Civilian Globemaster available...

[TexZan]

I'm still waiting for mine (very anxiously) but for those of you that aren't C-17 pilots, here's your chance:

http://www.facebook.com/TestedBeyond...50262099344005

A Truly Unique Opportunity
Bremont are donating one of the C-17 Special Edition Squadron watches, exclusively available to C-17 operators, to be auctioned off to benefit the charities supported by 99 Sqn in 2011, BLESMA & RAFA. This is the only opportunity for a civilian to own this fantastic timepiece alongside the pilots and ground crew who operate the mighty C-17 Globemaster 3.
The Bremont C-17 Place your bid by emailing info@bremont.com

100% of Proceeds Donated Charity
10 Sep 2011 sees the Annual 99 Sqn Charity Aircraft Pull event held at RAF Brize Norton. Teams from all around the country including police, medics and representatives from the Armed Forces are sponsored to pull a RAF aircraft against the clock over a set distance across the 99 Sqn aircraft pan at RAF Brize Norton for the coveted Aircraft Pull Title. In 2009, a C-130J Hercules aircraft was the challenge; in 2010, a 101 Sqn VC-10 provided the challenge to the pulling teams. In 2011, the ultimate challenge awaits the teams in the form of the almighty Boeing C-17 Globemaster 3.

The Aircraft Pull is just one event of many raising funds for charity on the day. A charity auction takes place in the afternoon and together with the sponsorship raised by members of the aircraft pulling teams, the monies raised are to be donated to BLESMA (British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Assoc) and RAFA (The Royal Air Force Assoc) two charities very close to 99 Sqn's heart. All too often, 99 Sqn C-17s are scrambled to Afghanistan to recover seriously injured servicemen to the care they require, in some cases life-saving care, back home in the UK.


A Sealed Bids Auction
The auction is now live and will close on Sunday 12th September at midnight BST (British Summer Time), any bids submitted after this time will not count. You may submit your bid by email to info@bremont.com for your bid to be counted please include your full name, your address and a contact telephone number.

The bidding for this watch starts at £1000. A non limited version of the Bremont ALT1-Z retail £3550 ($5450).

Should your bid be successful you will be contacted by Bremont and you will be expected pay for the watch within 48hrs of the auction ending, you may pay by credit/debit card or bank transfer. Bremont will donate 100% of the funds to the 99 Sqn nominated charities, 50% to BLESMA and 50% to RAFA. The C-17 watches are in production right now and the delivery date will be before the end of October 2011.

If you do not wish to bid in the Auction for the C-17 watch but you want to show your support for these incredible charities, you may make a donation by visiting their websites;

http://www.blesma.org/
http://www.rafa.org.uk/

The Squadron Experience*
As an added exclusive experience, the winner of the auction will be offered a fantastic opportunity to visit the 99 Squadron at RAF Brize Norton (UK)! This is a completely unique, money can’t buy experience to meet the Squadron and take a tour of the airfield. *This is subject to security checks and mutual availability.
Example of the C-17 Caseback

The Watch
Designed in association with several serving military C-17 pilots, this chronograph has been developed with their C-17 colleagues in mind. The modified automatic chronometer (COSC) certified BE-54AE movement is beautifully finished at Bremont's ateliers in the UK and Switzerland, and once wound, will use the movement of the wearer to keep its mainspring fully wound. The decorated movement can be seen through a sapphire exhibition crystal on the case back.

The watch itself has a unique Trip-Tick® Bremont case which has been hardened through a series of processes at high temperature to give it hardness and scratch resistance of 2000 Vickers. A standard untreated 316L stainless steel watch case will naturally be around 300 Vickers. The sapphire crystal covering the dial has nine layers of anti-reflective treatment on each side of the crystal reducing light reflections on the crystal face by up to 95%. This treatment is specially designed to be as scratch resistant as the sapphire crystal it has been applied to.

