The Tempest and the Torch: Bernhardt Watches, Legacy Carried Forward
Written by CJ, Sketchy Boyz Watch Club
Some watches show up looking for attention. Others earn it quietly. The Bernhardt Tempest belongs to the second group.
It’s a 39mm forged carbon dial watch with a titanium carbide PVD case—but the specs only tell part of the story. To understand the Tempest, you need to understand the people behind it, and the man whose middle name still rides on the dial.
A Brand Born in the Bleachers
Bernhardt Watches wasn’t born in a boardroom. It started in the stands of a High Point (NC) University basketball game. Fred Amos, a road-worn salesman and lover of sport, was talking to his wife Jamie about his passions: basketball and watches. She looked at him and said, "Why don’t you make watches for the university?"
That lightbulb moment changed everything.
Fred took the idea and ran with it—approaching local universities like NC State and Wake Forest to produce custom watches. And just like that, Bernhardt was born. While the consumer side of the brand is what most enthusiasts know today, it began—and still thrives—as a custom timepiece builder for units, agencies, and institutions.
Over 90 first responder and military collaborations later, Bernhardt has carved out a place in American horology that isn’t loud, but deeply respected.
"Fred just loved dive watches. He started with the Binnacle Diver, and it took off. From there, he branched out. His passion for aesthetic, quality, and durability drove the company for almost two decades."
From Fan to Family
Michael, now Vice President of Bernhardt, first encountered Fred in 2019 after a Google search for local watchmakers. When he called the number on the website, he was shocked to hear Fred answer. A casual "Come up Saturday, just be out before the game starts," led to an all-day conversation about watches, sports, life, and music—including the taxidermy-filled office that could have been its own exhibit.
"Fred was a mentor…a friend. That day turned into a real friendship. I started helping with photography, and soon I was part of the story."
Michael became Bernhardt’s photographer, then a go-to helper. After Fred's passing in early 2022, Michael reached out to Jamie, offering to help any way he could. Jamie and Michael made a deal then. They would give it their best for six months and reassess. What began as a six-month volunteer effort has turned into three years and counting. Michael now helps lead the company alongside Jamie, stewarding Fred’s vision forward.
Designing the Tempest
Creating the Tempest was no quick task. It was the longest design cycle the brand had ever gone through. For Michael, it was deeply personal.
"There was a lot of self-doubt. You ask yourself: what if I design the watch that ruins a 20-year legacy?"
It started with the movement—the Miyota 9132—and unfolded step by step. Michael isn’t the type to chase inspiration out of thin air. He studies. He sketches. He stares at the details. At one point, he even set a rendering of the movement as the wallpaper on his desktop and phone, forcing himself to live with it until something clicked.
A 24-hour disc replaced the standard sub dial hand. Titanium Carbide PVD brought durability and edge. The forged carbon dial? That was inspired by storm clouds. Literally.
"Growing up in Florida, we used to sit on the beach and watch storms roll in. We wanted a dial that looked like that sky."
Wrist Time, Real Time
From the moment I placed it on my wrist, the Tempest didn’t try to impress. It didn’t have to. 39mm wide, 46mm lug-to-lug, and just 11.5mm thick—it’s the rare piece that feels engineered, not assembled. It hugs the wrist with quiet confidence. Recessed case sides, polished chamfers, a double-coated sapphire crystal, and that marbled carbon dial... it all comes together.
Lighting the way, Super-Luminova A-BGW9, X1-GL-Gray, and X1-Yellow. Purposeful, not flashy. The movement? The same Miyota 9132 that sparked the design, complete with a custom Bernhardt rotor visible through the display caseback.
"Powered by the Miyota 9132, this isn’t just about time—it’s about showing up."
The Human Element
One thing hasn’t changed in all these years: the accessibility. Fred answered the phone in 2019. Today, Michael and Jamie still do.
"We don’t farm anything out. Every email, every call—it’s one of us."
That personal feel is woven into every watch, every interaction, every strap swap and spec tweak. Bernhardt is still small. Still scrappy. Still personal.
The Tempest wasn’t just another release. It was a quiet marker of what it means to carry on with care—what it means to keep something alive not by shouting, but by doing.
Legacy, Worn Lightly
The Tempest isn’t the watch that started it all. But it’s the one that proved the story isn’t over.
It reflects a company that still believes in doing things the right way. A company that still answers the phone, still builds for service members, still makes room for memory in the design process.
"It was never about trying to be bold," Michael said. "It was about building something honest that Fred would be proud of."
The Tempest carries Fred’s name. It carries the quiet collaboration of Jamie and Michael. And it carries a belief that there’s value in staying small, staying sharp, and staying true.
That’s what makes it so special.
-CJ