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Bremont Supermarine S501 42mm Stainless Steel
Ref. S501-BK-R-S
Sits in Bremont’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Bremont watches we list, which start at £1,950.
Price range £1,950 to £3,750 across 12 Bremont watches in stock.The S501 is where Bremont's Supermarine line went deeper, in every sense. It draws on the original Supermarine 500 — the brand's first serious dive watch — and refines it with a stronger rating, a black ceramic bezel insert and a matte dial with vintage-tinted Super-LumiNova that reads closer to cream than white under artificial light. The offset crown at 2 o'clock is a practical decision: it keeps the case sitting flush against the wrist even when a dive glove is worn, and it is the kind of detail that rewards time in the water rather than time at a desk. The Trip-Tick construction breaks the case into three distinct sections, with the barrel treated in DLC for scratch resistance, and the BE-36AE inside is COSC-certified and mounted on an anti-shock system that Bremont uses across its more demanding pieces. The exhibition caseback makes the movement visible, though the watch earns its rating at 500 metres. Pairing all of that with a brown calfskin strap rather than a rubber or steel option is a deliberate choice — it reads as a dive instrument that has been dressed to come off the boat without changing.
- Reference
- S501-BK-R-S
- Brand
- Bremont
- Collection
- Supermarine
- Case size
- 43mm
- Case thickness
- 16mm
- Lug width
- 22mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Unidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- BE-36AE
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 500m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Condition
- Ex-display
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- 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 7 collections
This watch appears in the Bremont Supermarine range (7), Stainless Steel Watches (2,613), Automatic Watches (1,479), Leather Strap Watches (835), Sports Watches (679), Dive Watches (488) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (257).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch built to be worn hard and got wet.
Strengths
- 500m water resistance, rated for actual diving
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Bremont's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 43mm sits at the larger end
- 16mm thick, so it will not disappear under a cuff
- 38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
- Leather does not suit regular contact with water
Bremont Supermarine S501 alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | S501-BK-R-S | M25600TB-0001 | WBP208D.BF0631 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,150 | £3,250 | £2,870 |
| Case size | 43mm | 42mm | 43mm |
| Water resistance | 500m | 500m | 300m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Titanium bracelet | Titanium bracelet |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | 70 hours | 38 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 500m it is rated for swimming, snorkelling and recreational diving.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes 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 comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 38 hours fully wound — so it will usually stop if you leave it off overnight.
What size strap does it take?
22mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb list it at £3,150, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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