Also integrated into the case is Bremont's new bi-directional Roto-Click® internally rotating bezel. The bezel, which is operated by the crown at 8 o'clock, uses a mechanism developed by the company (integrating a series of ball-bearings) that allows the user to turn the bezel with a satisfying 'click' for each minute turned.

Design features of the Bremont C-17 include the etched globe on the dial and a bezel that lists the Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) identifiers representing C-17 landing locations in all 24 time zones. The watch itself can show UTC or 'Zulu' time through its adjustable 24 hour hand and 17.00 hours has been high-lighted in red.

The date window takes inspiration from the Globemaster Head Up Display (HUD). The watch is presented in a hand-made leather travel wallet made in England, and it comes with a watch strap changing tool and a spare NATO military nylon strap along with the watch's COSC certification.


The C-17 Globemaster
The C-17, nicknamed "Globemaster 3" is a 4-engine, high-wing, T-tailed military transport aircraft operated by the United States Air Force, the United Kingdom Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Canadian Air Force and the Qatar EMIRI Air Force.

The aircraft is primarily used for strategic and tactical airlift of cargo and troops to main operating bases, or forward operating bases, anywhere in the world. It can rapidly deploy a combat unit to a battle area and sustain it with supplies.
The C-17 can take off from a 7,600-ft airfield, carry a payload of over 170,000 lbs, fly 2,400 nautical miles, refuel in flight, land in 3000-ft or less on a small paved or unpaved field, day or night, and then back up a two-percent slope if required.

The C-17 uses state of the art avionics with a quadruple redundant electronic flight control system and can be fully operated by a crew of three-pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster. Pilots use two full-time all-function head-up displays (HUD) and 4 multi-function active matrix liquid crystal displays to operate and navigate in all weather conditions.
Since its first flight, the C-17 has flown nearly 2 million hours and has played a crucial role in global strategic airlift and delivery of humanitarian aid around the world.
The C-17 Globemaster in Gibraltar


The C-17 Globmaster in Norway

[Trapped Wind]

Amazing watch and very cool airplane! What's the ceiling on a C-17? I have to admit I don't know anything about it other than it's a Boeing. I saw a few on the ground a few weeks ago in Long Beach.

[TexZan]

Technically we can hit 45000 feet, but we (I) don't like going that high. I've hit 41 but I'm happy at 35. Anything above that means one of the pilots has to wear the oxygen mask if the other gets up to go to the bathroom, etc. It really depends on how heavy we are as to what our max is. You're right, though; the plane is amazing. I couldn't ask for a better "job" :-)

I guess you see a lot of them. They're built in your backyard.

[Rusdude]

This is a really cool thing that Bremont is doing. Sealed bid auction is an interesting twist. Most companies do live bids (or, at least, visible), but Bremont may be thinking they can get more money because some person may decide to put in a very high bid to ensure they get the watch & experience.

[ATG]

well I love all of this stuff even Texzan's profile pic.... I'd love to go up in one but will get one of the Globe masters sent over to have a look at..... love the rotor and world map on the dial... very old school BBC or Superman....

[TexZan]

Alistair, if I'm ever nearby, or if you're ever in Dover, DE (why would you ever come to Dover, DE??) I'll take you out on a jet. I can't fly you around unless you pay for the gas, though :-)

Oh...and if you think you might want to pay for the gas (I still couldn't legally do it, btw), we burn in the neighborhood of 20,000 lbs per hour (Let's see...20,000 + 5000 taxi fuel/6.7lbs per gallon=3731 gallons x $5/gallon=$18655 for an hour). We're a fat gas hog...but I love my job.

Where is my watch?!! I'm going nuts over here!! Got anymore updates?!

[ATG]

you got your strap though?

[TexZan]

I did. Thanks!! I thought I sent you a thank you but maybe it got lost in cyberspace. It's awesome, I just need something to attach it to! I got in touch with Catherine at Bremont and it looks like October is still a good date for the watch. It can't come fast enough...