Actor Rodger Corser spotted wearing a Bremont

Rodger Corser, one of Australian television's most recognisable faces and a perennial Gold Logie contender for his long-running role as Hugh Knight in Doctor Doctor, was recently spotted with a Bremont U-2/51-JET on his wrist — a watch with a backstory substantial enough to hold its own in any conversation.

The Bremont U-2/51-JET is not a watch that simply borrows military aesthetics for commercial appeal. Bremont developed it in genuine collaboration with the United States Air Force's 9th Reconnaissance Wing, the unit that operates the Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady — the single-seat, high-altitude surveillance aircraft that flew covert missions over the Soviet Union during the Cold War and remains operationally active today. The watch's movement, an ETA 2824-2 derivative regulated to COSC chronometer standards and housed in Bremont's proprietary trip-tick three-part case, was subjected to real-world testing at altitudes above 70,000 feet aboard the aircraft itself. The 43mm steel case offers water resistance to 100 metres and features Bremont's hardened DLC-treated outer barrel — a construction the brand calls the Trip-Tick case, designed specifically to absorb shock and protect the movement.

The dial follows a clean, tool-watch logic: a black background, white applied indices, and a 51-hour power reserve indicator at six o'clock that doubles as a nod to the watch's model designation. The U-2 flew its first operational mission in 1956, and Bremont leans into that heritage without overselling it.

For collectors, the U-2/51-JET occupies a credible middle ground between fashion-adjacent British watchmaking and genuine aviation instrument watches. Bremont has at times struggled to fully convince the most demanding enthusiast community, but the U-2 line consistently earns respect for its documented provenance and honest construction. It sits alongside the brand's Supermarine and MBII collections as one of the more defensible references in the catalogue.

Corser's choice aligns with the watch's character — understated, purposeful, and carrying more substance than its appearance immediately suggests. On the grey market the U-2/51-JET trades close to retail, reflecting steady rather than speculative demand.