Andy Green sets a 406.320mph hydrogen vehicle record with JCB Hydromax

Regular Precision readers might recall the story of the Brooklands Watch Company, which was founded in 2017 by aviator, aero-mechanical engineer and saloon car racer Simon Jeffs, who launched his first watch five years later – the Triple-Four chronograph, one of the very last design projects taken on by the late Sir Terence Conran.

Jeffs was inspired to start the company after a visit to the Brooklands Museum where he discovered the Holden Apparatus, the first chronograph designed for establishing official speed records after Brooklands became the world’s first banked racing circuit following its opening in 1907.

It was built on land belonging to Hugh Fortescue Locke King, who instigated its construction in light of the Motor Car Act of four years earlier which imposed a blanket 20mph speed limit throughout Britain.

Concerned that the rule would hinder the development and growth of the UK car industry, Locke King initially intended the track to be used for high-speed testing – but it quickly became the home of British motor sport and the scene of numerous two and four-wheeled records (not least that set by the legendary Napier-Railton in which John Cobb established the all-time Brooklands lap record of 143.44mph in 1935).

This summer, the Brooklands Watch Company helped to extend the British tradition of land speed record breaking by backing two decidedly different forms of vehicle, the first being the state-of-the-art JCB Hydromax which was driven by fastest-man-on-Earth Andy Green, (whose outright world record of 763.035 mph set in Thrust SSC in 1997 remains unbroken).

On August 11, Brooklands Watch Company ambassador Green piloted the Hydromax to a two-way average of 406.320 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats, establishing a new speed record for any hydrogen-powered vehicle.

The legendary ‘flats’ were also the site of multiple records achieved by Alastair Gibson, a 64-year-old artist, sculptor and engineer who moved to Europe as a youngster in search of work in the motor sport industry – a quest that proved rather successful, since he spent four years as lead mechanic for Benetton F1 and an entire decade as chief mechanic for the BAR and Honda teams.

These days Gibson can usually be found creating remarkable sculptures out of carbon fibre gleaned from used Formula 1 components purchased from current grand prix teams.

Gibson and his skilled team at Carbon Art 45 produce the pieces at his Oxfordshire workshop Studio 45, from which have emerged everything from exquisitely formed sharks, manta rays, Spitfire aircraft and even an accurate replica of Michelangelo’s David – all fashioned from carbon fibre.

His long-standing motor sport connections have also led Gibson to make sculptures for and/or inspired by everyone from Rubens Barrichello to Valentino Rossi and Gilles Villeneuve. Carbon Art 45 also made this year’s BRDC International Trophy, the trophies for the 2024 British Grand Prix and one for the Rolex SailGP Championship, see earlier in Precision Winter 2026.

But when he’s not creating spectacular works out of carbon fibre, Gibson likes nothing more than to ride his highly modified, supercharged 1938 BMW R51 as fast as possible – a pastime that earned him three Land Speed class records at Bonneville in 2024.

Not content with that, he returned to the salt in late August this year and, over a period of six days riding the BMW in gruelling, 36˚C heat, achieved no fewer than four more class records by variously piloting the hand-built bike to speeds of 102.596mph, 105.290mph, 107.855mph and 108.643mph.

And throughout the 15 runs, which saw Gibson cover 75 miles on the bike and spend a total of 30 hours wearing his race leathers in the sweltering summer conditions, he was accompanied by a special version of the Brooklands Watch Company’s limited edition Spectrum chronograph called the Spectrum Bonneville.

Only 10 examples of the watch were made, one of which was worn by Green in the Hydromax with another supplied to Gibson, a third worn by Jeffs during Bonneville SpeedWeek and seven offered for sale. Each has a stainless steel case treated with an ultra-hard diamond-like-carbon (DLC) coating in black, which was applied to increase the robustness of the watch while it was attached to Gibson’s wrist as he pounded up and down the salt.

“The Spectrum Bonneville was subjected to sustained heat, large amounts of sweat, immense vibration and the ravages of salt”

Jeffs nicknamed the watch the ‘Bionic Chronograph’, saying: “Bonneville SpeedWeek is actually a materials test disguised as a race meeting. The Spectrum Bonneville was subjected to sustained heat, large amounts of Alastair’s sweat, immense vibration and, of course, the ravages of the salt itself – but it emerged unscathed and in perfect working order.”

The seven regular Bonneville Spectrum chronographs are priced at £3900 each, but the ones that were worn by Green and Gibson have been donated by the record breakers to the Buying Time Foundation auction, which is taking place from June 15-30 2027 – for more go to buyingtimefoundation.com.

The remaining Spectrum Bonneville will be worn by Gibson at next year’s SpeedWeek when he attempts to achieve even greater speeds on his elderly BMW – this time running it on methanol.

Watch this space.