Bomberg Edge Tech 6D: A Skeleton Watch With Its Own Racing DNA
Bomberg has never really been a brand interested in playing it safe.
The Swiss independent watchmaker has built its reputation around watches that are deliberately different, often mixing traditional Swiss watchmaking with industrial design, motorsport influences and enough attitude to make a conservative dress watch look positively embarrassed.
Now the brand has introduced the Edge Tech collection, and the new Edge Tech 6D might be one of its most interesting creations yet.
It is a fully skeletonised automatic watch wrapped inside a rather extraordinary 43mm hexagonal case, with the whole thing inspired by the engineering world of high performance motorsport.
And if you were hoping for something subtle, well, you have clearly wandered onto the wrong website.
From Swiss Watchmaking To Motorsport
Bomberg describes itself as an independent Swiss watchmaker, and the Edge Tech collection takes a particularly literal approach to the idea of engineering.
The concept is based around stripping away anything that isn't structurally necessary and exposing what remains. Rather than hiding the movement beneath a conventional dial, Bomberg has essentially removed the bodywork.
What you are left with are radiating bridges, visible gears and the movement itself, creating a watch that looks more like an exposed piece of mechanical hardware than a traditional timepiece. The connection with motorsport isn't merely a marketing exercise either.
Bomberg photographed the Edge Tech collection at Steller Engineering in the UK, a company involved in high level motorsport engineering and the construction and restoration of race machines. The setting is intended to reinforce the philosophy behind the watch: precision engineering, structural efficiency and performance. There is even a collection of racing ambassadors attached to Bomberg's motorsport world, including drivers competing in GT and endurance racing.
So, yes, the Edge Tech has been given a suitably petrolheaded upbringing.
Meet The Edge Tech 6D
The 6D is the stealthy member of the Edge Tech family. Where the other references use different metallic tones, the 6D goes for a matte black finish across its 43mm hexagonal case.
Bomberg says the treatment takes inspiration from anti glare finishes used on race cockpit instruments and prototype telemetry housings, designed to absorb light rather than reflect it. It is a suitably aggressive look.
The case itself is made from 316L stainless steel and combines brushed, polished and chamfered surfaces. Despite its 43mm diameter, the bezel is actually 39mm, creating some visual layering across the angular case. Thickness comes in at a fairly reasonable 11.7mm, while the watch weighs 145 grams on its steel bracelet. So this is certainly not a shrinking violet, but it isn't an enormous slab of wrist furniture either.
There Isn't Really A Dial
This is where the Edge Tech 6D gets particularly interesting. Rather than placing a skeletonised section inside a conventional dial, Bomberg has gone all in.
The dial is fully skeletonised, with structural radiating bridges forming the architecture around the movement. You can see the gears working underneath, while the sword shaped hour and minute hands sit above the mechanical hardware. Bomberg's philosophy is essentially that the structure itself becomes the design.
It is a refreshing approach in a market where skeletonisation can sometimes amount to cutting a few holes into a dial and calling it a day. Here, there is nowhere to hide.
The Movement
Inside the Edge Tech 6D sits Bomberg's BB 77S automatic movement, based on the STP6 15.
It is a Swiss made automatic calibre with bi directional central rotor winding and manual winding capability. The movement operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, has 26 jewels and delivers a 44 hour power reserve.
Bomberg has also made some modifications to the movement, including an optimised barrel arbor and a longer, thinner mainspring. The company says an additional jewel on the barrel arbor also contributes to the extended power reserve. And because there is effectively no traditional dial getting in the way, you get to see the whole mechanical show. It is rather like buying a sports car and then removing the bonnet because you quite fancy watching the engine work.
Sapphire On Both Sides
Given the amount of movement on display, Bomberg has sensibly gone for sapphire crystal. The Edge Tech 6D gets scratch resistant sapphire with anti reflective coating on both sides, while the rear of the watch is also transparent. That means the movement can be admired from practically every sensible angle.
The screw in crown is made from 316L stainless steel, and despite its race inspired appearance, the watch offers 100 metres of water resistance. Bomberg rather nicely describes it as looking like a racer but living like a daily driver. That seems about right.
Two Straps, One Watch
The 6D comes supplied with both an integrated stainless steel bracelet and Bomberg's signature black silicone strap. Both use quick release pins, allowing you to switch between them without tools.
The integrated 316L bracelet combines brushed and polished finishing and follows the angular design of the case, while the silicone option gives the watch a slightly more overtly sporty personality. At the wrist, the choice is therefore fairly simple. Bracelet for looking like you own a suspiciously expensive piece of industrial machinery. Silicone for looking like you're about to disappear into a pit lane.
A Watch Designed Around Engineering
What I particularly like about the Edge Tech concept is that Bomberg hasn't simply slapped some racing stripes on a watch and called it motorsport inspired.
The entire design philosophy is based around engineering. The hexagonal case, exposed movement, structural bridges and matte black finish are all intended to create the impression of a machine stripped back to its essentials. Even the three Edge Tech references are described as having the same architecture but different personalities.
The A7 takes on an industrial bronze tone, the C5 uses a champagne gold finish, while the 6D goes full stealth with its matte black treatment. For me, the 6D is easily the most menacing of the trio.
The Specification
Case: 316L stainless steel
Case finish: Matte black with brushed, polished and chamfered surfaces
Case shape: Hexagonal
Case diameter: 43mm
Bezel diameter: 39mm
Thickness: 11.7mm
Water resistance: 100 metres
Crystal: Sapphire with anti reflective coating on both sides
Caseback: Transparent
Crown: Screw in 316L stainless steel
Dial: Fully skeletonised with structural radiating bridges
Hands: Sword shaped with applied Luminova
Movement: Swiss made Bomberg BB 77S
Base movement: STP6 15
Movement type: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Jewels: 26
Power reserve: 44 hours
Bracelet: Integrated 316L stainless steel
Additional strap: Black silicone
Strap system: Quick release
Weight: 145g on bracelet
Warranty: Two years
So, How Much?
The Edge Tech 6D is currently priced at £2,595, with Bomberg offering complimentary worldwide shipping and stating that taxes and duties are included through its DDP shipping arrangement.
That puts it into a rather interesting part of the Swiss watch market, where you are paying considerably more than you would for a straightforward Swiss automatic but considerably less than many of the established luxury names. And you aren't exactly getting a conventional watch for your money. The Edge Tech 6D is effectively a piece of mechanical sculpture that happens to tell the time.
Winding Things Up
Bomberg has always been one of those brands that seems happiest when someone tells it that something can't be done. The Edge Tech 6D is another example of that mentality. It is big, angular, completely skeletonised and unapologetically mechanical. It isn't pretending to be a vintage inspired field watch or another interchangeable sports watch with a black dial and three hands.
Instead, Bomberg has taken the engineering behind a mechanical watch and made it the entire point. The result is a watch that looks like someone has taken a racing prototype, removed the bodywork and somehow strapped the remaining machinery to your wrist.
Subtle it isn't. But then subtle was never really Bomberg's thing.
