British watch company Bremont has partnered with filmmaker Matthew Vaughn to be the timepiece supplier for his upcoming movie Argylle, which comes out in theaters February 2, 2024. In addition to outfitting the film’s actors with watches to wear on-screen, Bremont has also created a trio of limited-edition models that are inspired by the film and its three main characters. The new Bremont Argylle Limited Edition Watch Collection consists of thematic versions of the Solo 43, U-2, Solo 34 models, and in addition to taking their inspiration from the movie’s key characters (Argylle, Aidan, and Elly), all three of the new limited-edition watches feature Argylle diamond-pattern dials and accents in the film’s signature yellow color.
Bremont previously partnered with Matthew Vaughn back in 2015 to supply timepieces for his film Kingsman: The Secret Service, and that collaboration also yielded a trio of movie-themed models that were made available to the general public. While Vaughn’s new film Argylle is also based in the world of spies and espionage, it offers an even more surreal reality-bending premise, and features an ensemble cast that includes Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, John Cena, Ariana DeBose, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Sofia Boutella, and Samuel L. Jackson. Vaughn turned to Bremont to supply the timepieces for his film and encouraged each actor to select a watch that was best-suited to their respective character, which they would then wear throughout the film.
In the upcoming movie Argylle, Elly Conway (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) is the reclusive author of a best-selling series of spy novels, who spends most of her time in front of her computer with her cat named Alfie. However, her world gets turned upside down when reality begins to mirror the fictional plots of her books, which are centered around Secret Agent Argylle (portrayed by Henry Cavill). Elly’s quiet life quickly dissolves as she finds herself wrapped up in the plans of a global espionage syndicate, and she must race around the world with a spy named Aidan (played by Sam Rockwell) while the lines between her imagination and the real world become increasingly blurred.
The first of the three limited-edition models from the Argylle collection is the Bremont Argylle, which is inspired by the titular character of the film and based upon the Bremont Solo 43. Featuring the brand’s Trip-Tick case in polished stainless steel with a black DLC treated middle barrel, the Bremont Argylle measures 43mm in diameter by 15.8mm thick, with 22mm lugs and an overall lug-to-lug profile of 49mm. A domed sapphire crystal covers the dial, while a screw-on display caseback is fitted to the reverse side of the watch, and although the signed crown at 3 o’clock features a standard push/pull design, the Bremont Argylle still offers a fairly healthy 100 meters of water resistance.
The black dial of the Bremont Argylle features a diamond pattern across its service, and it is paired with an angled split-color chapter ring in black and opaline nickel, which surrounds its perimeter and contains the 24-hour scale for the watch’s GMT complication. The running seconds have been relocated to a sub-dial at the 9 o’clock position, and the counterweight on its corresponding gold-plated hand is diamond-shaped to complement the Argylle motif that appears throughout the dial. Powering the Bremont Argylle is the modified Caliber BE-69AV, which runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 56 hours, and fitted to the 22mm lugs of the watch is a black leather strap with tan contrast stitching running down its outer edges.
The second model from the limited-edition Argylle collection is the Bremont Argylle Jet, which is inspired by the spy Aidan from the film and based upon the core design of the Bremont U-2. Featuring a stainless steel Trip-Tick case with a black DLC finish, the Bremont Argylle Jet measures 43mm in diameter by 14.5mm thick, with 22mm lugs and a lug-to-lug profile of 50mm. Fitted with a domed sapphire crystal above its dial and a screw-on display caseback, the case of the Bremont Argylle Jet also incorporates the brand’s patented anti-shock movement mount and a soft iron anti-magnetic ring to help offer additional protection against magnetic fields. The internal rotating timing bezel is operated by the crown at 2 o’clock, while the other push/pull crown at 4 o’clock is dedicated to the movement, and water resistance for the Argylle Jet comes in at 100 meters to protect against most forms of moisture contact.
The black dial of the Bremont Argylle Jet also features the collection’s diamond pattern across its surface; however, it gets paired with tan-colored vintage luminous material and blue-finished hands, while the diamond-shaped tip of the seconds hand is finished in the film’s signature yellow color. Powering the Argylle Jet is the Caliber BE-36AE.OO automatic movement, which runs at a frequency of 28,800 bph (4Hz) with a 38-hour power reserve, and in addition to the shock resistance offered by its mounting system, the movement also benefits from further impact resistance, thanks to its modified automatic winding bridge. The 22mm lugs of the Bremont Argylle Jet are also fitted with a black leather strap, although it lacks the contrast stitching of its sibling and is completed by a black DLC-coated buckle to match the case of the watch.
The third and final model from the Bremont Argylle Limited Edition Watch Collection is the Bremont Argylle Elly, which is inspired by the film’s lead character Elly Conway and uses the brand’s Solo 34 model as the foundation for its design. The polished stainless steel Trip-Tick case features a black DLC-coated central barrel, and it measures 34mm in diameter by 10.7mm thick, with 16mm lugs and a lug-to-lug profile of 41mm. Similar to the other models from the collection, a domed sapphire crystal protects the dial, while a screw-on display caseback closes up the reverse side of the watch, and despite featuring a screw-down crown on the 3 o’clock side of its case, the Bremont Argylle Elly still offer the same 100 meters of water resistance that can be found among its two siblings from this movie-themed collection.
Unlike the other two models from the series that are inspired by the secret agent characters from the film and fitted with black dials, the Bremont Argylle Elly receives a white dial, although it still showcases the same Argylle diamond pattern across its surface. The leaf-shaped hour and minute hands are finished blue, while the centrally-mounted seconds hand features a diamond-shaped tip and is finished bright yellow to match the “Argylle” name on the dial. Powering the Bremont Argylle Elly is the brand’s Caliber BE-92AV automatic movement, which runs at a frequency of 28,800vph with a power reserve of approximately 50 hours, and fitted to the 16mm lugs is a yellow leather strap that further leans into the film’s signature colorway.
Just as the name of the series correctly implies, all three of the models from the new Bremont Argylle Limited Edition Watch Collection will be created as limited-edition offerings, although each one will be produced in a different quantity of examples. The GMT-equipped Bremont Argylle that is inspired by the titular character from the film will enjoy the largest production run among the trio with a total quantity of 200 examples, while the Bremont Argylle Jet will be a limited edition of 75 pieces, and the Bremont Argylle Elly will have the smallest production run at just 30 examples. Additionally, while the Argylle Jet and Argylle Elly models are essentially just novel renditions of standard-production models, the flagship Bremont Argylle piece stands out within the brand’s current lineup, as the regular Solo 43 series doesn’t currently have a GMT model among its various offerings.
When it comes to pricing, the GMT-equipped Bremont Argylle is the most expensive among the trio of limited-edition watches with an official retail price of USD 5,700, while the Bremont Argylle Jet is the next most expensive at USD 5,200 , and the Bremont Argylle Elly is USD 3,850. Personally, I would have preferred to see Bremont create timepieces specifically for the characters to wear on-screen in the film, although it will still be rather fun to see which Bremont watches each actor chose for their respective character when watching the Argylle movie. Additionally, despite being inspired by the film and its various characters, none of the three watches suffer from overt branding, and aside from the small “Argylle” text on the dial, the only visual connections to the film are the diamond-shaped motif and the use of the film’s signature yellow color. For more information on the Bremont Argylle Limited Edition Watch Collection, please visit the brand’s website.
