There is an emotion and significance that collectors attach to watches that often extends beyond the simple material components of a watch. By which I mean that it’s the story, history and craft of a watch that matters more than its physical reality. For example, meteorite (which is typically just a slice of iron and nickel) captivates us because of the implications of its space travel, age and experiences. It creates an emotional response in us. Sopwith Watch Company understand this through the much more human lens of making watches from metal that has played a significant role in human history. Case in point, the Aero Marquis Messerschmitt Bf 109 Pas-de-Calais Limited Edition GMT.
Similar to the Aero Marquis Thomas-Morse Scout that we looked at recently, the Aero Marquis Messerschmitt Bf 109 Pas-de-Calais is made from metal sourced from a vintage airplane. As the name indicates, this version is produced from material from the Luftwaffe’s flagship fighter plane from World War Two, the Messerschmitt Bf 109.
Getting into more detailed specifics, the Aero Marquis is made from the bulletproof rear headrest and armoured window frame from a heritage Messerschmitt (Sopwith provide a full history of the craft on their website). Sopwith are careful to source their metal from restoration projects where original material is deemed unusable and non-flight worthy, rescuing it from a fate on the scrap heap by turning it into new pieces of art in honour of the metal’s heritage.
Regarding the processing of the metal, Sopwith Watch Company’s founder Stephen Cox said, “we are one of the very few luxury watch companies in the world that own and operate our own foundry where we melt the steel. We go through and compare the steel to AMS grade 5360 and enhance it to bring it up to modern standards. So, you know that it will be reliable, comfortable, wearable, and corrosion free for the lifetime of the watch. And we guarantee our cases forever.”
This dedicated process is also why Sopwith watches are produced in such low quantities. As Stephen says, “when we tell people that we can only make 59 cases, or when we have a watch that is a limited edition, our editions are truly, authentically limited. Because, unless you happen to have a World War Two original Messerschmitt Bf 109 in your garage, well, you can’t get any more steel.”
While the metal is a core part of Sopwith’s production, the overall design and style of the watch is still vitally important. The case itself is 41mm with a titanium carbine PVD coating for extra protection and scratch resistance over the historic metal. The bronze crown has also been carefully designed for optimal ergonomics with a pronounced grip and large size for easy manipulation, even in gloves – they’ve even paid attention to ensuring that it has a satisfying clicking motion during use to give tactile feedback.
For the dial, it’s largely identical to the other Aero Marquis models with a few distinguishing features. The sandwich display – with its multi-layer construction and legible, lumed markers – is blue, inspired by the waters of the English Channel that Messerschmitts frequently crossed. The tri-colour band at 6 o’clock is also based on the German flag. It makes for a practical tool watch display with hours, minutes, seconds, 24-hour GMT, surrounded by the compass (aka azimuth) bezel.
Below that dial is the ETA 2893-A2 Élaboré with 42-hour power reserve. A classic, Swiss-made workhorse movement with additional GMT function for displaying the time in multiple time zones simultaneously. If you’re a frequent flier over the channel, keeping track of that extra hour without having to change your watch constantly is handy.
As Stephen has already noted, the Sopwith Watch Company Aero Marquis Messerschmitt Bf 109 Pas-de-Calais Limited Edition GMT is limited to 59 pieces. It’s priced at $4,600 (approx. £3,400). It brings a new meaning to heritage pilot’s watch.
Price and Specs:
More details at Sopwith.
