Buy your Drivers’ Meeting tickets here
You likely don’t need anyone to tell you that there is something special about Jaguar’s sportscar racing heritage. Particularly in 1950s’ Le Mans 24 Hours races, when its beautiful curved and flowing cars, almost feline-looking, often swept the board, in what by consensus is considered a golden age of motorsport. And among Jaguar’s successful sportcars, the legendary D-Type stands apart. The car—powered by a six-cylinder engine derived from the XK120—won Le Mans three times between 1955 and ’57, and in the last of these D-types filled the first four places. These also were Jaguar’s final wins in the great endurance race until 1988. And British watch manufacturer Bremont is bringing its sublime D-type inspired chronograph to the Petrolicious Drivers’ Meeting in Bicester this Sunday, May 12, for visitors to witness up close, along with two original examples of the D-type.
Jaguar Classic announced last year that it is righting a historic wrong by build 25 new D-type racing cars, in original specification using the same design drawings. This is because Jaguar’s intention was to build 100 examples of the machine, but when the final D-type rolled out of the Jaguar factory in 1956 it was but number 75. And Bremont has created its watch to celebrate this, as well as to honor the iconic D-type more broadly, extending Bremont’s previous collaborations with Jaguar, the first of which was in 2014. The superbly-designed mechanical chronograph transports the wearer back to the inimitable 1950s motorsport golden era.
The watch’s design pays homage to the D-type in many of its aspects. Firstly, given the D-type was classified as a 300bhp car, the timepiece will be a limited edition of only 300 pieces. The blue dialed bi-compax chronograph is inspired by the famous colors of the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar race team, which Jaguar won Le Mans with in 1956 and ‘57, and the watch also has a blue racing calf-skin strap. The watch’s intricate rotor is inspired by the Jaguar steering wheel, the watch crown has the original Dunlop tire tread etched into it and the heritage Jaguar logo is finished painstakingly in enamel on its end.
“The Bremont D-type chronograph is inspired by one of the most dramatic and beautiful sportscars in history–a sportscar which is a true embodiment of Jaguar’s racing heritage,” said Jaguar design director and British design icon Ian Callum, who is signing the packaging for this exclusive watch. “As exciting today as it was in the 1950s, its story continues to be told and this iconic car deserves a timepiece to match. The Limited Edition perfectly captures the D-type’s mechanical beauty and subtly nods to the cars’ performance—a true driver’s companion.”
Bremont also is bringing a Jaguar Project 7 to Bicester, a 2014 car created with the direct brief to designers to create a modern-day D-type. It features many D-type cues, such as the distinctive ‘hump’ behind the driver’s head as well as the D‑type’s famous swooping lines. Those at the Petrolicious Drivers’ Meeting will therefore be able to see for themselves how Jaguar’s line of heritage still continues in the current day.
The Bremont display of the watch, D-types and Project 7 will be one of the star attractions at the Petrolicious Drivers’ Meeting at the renowned Bicester Heritage, in Oxfordshire, UK, on Sunday May 12. For more about the show see this story.
General attendance tickets are available for purchase here for £12.50, and remaining tickets will be sold at the gate for £15.00. Petrolicious Members and kids under 16 get in free.
Images courtesy of Bremont
