JWM - Volume 2, Issue 4 - (Page 92)

MY PASSION Nick and Giles English A FASCINATION WITH FLYING IS THE INSPIRATION FOR THESE BRITISH BROTHERS. xciting news from Britain. No, not the Olympics or the latest royal frolics. Bremont is a way to tell time and, in a few short years, the exclusive brand has presented a lively challenge to Swiss dominance among consumers of luxury watches. The company is the passionate enterprise of two brothers, Nick and Giles, with the handy last name English, both determined to revive the glory days of British watch-making. They launched Bremont in 2002, in part to honor their father, Dr. Euan English. A former RAF pilot and aeronautical engineer, Euan taught both boys to ﬂy and instilled a love of all things mechanical, restoring everything, from antique grandfather clocks to cars, boats and old planes. Fascination with aviation is behind much of the Bremont allure (the company logo is an airplane propeller) and also its provenance. Training in 1995 for an air show in a vintage WWII Harvard, Nick and Euan got stuck in an inverted spin, and the plane crashed, leaving Euan dead and Nick with dozens of broken bones. “It was a tipping point for my brother and me,” Nick says today. “We both decided, ‘Let’s do something we really want to do.’ ” They both quit ﬁnance jobs in London and devoted seven years to developing and testing the watch under the harshest conditions. “It’s not a fashion watch; it’s very non-bling; there are no diamonds and ﬂashy jewels, but it’s a statement. Why do people drive Audis and Jaguars? It’s an experience, isn’t it?” What makes the watches unique, beyond their elegant design, is the meticulous engineering and extreme durability, ideal for the rugged adventurer the company courts. The blend of ﬂair and function has also won the endorsement of celebrities ranging from Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood to actors Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone. Owning a Bremont isn’t for the budget-minded. They start at $3,800 for a basic black-face BC-S and run to $11,600 for a limited-edition EP120, which contains parts from a WWII-era Spitﬁre. No price yet on another nod to history, a timepiece made from original parts of Admiral Nelson’s 18th century Trafalgar warship, the HMS Victory. “We want to make the watch unique,” says Giles, “but also an horological masterpiece.” — JONATHAN BLACK E “We both decided, ‘Let’s do something we really want to do.’ ” J WM MAGAZINE 92 J W M A R R I O T T. C O M http://www.JWMARRIOTT.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JWM - Volume 2, Issue 4

JWM - Volume 2, Issue 4
Table of Contents
Contributors
JW Experts
Editor’s Letter
Distinctive Products, People, Ideas & Style
A Quiet Place
The Food Trap
Start With the Wine
Hidden Treasures
The Portal
Hidden Hong Kong
Grains of Truth
Game Theory
Mumbai Dreams
JW Experience
My Passion

JWM - Volume 2, Issue 4