Dial colors tend to come in waves of popularity in the current luxury watch market, and so-called “salmon” dials are currently some of the trendiest offerings among enthusiasts. In practice, there’s a broad spectrum of definitions for what constitutes a salmon dial, ranging from deep pink to pale orange, rose gold, and copper. As one might expect from such a loosely defined color, salmon dials can give off a wide range of impressions from classical to contemporary, and from dressy to sporting. Very rarely, however, do dials of this kind actually feel casual and relaxed. With this in mind, the new limited-edition Bremoir Lexington Montauk Dawn is a uniquely charming watch for a variety of reasons, including its charmingly relaxed colorway, its impressively solid build quality, and its nuanced Art Deco-inspired design language. We here at aBlogtoWatch have reviewed the standard production Bremoir Lexington before, but the new Montauk Dawn adds a new layer of character that equally evokes classic New York skyscrapers and a perfectly faded pair of blue jeans.
Measuring in at 39mm-wide and 10.7mm-thick, the Bremoir Lexington Montauk Dawn’s stainless steel case is balanced and easy to wear but is broadly separated into two distinct segments. The main case body is muscular and straightforward, with squared-off lugs, broad horizontally brushed surfaces, and sharply tapering triangular polished chamfers along the upper lug edges. It’s a handsome and versatile base to build upon, but it arguably lacks some of the Art Deco visual flair that defines the rest of the design. By contrast, the Lexington Montauk Dawn’s bezel is a pure Art Deco stylistic expression. Brightly polished and terraced in three steep layers, this unique bezel design takes its inspiration from the upper floors of New York City’s iconic Chrysler Building, arguably the world’s most emblematic Art Deco structure. The broad cone-tipped crown at 3 o’clock continues in this stylistic vein, with a deep matte accent groove in lieu of a signature. Around back, Bremoir fits the watch with a recessed sapphire display caseback and claims a middling water resistance rating of 50 meters.
Although it bears a fair family resemblance to previous models in the line, the Bremoir Lexington Montauk Dawn’s dial is undoubtedly its visual centerpiece. The finishing here is genuinely stellar for the price point, with each element offering a sense of detail, balance, and nuance not often found in timepieces under $1,000. The “Montauk Dawn” name refers to this dial as well, which aims to capture the colors of early sunrise on eastern Long Island in New York. Not quite orange, not quite yellow, and not quite pink, the soft matte peach hue that makes up the majority of the dial surface gives the Lexingtion Montauk Dawn a warmly faded look right out of the box, sitting at the cusp of the broad spectrum of salmon dial hues. The radially brushed copper hours ring is a staple of the Lexington series, but the softer contrast between the faded peach tone of the main dial and the bright “new penny” look of this accent ring helps to give this dial a more unified, less dynamic look on the wrist than its stablemates. Bremoir does not simply drop this hours ring into an existing dial design, however, and numerous graphic details help to integrate it more fully into the overall layout. For example, the ring is flanked on both sides by bold black accent stripes, and pale green printed triangles highlighting the applied indices on the ring help to deepen the overall color palette while drawing the eye back towards the ring. Speaking of these indices, the Bremoir Lexington Montauk Dawn uses a mix of swoopy, rounded polished Arabic numerals and pencil-shaped faceted indices (styled to resemble simplified versions of the Chrysler Building for a unified look) with an impressively lustrous, even full-polish finish. Bremoir continues the Lexington Montauk Dawn’s Art Deco theming with its printed dial elements, with a distinctive set of notched navy blue squares forming the outer minutes track and an elegantly slim, stylized printed emblem at 12 o’clock. Arguably this dial’s only point of contention is its handset, which pairs a squared-off baton hours hand with a pointed minutes hand for a slightly mismatched look.
Bremoir powers the Lexington Montauk Dawn with the STP 1-11 automatic movement. Made by Fossil Group as an alternative to the ubiquitous ETA 2824 series, the STP 1-11 has become an increasingly popular choice for independent brands in recent years, offering comparable performance figures such as a 44-hour power reserve and a 28,800 bph beat rate. Bremoir goes the extra mile with this platform, however, performing final assembly and quality control in the United States. This final American step does show in the watch’s accuracy, which averaged out to just over -4 seconds per day throughout our testing period. The STP 1-11’s finishing is also pushed to the next level here, as Bremoir adds perlage across the bridges and an opulent Art Deco-esque tri-tone rotor finished with Côtes de Genève. Rather than a simple brand name signature, Bremoir emblazons this rotor with the brand’s evocative “Time Worth Remembering” slogan.
To complete the watch, Bremoir pairs the Lexington Montauk Dawn with a sky blue nubuck leather strap featuring copper contrast stitching. When matched with the salmon-and-copper dial colorway, this immediately gives the watch the look of well-worn denim on the wrist, giving it a stylish and relaxed feel in most situations. This strap is also impressively soft and comfortable, requiring zero break-in and giving the watch a light and supple feel.
There’s no shortage of salmon dials in the current watch market, and while these dial colorways cover a broad spectrum, few if any others can match the casual charisma or the thoughtful beauty of the limited edition Bremoir Lexington Montauk Dawn. Although Bremoir does number each model individually, it does not explicitly state how many models will be made for this particular edition. The watch is available now through the brand’s e-commerce platform. MSRP for the Bremoir Lexington Montauk Dawn stands at $985 USD as of press time. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
Necessary Data
>Brand: Bremoir
>Model: Lexington Montauk Dawn
>Price: $985 USD
>Size: 39mm-wide, 10.7mm-thick
>When reviewer would personally wear it: As a summery daily wear piece, or when meeting with fellow architecture and design buffs.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Enthusiasts looking for a colorful-yet-tasteful watch for a variety of occasions, or Art Deco buffs looking to celebrate their passion on the wrist.
>Best characteristic of watch: Relaxed, attractive colorway; sharp finishing throughout; excellent build quality for the price point.
>Worst characteristic of watch: A somewhat blocky main case body feels at odds with the streamlined detail of the rest of the design.
