As if the 6 Jaguar Lightweight E-Types weren't exclusive enough already, Jaguar has now announced that it will also offer 6 unique wristwatches to the customers of the new Lightweight E-Types. The British luxury carmaker has collaborated with the Bremont Watch Company to make the unique wristwatches. Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar, said, "The Lightweight E-type project is so special that we thought we really needed to create something which complemented the cars and, since most classic enthusiasts also tend to be horophiles, a wristwatch seemed to be the answer."
Check: Jaguar Lightweight E-Type Photo Gallery
Both, Jaguar and Bremont, have worked closely together in the past on the clocks for the C-X75 and XJ75 Platinum concept cars. The carmaker said it didn't want a watch that was too obvious in terms of design, but something which captured the spirit of the Lightweight in a subtle yet relevant way. The wristwatch's design draws inspiration directly from the car; the 43mm watch features a black dial based on the look of a Lightweight RPM gauge and features a subtle 'red zone' quadrant. The chamfered hour and minute hands replicate the instrument's tachometer needle, while the chassis number of the relevant car is printed at the six o'clock position.
The central band of the white gold case is made from aluminium saved during the construction of the new Lightweight body panels and will be anodised to match the colour of the car it is designed to complement. Other touches include a winding crown which is engraved with the pattern of the period-correct Dunlop racing tyres which will be fitted to the continuation Lightweights, and straps made from the same Connolly leather which is being used for the interior trim.
Another reference to the car is found on the watch's back, in the form of the automatic winding rotor - visible through a sapphire crystal case back - which takes the form of an exquisite miniaturisation of an alloy-spoked Lightweight steering wheel, complete with authentic wooden rim. The back of each watch also carries the engine number of the car it is paired with.
Giles English, who co-founded Bremont with his brother, says the new Lightweight watches provided the firm with the perfect opportunity to take the important step of launching its own, proprietary movement. He further added, "Creating the watch proved to be a fascinating project, as we were given access to the Jaguar archives in order, for example, to ascertain the exact font for the numerals used on the dial of the original rev counters. The fact that we were required to make just six examples enabled us to be very creative in a way that is not always possible when designing a watch for larger scale production - and that's why we have been able to feature touches such as using real wood for the rim of the 'steering wheel' winding rotor. Each watch is, essentially, bespoke."
Jaguar first collaborated with Bremont for an analogue dashboard clock in keeping with the 778 horsepower Jaguar C-X75 in 2010.
Watch the video about the bespoke wristwatch here:
