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Bremont: A British company that ticks all the boxes of quality timekeeping


I put on the protective overshoes and white coat, walked past the restricted time zone, and entered a room that resembled a scientific research laboratory. I was in the Henley-on-Thames home of Bremont watchmaking, being shown around by joint- owner Nick English, writes John Burbedge


Not that the converted barn offices of Bremont are impersonal and unfriendly. Quite the reverse in fact. They are full of very approachable and highly-skilled professionals, producing watches ranked among the world‘s finest – or chronometers, as Bremont‘s precision timepieces are technically certified by the world-recognised COSC quality standards.


Meticulously hand-built in limited numbers, Bremont timepieces (predominantly watches, although the Queen has Bremont clocks in her Jaguars) are proudly British – from their design and individual fine metal parts milled at Silverstone to their stylish leather packaging produced in Manchester.


The watchmaking takes place at Henley. Thousands of small components are scrupulously checked and stored by Bremont‘s quality control team before individual assembly technicians and watchmakers painstakingly build, check and test the exquisite watch movements.


Skilled assemblers can complete three watches per day, but calm, care and concentration are the Bremont watchwords not production targets. In a company where the QC assessors refer to specks of dust as ‘rocks‘, there are no shortcuts to reaching the boundaries of mechanical perfection.


Also, with a company that boldly uses the marketing strapline ‘Tested Beyond Endurance‘ it seems invidious to list the qualities of their watches – auto-winding, vacuum-sealed, three-year warranty etc – or, the mounting UK jewellery industry awards and international acclaim of this young company.


Suffice to say that exceptional British artisans are at work in Henley. They produce beautiful timepieces for Bremont‘s boutique stores in London, New York and Hong Kong and leading international jewellery dealerships. The company is currently expanding its British production facilities, grew 40% last year, and has a very healthy order book for its watches which sell in the £3,000-£35,000 price-range.


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to fly, make and repair things, and importantly to discover how mechanical things worked.


In a previous life, these two inquisitive and adventurous siblings could have been barnstorming pilots, thrilling crowds at early 20th century air shows.


The love of their father, of flying vintage planes, of British mechanical engineering, indirectly led them to give up well-paid corporate finance careers in the City to form Bremont.


Their father‘s death in 1995 in an accident during practice for an aircraft display (that also left Nick with 30-plus broken bones) proved pivotal in the English brothers‘ decision to concentrate on their inherited joint passion – mechanical timepieces.


For the brothers making amazing timepieces is obviously a labour of love – and a passion shared by their 70-strong staff at Henley.


Impressive working partnerships with corporates such as Boeing, Jaguar and aircraft safety specialists Martin-Baker have largely come about through mutual respect for each other‘s achievements and engineering prowess, explains English.


Nick (right) and Giles English in the Henley production offices of Bremont


Many people see Bremont watches as collectable works of art. The Bremont Wright Flyer watch, for example, has material within it from the original 1903 aircraft. But, while recognising the unique material in that watch, English states: “Our watches are designed to be worn and enjoyed, after all there is nothing in a mechanical watch that cannot be replaced.“


The Bremont watch company was funded and founded by brothers Nick and Giles English in 2002. Years of astute engineering design research and operational preparation followed before its watches were market-launched in 2007.


Their childhood was a ‘Boys Own‘ adventure, encouraged by their parents to be curious, learn skills and test their abilities (usually within adrenalin-linked activities – planes, cars, boats, skis etc) “They gave us freedom, personal responsibilities, an incredible upbringing.“


Their father Euan, a former RAF pilot with a PhD in aeronautical engineering, taught them


Similarly, limited edition bespoke watches have now been created for more than 300 military squadrons and security forces. “People want a special recognition of important times and friendships made in their lives. Some even buy our watches as a proud parental legacy for their children.“


British heritage plays a key role in the Bremont psyche. “We led the clock and watchmaking industry centuries ago. Remember, the first ship‘s chronometer was made by John Harrison in the early 1700s and global time-keeping began with Greenwich Mean Time,“ English pointed out.


“We have an utter passion for bringing watchmaking skills back to Great Britain, and reinvigorating the industry.“


Ironically, although Henley is globally renowned for its royal rowing regatta, Bremont, based just a short walk from the Thames course, is now proudly linked with a water-borne racing challenge which can outshine Henley‘s sporting claims.


Bremont has been appointed as Official Timing Partner to the 35th America‘s Cup and the defending Oracle Team of USA. The oldest trophy event in international sport, the America‘s Cup began in 1851 off England‘s South Coast. The current global challenge starts at the end of July off Portsmouth. Bermuda hosts the final in 2017.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY –JULY/AUGUST 2015


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