is in the low tens of thousands annually.
- 2002
- Nick and Giles English found Bremont.
- 2007
- The first watches ship with the Trip-Tick case.
- 2009
- The Martin-Baker collaboration begins.
- 2021
- The ENG300 becomes the first English-made Bremont calibre.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,613), Back in Stock (2,028), Automatic Watches (1,479), Blue Dial Watches (707), Sports Watches (679) and Dive Watches (488).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch built to be worn hard and got wet.
Strengths
- 300m water resistance, rated for actual diving
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Sits in the lower half of Bremont's range as we list it
Bremont Argonaut alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | ARGONAUT-BL-R-S | L37954599 | R32127162 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,250 | £3,550 | £3,080 |
| Case size | 42mm | 42mm | 43mm |
| Water resistance | 300m | 300m | 300m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Rubber strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Ceramic bracelet |
| Power reserve | — | 72 hours | 80 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 300m it is rated for swimming, snorkelling and recreational diving.
Water resistance explainedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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