Driving Force: Watches Inspired by Norton Motorcycles and the Porsche 911 Bremont collaborated with British motorcycle producer Norton to create a limitededition watch, while the new REC 901 Automatic collection uses pieces of Porsche 911s made from 1964 to 1979
INSPIRATION: The wheel spokes of the limited-edition Norton V4SS road bike. PHOTO: DOMINIC JAMES FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL By Michael Clerizo I HAVE TWO PASSIONS: cars and motorcycles, and watches. Being enamored of these doesn’t mean I really have two consuming passions, however, only one: mechanics. In cars and motorcycles the engine is, well, the engine: crankshaft, pistons, valves, spark plugs, and so on. In a watch, the engine comprises the gear train, escapement, balance and attendant devices.
ECHO CHAMBER: The back of the Bremont V4SS, mirroring Norton's V4SS road bike. PHOTO: BREMONT WATCH COMPANY
The enticing quality of both is visibility. You can see an engine and understand how it works—how the various parts, moving and stationary, contribute to the functioning of the whole. You can even comprehend that the engine is a product of human intelligence, engineering, and dexterity. The passion takes different forms: What some like to observe, others like to build. Two watches appearing later this year feed on this intense desire to create—and observe—things mechanical. The first comes from the British brand Bremont in collaboration with the British motorcycle producer Norton. With the British there is an additional layer to the passion: They used to make things and they want to make things again. While Bremont sprung fully formed from the minds of brothers Nick and Giles English in 2002, Norton, founded in 1898, endured several rocky decades later in its life as it fought the dominance of emerging Japanese motorcycle producers. It had myriad owners starting in the 1970s. But, since 2008, it has been under the guidance of Stewart Garner, and since 2013 has had a new home at Donington Hall, Leicestershire, England, right next to the legendary Donington Park motor-racing circuit.
FINISHING TOUCHES: Elements of the Norton V4SS road bike are repeated on the watch dial, including the recognizable Norton font. PHOTO: BREMONT WATCH COMPANY Norton’s new bikes, the limited-edition V4SS and the unlimited V4RR, come out of the brand’s road-racing pedigree. The bikes are derived from Norton’s TT SG6 road-racer, which will appear at this year’s Isle of Man TT. The V4SS is a gleaming beast with an all-carbon-fiber body and a 1,200cc, 200bhp, V4 engine. The Bremont V4SS watch is a big 43mm, gleaming chronograph with a polished stainless-steel case and a silvered dial with carbon-fiber subdials and embellished with the Norton font. Only 200 will be produced. (A second, widely available V4RR watch will be produced later in the year to mirror Norton’s unlimited model.) “The Norton fan base is dedicated, they love their bikes—and we want our customers to feel the same about our watches,” says Nick English. “It’s not about being garish. It’s about being understated but also proud about what you’re wearing. The same is true of Norton. When you’re riding a Norton you can [be] proud of it, the mechanics, the design, the history, everything.” When it comes to cars, few names rouse the spirits like Porsche, the German sports-car brand idolized the world over. But Northern European countries are rarely held up as examples of hotbeds of intense emotion. Or are they? Hiding emotion isn't the same as an absence of emotion. There’s passion in the German Porsche, but for our purposes, how about the Danes? Danish passion is obvious in the writing of Hans Christian Andersen and the science of Tycho Brahe. Anyone who doesn’t think Metallica’s Danish drummer, Lars Ulrich, possesses the energy of a volcano needs to wake up. There are passionate Danes in the world of watches, too: Jonathan Kamstrup and Christian Mygh, who started REC Watches in a grungy Copenhagen apartment three years ago. REC makes watches incorporating recycled parts from classic cars. Last year their P-51 collection featured components from 1960s Ford Mustangs. For this year’s model, REC conducted an online poll, and the Porsche 911 took first place. “To be honest we were ecstatic that the 911 won,” says Mr. Kamstrup. “Not only was it always the office favorite, but it’s also my co-founder Christian’s dream car.” It’s a model that, for many aficionados, embodies the fierce spirit of the German brand. (The Dodge Charger came second and the Volkswagen T2 camper third.) The watches of the new REC collection, called the 901 Automatic—a reference to Porsche’s intention to name the car the 901, until a company lawyer reported that Peugeot owned that moniker—uses pieces of the chassis from 1964 to 1979 911s to fabricate the dials, and the watch strap is partially woven from 911 seat belts. The movement is a Miyota 9100 automatic, and the watches are 44mm in diameter. They echo elements of the 911, from the Otto Fuchs-designed wheels to the horn cap on the early 911 steering. “To us, perhaps more than any other car, the Porsche 911 has always embodied a perfect harmony between raw sportiness and timeless elegance,” says Mr. Kamstrup. “Arguably, this is why the 911 design has been updated only six times in five decades, always staying true to the shape and ideas of the original design. “At the same time, we are really, really proud of the 901 collection as well. I feel we’ve really gone the extra mile in creating a watch design that balances that sportiness and elegance, while including a ton of small but clear references to the car’s iconic design….
“To me, a watch is an extension of its owner’s personality. It’s no longer just a timekeeping instrument, but rather a way of showcasing who you are (yes, it’s a bit far-fetched, but I really believe it). Very similar to buying a sports car. As such, I also believe that a unique design, a fantastic story and a tribute to a car with so much legacy, will appeal to people who understand the very philosophy of owning something truly unique.” Danish passion? I think we’ve found it.