The English watchmaker, Thomas Mercer, has a colourful history. In 1858, he was merely a gifted manufacturer of chronometers, a device used to calculate longitude and which made navigation at sea a safer and more precise science. His chronometers received approval from the Admiralty because of their accuracy. In the flourishing industrial era, this family brand was always close to England’s chronometric institutions, be that the Greenwich Observatory, the Kew Observatory or the many historical treasures that are carefully guarded in the state’s museums. Mercer were also the timekeepers used by Sir Ernest Shackleton during the Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition, by Sir Francis Chichester during the Atlantic Challenge as well as those equipping the Royal Yacht Britannia and Sir Winston Churchill’s private aircraft. The brand Thomas Mercer then expanded beyond the confines of the marine chronometer to design and manufacture table chronometers. Finally, between 1960 & 1970, the name Thomas Mercer started making its way up the luxury pyramid, and thanks to todays partnerships with rare artisans and famous designers, their timepieces remain a truly coveted item of luxury.
Seldom has a big name in watchmaking been so drenched in “Englishness.” In 2012, Thomas Mercer made headlines with the launch of the Classis, a marine chronometer made in collaboration with world renown superyacht designer Andrew Winch and which now adorns the interior of the worlds most prestigious boats. In 2016 the brand launched the Observatory, sophisticated timekeeper featuring a mechanism with 15 complications including Detent-Tourbillon escapement, Perpetual Calendar with Equation of time and 24-jumping time zones just to name a few. In 2016, Thomas Mercer reconnected with the British Admiralty in a contemporary expedition celebrating Shackleton’s 1916 Antarctic feat. Thomas Mercer supported the Antarctic Endurance expedition by offering a one-off chronometer specially designed to withstand the extreme conditions and thus enabling to use the same technology of the original expeditions to locate oneself at sea.
In Baselworld 2016, Thomas Mercer moved closer to home by launching a new cutting-edge table-top chronometer. This utterly modern timepiece has an Octagon theme. Named “Brittanica Black“, features include the number 8 on the case, bezel and base, and a geometric design is underpinned and completed by sharp angles and straight lines. In line with the name, the colour is Matt black, with straight grained surfaces made of stainless steel and enhanced with diamond-like carbon (DLC) deposition. This chronometer stands 330mm tall to proudly reveals its intricate, highly accurate mechanism through a set of all-round-view extra-white crystals. The fully skeletonised dial adds further distinction to this sophisticated timepiece, bestowing on it a ruggedly modern look.
Alessandro Quintavalle, Thomas Mercer’s CEO: “The Brittanica Black is a truly cutting-edge timepiece that continues Thomas Mercer’s journey in the 21st century. Its sleek and modern aesthetics usher in the brand’s heritage of innovation, expertise and craftsmanship in a new dawn of excellence.”
Whether it is unique timepieces or ultra-limited edition ones that you are looking for, Thomas Mercer produces intricately beautiful chronometers and time pieces and offers the luxury traveller a truly individual and utterly reliable watch.
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