Back in 2010, Bremont introduced the Supermarine 500, which introduced a fresh take on a pretty well-trod path: the dive watch. Its unique crown guard, sapphire bezel, signature Bremont three-piece “Trip-Tick” case, and overall styling set it apart from the pack. It quickly became a favorite of dive watch lovers. Then, in 2014, came the Supermarine 2000, which quadrupled the water resistance, introduced the anti-magnetic and anti-shock properties of Bremont’s MB watches, and beefed up the case from 43mm to 45mm. The S2000 is an exercise in sheer overkill in every respect, a watch that will survive things no human wearing it ever could, something many who buy the watch appreciate.

But for many, 45mm, or even 43mm, is too large for a watch, even a diver. So at last week’s “Basel-upon-Thames” event in London, Bremont released new additions to the bremont supermarine 300m date lineup – the Type 300 and Type 301 – both with an all-new 40-millimeter case.
Bremont has always leaned hard on the aviation angle, owing to the company’s founders’ passion for flying. So even the brand’s dive watches take their name from the British company that built many legendary airplanes — Supermarine. The name Type 300 references the name given to the prototype Spitfire fighter that Supermarine built in the 1930s in advance of World War II. The new watches share the same case, which is 40mm of hardened stainless steel with the familiar three-part construction for which Bremont is known. They’re slimmed down considerably too, at 13mm from the top of the domed sapphire crystal to the rear of the solid screw-down caseback. The smaller size should improve wearability, as the S500 and S2000 are both heavy, tall leviathans. Of course, with the smaller size comes less water resistance. But 300 meters is more than adequate for scuba diving. bremont supermarine 300m also wisely edited out the helium release valve from the case, a nod to its more recreational purpose.
Instead of sapphire bezels, the new watches now sport unidirectional ratcheting ceramic timing rings, in either black or blue respectively, matching the two dial versions available. (The blue bezel on the prototype we were shown is not the final iteration and will be more closely matched to the dial on the final production models, we were told.)
The dials themselves are markedly new as well. The “corduroy” texture from the bigger Supermarines is gone, and on the Type 300, Arabic numeral are used at six, nine, and 12, with rectangular hashes replacing the large round markers of the S500 and S2000. The black dial version has faux “gilt” accents for the Bremont logo and minute track while the blue dial version sticks with white markings. The latter’s blue is reminiscent of the shimmering sunburst blue used on the blue version of Bremont’s U2 pilot’s watch, and it catches light beautifully.
The Type 301 has a more vintage-inspired style, with painted (not applied) dots and hashes and an upside-down arrowhead at 12 that, all tinted with luminescent paint meant to mimic old tritium. Sure, it might remind one of a classic Submariner in more ways than one, but Bremont is hardly the first to follow this legible convention. The dial and bezel of the Type 301 are more matte in finish than those on the Type 300, and they almost look a faded grey from certain angles.

All dials have red accents in the bremont supermarine 300m name, the sweep hand tip, and the “60” on the minute track of the Type 300. The day display of the other Supermarines is gone in favor of a white-on-black date wheel on all watches. Hands are slightly different from those on earlier Supermarines — here they’re modified swords without the round tip on the hour hand.
The Type 300 and 301 make use of a chronometer-certified, Bremont-modified self-winding ETA 2892 movement that here is called the BE-92AE. Though not in-house, in a tool diver with a solid caseback I would argue this is not terribly important, and bremont supermarine 300m does re-test its movements after they return from COSC certification and are cased up.

The watches are all available on a 20mm stainless steel bracelet, a calf leather strap, or a striped nylon NATO-style strap, with the blue Type 300 also having a blue rubber option. The nylon strap is thicker than most of the $15 aftermarket ones available and has a bit of a smooth shine to it, not unlike that found on the NATOs available from Omega.
Nick English explained that his and his brother Giles’s preference runs more to leather straps on watches, but obviously on a diver they felt that offering a steel bracelet was wise. The bracelet is of high quality and looks sharp, but the clasp is a simple two-button release with no dive extension or security latch. My opinion is that the leather is the way to wear these watches unless you’re getting them wet (in which case you can substitute nylon or rubber).

My personal impression is that these watches look better on the wrist and in person than in photos. The size is predictably good and though the more conventional designs aren’t as distinctively Bremont as the Supermarine 500 and 2000, the Trip-Tick case profile separates the Type 300 and 301 from the rest of the diver herd.
Pricing for the Type 300 and Type 301 is $4,095 on either strap and $4,695 on the bracelet. This pricing draws obvious comparisons to other high quality divers out there, such as Tudor’s Black Bay family. And while value judgments with luxury watches are largely subjective and a futile exercise, these watches do stack up well with others in the vicinity. I’ve dived many times with a Bremont Supermarine 2000 and can vouch for its robustness in its intended environment and I suspect the new Type 300 and 301 will perform similarly. And at 40mm, the new ones should be more friendly for terrestrial pursuits too.