Bremont Terra Nova — how adventure watch survived our test to ‘the end of the world’

I’m just back from a motorcycle ride: eight days, 2000 miles from Copenhagen to Norway’s North Cape, the place they call ‘the end of the world’, inset, below.

The Arctic Rally was the latest adventure organised by cousins Robert Nightingale and Jonny Cazzola, founders of Malle London which launched in 2013 as a manufacturer of high-quality British-made biking luggage and riding kit. Two years later the designers added a fresh string to Malle’s bow with the introduction of the Malle Mile, a weekend of two-wheeled  off-road antics that attracted 80 machines.

Today, Malle rallies are as big a part of the business as the gear it was built on – the Mile now attracts a crowd of thousands, while The Great Mile (a ride from the southern tip of England to the northern edge of Scotland) and the Mountain Rally (length of the Alps) have become firm fixtures on the biking calendar.

The ‘Arctic’, was, however, meant to be  a one-off due to the complex logistics of getting 100 motorcycles to Norway and back, but  a second has been pencilled in for 2027.

The reason for telling you all this is that one of the main elements of a Malle rally is timing: it’s all about small teams travelling between checkpoints, which they arrive at and leave at an allotted hour. At the end, Nightingale reveals the predetermined optimum time for the entire trip – and the team that comes closest receives a modest prize. Modesty, however, doesn’t prevent me from crowing about the fact that our team, the Arctic Monkeys, was declared winner having completed it just 23min off  a ‘perfect’ 67hr 45min of riding time.

Until recently, Malle’s marshals carried out their clock-watching using Breitling timepieces but, just 24 hours before the start of the Arctic Rally, British brand Bremont was announced as the new timing partner. That meant the Malle team was equipped with versions of Bremont’s Terra Nova.

As watch fans know, the launch of the Terra Nova and the rebranding of Bremont by its new management in 2024 led to criticism. CEO and head designer Davide Cerrato took it on the chin, listened and tweaked new models accordingly.

Whether or not anyone likes them more or less is subjective but the Arctic Rally, which saw wildly varying temperatures, rough roads and enthusiastic riding, certainly demonstrated the Terra Nova’s worth as an adventure watch. And surely, that’s what matters.

Bremont Terra Nova, from £2900.  bremont.com; mallelondon.com

If you’re the type who marvels at cutaway models of engines you’ll appreciate this collaboration between Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin. Based on G-P’s 50-year-old Laureato, the watch has a case, dial and bezel made from blackened ceramic while the GP01800 self-winding movement has been skeletonised to within an inch of its life. Sapphire crystals enable every detail to be appreciated while luminous hands and suspended indexes emit an Aston green glow.

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Skeleton Aston Martin Edition, £46,200.  girard-perregaux.com

Autodromo founder Bradley Price hit on a winning formula when he launched his Monoposto watch in 2012. The dial name’s first automatic model (previous pieces had quartz power), the Monoposto was inspired by rev counters used on ’50s F1 cars with a red line on the crystal beyond the nine o’clock mark (evoking 9000rpm). It sold out, but Price has now introduced Series Two versions with Moss Green or Azzurro dials. Just 150 of each are available and feature the same 43mm case diameter and Miyota movement of the original.

Autodromo Monoposto, £765. autodromo.com