he Avro Vulcan was a jet powered, tail-less, delta-wing, high altitude strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Heralded as a symbolic last defence against nuclear war, the Avro Vulcan is one of the most iconic aircraft in the RAF’s history. As a long-standing supporter and partner of His Majesty’s Armed Forces, Bremont celebrates this iconic symbol of British aviation and engineering with a commemorative limited edition timepiece.

Limited to only 250 pieces, the 42mm Vulcan forms part of Bremont’s Armed Forces Collection, a series of timepieces born out of a partnership with the British Ministry of Defence. Specifically, the Vulcan is modelled on the base architecture of the Arrow, a watch within the collection inspired by the Royal Air Force.

Whilst retaining some of Bremont’s core design codes, the new chronograph weaves in some subtle details synonymous with the historic aircraft. The Vulcan’s matte black dial features a running seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock with a two-tone 3-D camouflage design, and the elapsed minutes 3 o’clock counter features a nuclear symbol indicating the arsenal carried onboard. A date function is situated at 6 o’clock.

In line with the wider Armed Forces Collection, legibility is key and a high degree of blue emission white Super-LumiNova^® is applied across the dial. For the first time, Bremont has introduced elegant, skeletonised, cathedral minute and hour hands which are also applied with white Super-LumiNova^® and complemented by a striking RAF blue chronograph hand. These distinctive design details took inspiration from the cold- war clocks fitted in the Vulcan cockpit. Turning the watch over reveals a stainless steel enclosed case back decorated with an engraving of the Avro B-1 Bomber and the heraldic badge of the Royal Air Force encircled with the inscription: ‘Approved by Her Majesty’s Armed Forces’ given that this timepiece was designed and approved by the MOD under Her Majesty’s Reign. Once the crests of His Majesty’s Armed Forces have been decreed, all case backs within Bremont’s Armed Forces Collection will be updated accordingly.

The limited edition Vulcan features a 56-hour power reserve and chronograph functionality operated by a pusher at 2 o’clock which starts, stops, and resets the stopwatch on the chronometer rated BE-51AE movement, a necessity for any timed mission. The two-piece satin and polished hardened steel case is in keeping with the original Arrow design.

The distinctive delta-wing was a new concept, and the Vulcan was the first combat aircraft in the world to adopt this unique wing shape. Originally painted bright ‘anti-flash’ white suited to operating at high altitudes and deploying nuclear bombs should it have been necessary; the requirements of the Vulcan changed over time and when they were required for more low-level tactical work they gained a new camouflage pattern. This pattern is reflected on the sailcloth strap of the Bremont Vulcan which also comes with an ‘RAF blue’ sailcloth strap option.

Bremont Co-Founder Giles English comments: “The Vulcan’s legacy as a symbol of British military power and technological innovation continues to be celebrated today, and it remains one of the most iconic aircraft of the Cold War era. As aviators ourselves, celebrating such remarkable aircraft and feats of engineering is truly inspirational and it’s fitting to incorporate these commemorative pieces within our Armed Forces Collection through Bremont’s partnership with the MoD.”

Despite its immense success, the Vulcan was retired from service in 1984 due to changing military priorities. However, a small amount of aircraft have been preserved and restored. The Bremont Vulcan watch is accompanied by elegant silver cufflinks in the shape of the aircraft, which incorporate aluminum from the original airframe of Avro Vulcan XH558 ‘Spirit of Great Britain’, the final Vulcan in military service.

The Vulcan was the second of the Royal Air Force’s ‘V bombers’ and like the Valiant and Victor provided part of Great Britain’s nuclear deterrent force for fifteen years, designed to carry conventional bombs and nuclear weapons in the event of the cold war. The prototype B-1 first flew on 30 August 1952 and four years later work began on an improved B-2 design. Powered by four Rolls-Royce Olympus engines, which gave it a top speed of over 600 miles per hour and a range of electronic and defensive systems to protect it against enemy attack, the aircraft had impressive capabilities.

Perhaps the most iconic and historic use of the Avro Vulcan was during ‘Operation Black Buck’ during the Falklands conflict in 1982. There were seven attack missions in total comprising of aircraft from 44, 50 and 101 Squadrons from RAF Waddington. Staged from the Ascension Island, close to the Equator, Operation Black Buck saw two Vulcans (designed for medium range missions), supported by eleven Victor tanker aircraft, drop a series of bombs on pre-designated targets on Argentinian positions at Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. Although the damage to anti-radar installations and Port Stanley airfield was relatively minimal, it showed that a target even 6,600 nautical miles away was very much possible, and it pushed the Argentinians to keep their fighter aircraft on their mainland. The Black Buck Raids proved to be the longest bombing raids in history at the time, and a logistical masterstroke.

An official partnership with the Ministry of Defence, paying tribute to His Majesty’s Armed Forces, saw Bremont become the sole luxury watch brand permitted to use the signs, symbols, and heraldic badges of all three services: the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. The resulting Armed Forces Collection, made up of the Argonaut, Broadsword and Arrow offers the civilian market authentic military inspired timepieces and provides a lovely counterpart to Bremont’s bespoke military special projects and commissions which forms a significant part of the business.