It was brought to Elliot Browns attention that operators from a specialist brand of the British Military were having issues with the watches they had been issued with. Problems they were having included losses caused by broken spring bars, awkward bezels that don’t work with gloved fingers, water-entry, torn straps, and not being durable enough for harsh conditions. It was said that the operators preferred their privately-owned Elliot Brown watches anyway!

Elliot Brown already create watches with a strong physique that are extraordinarily capable and have unsurpassed durability. I don’t think the British Military could have truly picked a more accurate brand to partner up with!

To conquer the awkward bezel, the Holton has a high-grip bezel designed so that it can be turned by gripping the edge, or by pressing downwards on the top with a gloved hand. The bezel has a hash mark every minute that has been debossed then filled with SuperLuminova C3.

The minute hand, also filled with C3, is a slender parallel button design whilst the C3 filled hour hand is a short stubby sword design. To minimise the possibility of the crown getting caught or being damaged, it is located at 4 o’clock and recessed deeply into the case. The triple seal also allows the watch to remain waterproof to 200m even when unscrewed – I don’t know about you but I’ve never heard of a diver’s watch being that handy!

Solid steel bars are threaded directly into the case that provides the same strength as the old-style fixed bars but can be unscrewed with their bespoke pentalobe driver that locates positively into the ends of bars, enabling simple strap change in the field. This feature allows higher durability as well as an extra detail to make their lives even easier. The Holton is also sporting 2mm thick sapphire crystal glass! The case back is bolted down, compressing the seals and movement shock absorption system perfectly.

Aldo Kane, record breaking extreme adventurer and former commando sniper. Also started his career in the Royal Marine Commandos and proceeded to become one of the youngest snipers in the UK armed forces. The most interesting place Kane has taken his Bremont is “to the very bottom of Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” He wears the Supermarine range – “A rugged diving watch by appearance, it’s durability enables it to perform above the waves just as it does below.” My favourite detail on this watch must be the very middle of the face which looks much like a speaker.

With this, Elliot Brown have created the first military issue watch from a British company in 13 years. What a proud moment for us all!

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