Bremont

Bremont is a luxury aviation-themed British watchmaker, and a real part of the case for it is that every watch in its core range is COSC or ISO chronometer rated and built in the United Kingdom. Worth depends on what you value: you are paying for British manufacture and a tightly held aviation-and-military identity rather than the scale of a Swiss giant. If a chronometer-rated British watch with a strong story appeals to you, it makes sense.

By the measure that matters most, yes: all of Bremont's watches are either COSC or ISO chronometer rated, the recognized standards for timekeeping accuracy, and they are built in the UK. The brand has also been recognized within the industry, including being named Watch Pro's Watch Company of the Year in 2019. That combination of certified accuracy and home manufacture underpins its reputation.

Bremont's distinction is that it is genuinely British-built, an aviation-themed maker producing roughly 10,000 watches a year on annual revenue of about £40 million. Where many rivals assemble in Switzerland, Bremont machines components and assembles timepieces at its own UK facility. If buying British and a military-aviation character are part of the appeal, that's the difference Bremont leans on.

Bremont was founded by brothers Nick and Giles English, who got their mechanical grounding from their father, Dr. Euan English, an ex-RAF pilot with a PhD in aeronautical engineering. In 1995 their father was killed and Nick badly injured when their World War II-vintage Harvard aircraft crashed during a training flight. That loss spurred the brothers to buy North Weald Flying Services and then create their own watch company.

Bremont is based in England and builds all of its watches in the United Kingdom. In 2021 it opened the Bremont Manufacturing & Technology Centre, known as The Wing, outside Henley-on-Thames, a 35,000-square-foot facility where it machines components and assembles timepieces. At full capacity, the company expects The Wing could make up to 50,000 watches a year.

Aviation is in its DNA: the founders' father was an RAF pilot and aeronautical engineer, and the company grew out of the brothers' work in aeroplane construction and flying. Bremont has built numerous special-edition watches for serving and former members of the armed forces, and in some cases purchases are restricted to people who flew the subject aircraft or served in the units commemorated. Few brands carry their military theme that literally.

In 2023, American billionaire Bill Ackman and Hellcat Acquisitions invested £48.4 million into the brand and became its majority owners. Founders Nick and Giles English initially stayed on as board members, but in April 2025 Bremont announced the brothers had left the board while remaining brand ambassadors. The company is now under that new majority ownership.

Yes. Every Bremont in the core range is either COSC or ISO chronometer rated, meaning each meets recognized standards for precision before it leaves the manufacture. That certification is central to how Bremont positions itself as a serious, British-built watchmaker. It's a useful thing to confirm when you're weighing one up.

It does. Bremont has created a range of special-edition watches for serving or former members of the armed forces, based on its commercial models, with some restricted to those who flew a particular aircraft, served in a commemorated unit, or in one case served aboard a specific warship. It also supports the services through work with Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion, and as an official supporter of the UK team for the Invictus Games. That relationship led to a dedicated HMAF range.

Bremont's annual production is roughly 10,000 pieces, generating about £40 million in revenue. That is modest by the standards of the largest Swiss houses, which is part of why each watch is described as hand built in limited numbers. With The Wing now open, the company has room to grow well beyond that figure over time.