Good kit

Ahead of her time in more ways than one, Concorde could fly Mach 2.0+ and halved the time of transatlantic crossings. More than 2.5 million British Airways passengers experienced flying 11 miles high at twice the speed of sound. A little known fact is that this civilian airliner completed more supersonic flying hours than all the world’s military aircraft combined.

The Bremont Supersonic contains the manufacturer’s first ever manual wind movement which features an eight-day power reserve and has a power reserve indicator at the 12 o’clock position on the dial. The style of the timepiece is reminiscent of a 1970s look and feel with its sunburst white dial representing Concorde’s specially developed highly reflective paint. The blue hands of the Supersonic echo British Airways blue on Concorde’s famous livery, and a subtle motif of the plane’s iconic silhouette can be seen on the secondhand sub dial.

In partnership with British Airways, metal from Concorde G-BOAB, known as Alpha Bravo, was donated to Bremont to incorporate into these unique timepieces. This aircraft was registered in 1974, taking to the skies for the first time in May 1976 flying from Filton to Fairford in three hours, 32 minutes. It was the third Concorde to be part of the British Airways fleet.

In September 1984 she set a distance record for an airliner with a 4,000nm flight from Washington to Nice, and in November of that year flew the inaugural charter service from London to Seattle via New York. A top speed of Mach 2.05 was reached at a height of 63,500ft. Alpha Bravo was even tasked with flying the England squad home from France from the 1998 World Cup.

The elegant design of Concorde gave it an instantly recognisable silhouette which has been cleverly incorporated into the movement of the Bremont Supersonic. Aluminium taken from the plane has been machined into a decorated ring within the case back design, underneath the crystal. This also features a description of the aircraft’s main attributes: number and registration, years of active service, number of supersonic flights as well as her top speed.

In the world of civil air transport, Concorde stood out. When she passed overhead, people paused to catch a glimpse of her distinctive lines. Concorde’s delta wing with its sweptback curve was adapted from military designs. To reduce drag and increase strength, a technique called sculpture milling was used to mould the wing from one solid piece of aluminium. This resulted in a wing free of welds and rivet joins. More than 5,000 hours of testing ensured Concorde’s wing could generate lift at critical low speeds as well as the supersonic speeds she reached at altitude.

Unlike traditional airliner designs, Concorde’s wing was free of complicated flaps, slats or tabs. Another distinguishing feature was her seven metre long needle-shaped nose. To allow pilots to see the runway, her aerodynamic nose cone was designed to ‘droop’ down by 12 degrees. During flight it was raised, and a reinforced tinted visor slid up to protect the cockpit windows at supersonic speeds.

Supersonic flight subjected Concorde to extreme thermodynamic pressures that caused the airframe to heat up and stretch. The aircraft’s nose was the hottest point, reaching 127C. These extreme temperatures caused the airframe to stretch up to 28cm, a factor taken into account when developing Concorde’s special highly reflective paint and laying the cabin’s carpets.

Cruising at Mach 2, Concorde’s maximum operating ceiling was 60,000 feet. Any military pilot at similar altitudes would be wearing a space suit and breathing oxygen. Concorde passengers were wearing shirtsleeves and drinking champagne. What her designers achieved was remarkable: a pioneering airframe operating at high altitudes and supersonic speeds while providing a commercially viable and reliable service.

Part of the proceeds from these unique limited edition timepieces (only 300 are being made) will be donated to the Air League Trust, an organisation that works with British Airways to support its employability program ‘Inspire’ and enables the young to learn how to fly. This brilliant cause is part of a wider network of charitable activity supported by British Airways.

Concorde’s official farewell was held at Heathrow on October 24 2003. Loved by pilots, passengers and the public, large crowds turned out to witness her final flights and wish her a fond farewell, with millions more watching on the television news. Concorde was not merely a machine; she was a cherished source of national pride. While she undoubtedly saved her passengers time, there were many who wished the flight lasted longer.