MEGA YACHT - EXCELLENCE, FUTURISTIC MASTERPIECE
Bremont celebrates the infamous ‘Spruce Goose’, declared a national treasure by the United States House of Representatives, with the launch of
At a time of austerity, one American de ed convention to build the largest aircraft in the world. The Bremont H-4 Hercules Limited Edition chronometer salutes this iconic ying boat of the 1940s. Famously known as the ‘Spruce Goose’, the vast silver ship is as legendary as its inventor Howard Hughes. Bremont Co-founder Nick English says, “Giles and I have been fascinated by the story of the H-4 Hercules since childhood. The sheer ambition of building an aircraft on that scale using wood is remarkable. The Hercules is a true engineering triumph that pushed the boundaries of aeronautical design. It paved the way for the large aircraft we use today, and did it with style, panache and just a dash of Hollywood.” The H-4 Hercules and, to a degree, Howard Hughes’ genius was de ned by one minute. One minute of ight on 2nd November 1947. In that time Howard Hughes’ vision for the greatest aircraft ever built was vindicated. It’s tting therefore that the aircraft is being commemorated by a timepiece of this stature. Limited to just 300 stainless steel, 75 rose gold and 75 platinum pieces, the Bremont H-4 Hercules is a sublime fusion of micro-engineering, watch design and aviation history. The 25 jewel Bremont BWC/02 movement is based on the original proprietary automatic BWC/01 calibre built in partnership with movement house, La Joux Perret, and is housed in a beautifully nished 43mm case. The new slate grey coloured BWC/02 movement has GMT functionality, along with hours, minutes, a smaller non-hacking seconds hand at 9 o’clock and the date at 6 o’clock. Although the name ‘Spruce Goose’ is world famous, Howard Hughes disliked this nickname bestowed on his aircraft by the press. He felt it an insult to his talented engineers. It was also incorrect, as the Hercules was made of birch. Remarkably, the movement of the Bremont H-4 Hercules has an automatic
winding rotor incorporating some original birchwood veneer that took to the air on that famous ight in 1947. The tungsten rotor features this veneer from Howard Hughes’ H-4 Hercules, as four propeller blades. The wood (which was made available only through essential preservation work on the H-4) was carefully shipped to the UK from the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in Mcminnville Oregon, USA, where it was painstakingly cut to size by the renowned bespoke furniture makers Silverlining. Furthermore, original aileron fabric from the aircraft’s control surfaces can be found sewn into the English- made bridle leather watch packaging. Four years after Hughes’ death in 1976, rumours circulated that the airplane was going to be disassembled so that pieces could be given to museums around the country. There were public protests, and the United States House of Representatives voted to declare the ‘Spruce Goose’ a national treasure. The aircraft is not only an engineering feat of huge magnitude, it’s also an aesthetically beautiful machine. Bremont Co-founder Giles English comments, “Hughes’ obsession with detail and striving for perfection is evident everywhere in this aircraft. The H-4 wasn’t so much built as crafted, its awless silver surface, devoid of rivets and bumps synonymous with 1940’s aviation, shows that this aircraft was a masterpiece of design and manufacture. The Hughes H-4 is arguably one of the most important aircraft ever to have own, in terms of its innovations in construction and control systems - a huge contribution to aviation development and history. Up until 2019 it was the largest aircraft in terms of wingspan ever to have own. It is still the biggest ying boat ever to y and will likely remain so forever. It proved such an inspiration that we felt compelled to design a watch based on its iconic design with a percentage of proceeds also going to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum for preserving the aircraft.”