Beachmaster - A landmark watch for a landmark moment

"Whatever the mission, precision timing counts"

We’re not the fastest designers. Even something as simple as a rubber strap can easily take us a year or more to perfect, because highly considered details make us happy and details take time.

Beachmaster® spent several years in development behind the scenes while we took our time and let our naturally obsessive natures get to work.

The original idea for Beachmaster® came from a team of Royal Marines who asked if we could design a mission timer capable of counting down to the start of an event then counting up to show the elapsed time or to a target rendezvous time without sub dials or anything extraneous.

It needed to be bombproof yet beautifully considered with our DNA and unique EB design language in abundance.

The usual. 

Undaunted by the fact that apparently no-one had ever designed anything like this before, we began sketching different scale ideas for the inner rotating bezel and soon realised that instead of just counting upwards from 0 to 60 minutes, we could split the scale so that it counted down and then counted up.  

By using a GMT movement with a 24 hour hand that was of a different design to the other hands, it could be extended right to the outer mission timing scale. Not only that, the scale itself could count a total of 24 hours, split into whatever count down or count up elements we chose.  The idea felt like it would enable us do exactly what we set out to achieve.

Nothing is ever that simple though.

A true GMT watch displays the time in a second time zone via a separate 24 hour scale. We started sketching hands with two reference pointers, one for the outer mission timing scale and one for the inboard to reference an inner 24h.

Our sketches felt simple, uncluttered, elegant and we could potentially count down to mission start up to 12 hours away or even longer if we used an uneven timing bezel split into 18 hours and 6 hours.

Almost three years since inception, we were still tweaking, honing, adjusting line weights, case details, bezel design, chamfers, under cuts, brushing, polishing, lume colours, hand dimensions and finishes.

The more we spent time with it, the more we knew it had the scope to be something special because of its compelling simplicity and originality. It delivers exactly what was required in an elegant, cohesive way that was greater than the sum of its parts.

We spent hours searching for all the other watches we were sure must have beaten us to the punch that we must have overlooked during initial research.

After a lot of looking and not much finding, we began to consider the possibility that the watch we’d designed was actually a brand new idea.  The obvious step was to test its mettle via a patent application because if it was as original and unique as we thought, we’d have created a totally original watch with real gravitas.

We drew dozens of annotated illustrations and wrote a 4,700 word document to support our application. We sent it off, and anxiously waited, and waited.

Several months later, we received confirmation from the UK Patent Office that we appeared to have created an original watch idea and our application was accepted.

The pandemic of 2020/2021 created an achingly long delay, then in April 22 we received confirmation our second patent had been granted.

The feeling was literally incredible, we’d done it. Our very own totally original mission timing watch function.

A few short days after the patent news hit our inboxes, first prototypes were in our hands.

When a process as long and full of so much attention and emotion as this finally comes to a conclusion, and it’s a successful one, the happy emotions come flooding to the surface and despite all the hard work needed to tell the world about our new creation, it’s a moment we’ll always remember fondly.

How exactly does it work?

Imagine you’re 11 hours or just a few minutes away from the start of a big event and you need to rendezvous or check positions some hours after event start – all whilst knowing the time in two time zones and counting down to a separate non related event using the external bezel. It could be a sailing race, a military exercise, meeting friends yet all it takes to set the event timing is the simplest twist of the click-lock crown at 2h.

It's not our normal oily-smooth crown though, this one uses spring loaded ceramic ball bearings that click with engineered precision, safely locking the inner timing bezel wherever it is set. It’s one of those mechanically satisfying functions that begs to be handled to feel the time and effort of its movement.

Simply choose which hand to use then set the bezel to the time prior to event start. It really is as simple as that to operate. What is it they say about the simplest ideas?

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the Beachmaster® Professional.

A fitting name for a multi time zone, mission timer conceived around the D-Day landings.

• Swiss made high performance Sellita SW330-2 automatic movement with 56hr power reserve and independently adjustable 24hr/GMT function
• 40mm satin brushed stainless steel case with polished detailing
• Subtle matt wave ‘amphibious assault’ graphic in the dial centre
• Sunray deep black dial with 3D applied indexes
• Waterproof to 300M/1000ft; individually tested
• Timing graphics: X1 BWG9 white Superluminova, glows blue
• Hours, minutes, seconds: X1 C3 green Superluminova, glows green
• External matte black ceramic unidirectional 120 click rotating bezel with X1 BWG9 white Superluminova
• Bi directional rotating Internal rotating bezel with click-lock ceramic ball bearing mechanism and X1 BWG9 white Superluminova
• Scratch resistant domed sapphire crystal with anti reflective coating
• Custom hobnail knurled crowns at 2H and 4H
• Easy change screw in strap bars with socket heads
• Hydraulically stamped bolted down case back, limited to 500
• Solid link stainless steel metal bracelet with ratchet divers extension + rubber divers strap with deployant buckle also included.
• Bespoke Beachmaster challenge coin
• Patent No. GB2509109