Bremont Watches | A Brief History of the Brand

I was fortunate enough to be invited to Henley Regatta last week on behalf of Bremont watches. You can catch that article on the Henley Regatta dress code over on my blog here. 

The day was truly educational. My first time at the Regatta it's one of those landmark events that makes you feel unashamedly and quintessentially British. 

Bremont is not only a proud sponsor of the Henley Regatta, but also operates a  Parts Manufacturing Facility in a separate location just outside Henley-on-Thames where it is manufacturing case and movement components.

So it's a great homegrown brand. A brand borne out of hardship and tragedy, when the founders and brothers Giles and Nick English suffered a tragic loss. In 1995 their father Euan died and Nick broke over 30 bones following an air-show training incident that Nick had with his father, Euan English.

(I'm going to include the story from the press release here as I can't word it better and it's such a romantic genesis, that I feel it has to be told). 

"The following year after the plane crash, Nick and Giles were back in the air, flying across France in a 60-year-old plane. Bad weather forced them to make an emergency landing in a pea field in the Champagne region.

As fate would have it, the field was owned by an old farmer, who not only reminded the brothers of their own father, but was also a former WWII pilot and just as passionate about aircraft as Nick and Giles.

His farmhouse, where the brothers stayed for a couple of nights, also housed a wonderful selection of restored wall clocks and he wore a particularly special wristwatch, the one given to him by his father. His name, Antoine Bremont, was chosen to grace this range of British watches with his passions in life mirroring closely those of the brothers and their late father.

The brothers were determined to make a watch that would last more than a lifetime. To that end, it had to be made from the best available materials using the most tried and tested techniques.

Indeed, this led to the company’s maxim “Tested Beyond Endurance”; all Bremont timepieces would be tested above and beyond the demands placed upon conventional wristwatches."

It's great to see a British brand invest so much into the local economy, providing jobs and reviving the some would herald, the lost art of British watchmaking. 

 Passionate about reinvigorating Britain’s horological past, Bremont is wholly dedicated to developing mechanical watch manufacturing expertise in the UK and plans are underway for the opening of a new headquarters bringing together the current manufacturing and assembly under one roof. The 35,000 sq ft building will be a bespoke design built into the Oxfordshire countryside.

Bremont has flagship boutiques in London, New York, Hong Kong and Melbourne with plans for further expansion.

Please take the time to find out more about Bremont and visit their website here.