THE FEMALE PIONEER WHO INSPIRED THE SOLO-34 RANGE

THE FEMALE PIONEER WHO INSPIRED THE SOLO-34 RANGE
THE FEMALE PIONEER WHO INSPIRED THE SOLO-34 RANGE

Bremont is refreshing its collection of ladies’ mechanical chronometers with the introduction of the new Bremont SOLO-34. Here, we take a look at the female aviator who inspired the popular range.

WHO WAS AMY JOHNSON?

Arguably, Britain’s most famous female aviator Amy Johnson, was born 1 July 1903, in Hull, Yorkshire. She attended Sheffield University in 1923 to complete a BA in Economics and moved to London after graduating. Her work as a secretary led to her interest in flying and so began her flying career.

In the winter of 1928-29 she joined London Aeroplane Club and her hobby soon became her passion and there started her determination to prove that women could be as competent as men in a hitherto male dominated field.

In 1930, she set herself the challenger to beat Bert Hinkler's record of 16 days flying solo to Australia. Financial support did not come easy and she failed to reach her target to raise the funds to purchase an aircraft. Eventually, her father and oil magnate Lord Wakefield shared the £600 purchase price of a used DH Gypsy Moth (G-AAAH), which was named “Jason” after the family business trademark.

Amy set off alone on 5 May 1930 from Croydon and 11,000 miles later reached Darwin on 24 May. She became the first woman to fly alone to Australia, and came home to the UK a hero, being awarded a C.B.E.

Amy Johsnon

After her first record, Amy continued to set more:

July 1931 - she set an England to Japan record in a Puss Moth with Jack Humphreys.

July 1932 - solo flight from England to Cape Town.

1933 - she flew in a DH Dragon non-stop from South Wales to the United States alongside her husband, scottish aviator Jim Mollison.

1934 - they flew non-stop in record time to India in a DH Comet.

May 1936 - she set a record from England to Cape Town, solo, in a Percival Gull, a flight to retrieve her 1932 record.

After her commercial flying ended with the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Amy joined the Air Transport Auxiliary, a pool of experienced pilots who were ineligible for RAF service. Her flying duties consisted of ferrying aircraft from factory airstrips to RAF bases.

It was on one of these routine flights on 5 January 1941, that Amy crashed into the Thames estuary and was drowned; her body was never recovered.

She was the first person from the Air Transport Auxiliary to be killed in active service.

Amy Johnson

THE RANGE

Building upon the continued interest in the women’s range, the brand has redeveloped the elegant timepiece in a slightly larger 34mm case size.

The chronometer-rated SOLO-34 collection is built using beautifully polished stainless steel and boasts two different dial designs. The AJ line has the more modern aesthetic with applied index markers and named in honour of Amy Johnson, who flew her DH-60 Gypsy Moth from England to Australia in 1930. The addition of a mother-of pearl dial is not only new to the women’s offering but is also something entirely new for the brand.

SHOP THE RANGE

ladies range

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