Founded in 2002, the Bremont Watch Company has already made a global name for itself. Conceived by British aviator brothers Nick and Giles English—who also design the Swiss-made timepieces—Bremont builds certifi ed chronometers for pilots (and most recently divers) that adhere to extremely strict standards of excellence.
The brothers started the company as a tribute to their late father, Euan, a pilot who died in a flying accident. Both brothers have strong aviation roots as well as horology interests, so combining these passions made sense. The brand’s name comes from WWII veteran Antoine Bremont, a pilot and collector of rare mechanical watches.
After five years of research and development, the fi rst Bremont watches were unveiled to the world. The impressive collection has evolved to include multitime- zone watches, chronographs and dive watches. Fans include Bear Grylls, host of the Discovery Channel’s survival show Man vs. Wild, but it’s for everyday people that Bremont crafts its collection.
Bremont watches are made of steel that’s nine times harder than most other steel, thanks to a special treatment process in which the heated steel is diffused with carbon and electrons. Only 1,000 pieces of each model are produced annually.
Bremont recently announced its new joint venture with Martin-Baker, the British manufacturer of ejection seats for planes (it claims its seats have saved more than 7,200 lives to date). The new aviation watch line, Bremont MB, will house watch movements made in Bremont’s atelier in Switzerland, but all fi nal assembly will be in the UK—making this Bremont’s fi rst “Made in Britain” line. These watches are tested by being strapped onto a dummy in an ejection seat and ejected to ensure they can withstand the impact of landing. The watches feature rubber housing and a soft inner iron case. The fi rst edition, Bremont MBI, is only available for purchase to those who have actually been ejected from a Martin-Baker ejection seat. Bremont MBII watches are for sale to the general public. Tourneau, Westfield Century City, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Space 103, Los Angeles, 310- 553-8463; bremont.com