“Really, the English make watches too?” In response to this surprise, which we have witnessed several times, it seemed important to us to remind that Great Britain has a real watchmaking tradition. It’s even experiencing a revival today, driven by some very different brands.
So, since watchmaking is not limited to the borders of Switzerland, France, and Germany, here are some of the best British watch brands of the moment.
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AnOrdain
Founded in 2015, the brand AnOrdain is not simply English, but Scottish. In fact, it owes its name to Loch an Ordain, in the Highlands of the whisky country (hello stereotypes).
Its founder Lewis Heath studied architecture before turning to watchmaking. His desire: to merge traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design with stylish and timeless watches. Empty words? Not at all, when you have the chance to see one of these models with a colorful and subtly enameled dial. This is the AnOrdain signature, one of our favorite micro-brands currently.
Mechanically, it’s the ETA 2824-2 and SW 210-1 movements that power these watches English Scottish designed in Glasgow today.
Bremont
Always go further. Overcome your fears. Push the boundaries. At every level of its communication, Bremont emphasizes that its watches are cut out for adventure.
For divers or pilots, inspired by battlefields or auto racing circuits, these toolwatches, although designed in London, were born to go off the beaten track. We particularly like the Terra Nova with its assertive character or the Supermarine presented at Watches & Wonders (with its in-house calibre 11 1/2” BE-92AV). Bremont’s presence at the grand Geneva gathering is also proof of the quality of its production…
Go further
Like AnOrdain, Farer was born in 2015, with the same attention to detail, design and precision. But in this case, while the watches are indeed designed in London, they are assembled in Switzerland (yes, we are cheating a bit, then).
Farer proudly asserts its British origins as well as the Swiss made quality of its production. This blend of styles translates into an elegant but slightly offbeat style, typically British, in the image of the most recent models, Baily Moonphase and Banzare GMT for example. The color combinations are sometimes surprising, but the assemblies are flawless.
As for the movement, Farer has chosen to work on a Sellita base, offering a 5 year warranty on each of its watches.
Fears
Refined, sophisticated, timeless. Fears watches have been great classics of British watchmaking for…a long time! Founded in Bristol in 1846 before disappearing in the 1970s, this English brand made a (notable) comeback in 2016.
Now led by Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, the great-great-great-grandson of the founder, Fears still offers “elegantly discreet” watches, as we could see at the last Time to Watches show.
Underneath the colorful and sleek dials, reliable ETA or La Joux-Perret movements animate these timepieces, which some judge to be overpriced (a little more than 3000€), but which are not lacking in charm.
Mr Jones
We radically change the register here, with a brand we’ve already talked about several times on Masculin.com. Mr Jones owes its name to its creator, Crispin Jones.
He himself admits that he knew nothing about watches before embarking on this adventure. Well, almost nothing. What first won him over was the non-planned obsolescence: unlike a computer or a smartphone, a watch has always functioned the same way for years… and that’s not about to change!
So, since the technique is proven, Crispin Jones chose to focus on the design of his watches. After designing his own models, he chose to partner with artists from various backgrounds to “create watches that tell stories”. All the models therefore display a 40 mm diameter steel case, powered by a Swiss made movement (STP or Sellita), but the dial transforms into a work of art each time into a work of art.
A ride on a Ferris wheel, a lazy afternoon in a pool, a psychedelic sphinx, a call to live in the present moment… There is absolutely something for all styles, but one thing is certain: a Mr Jones watch is conspicuous and undoubtedly attracts attention.
Spinnaker
Founded in 2013, the Spinnaker brand belongs to the Dartmouth Brands group, just like Avi-8, RGMT, Dufa or Thomas Earnshaw. The common point of all these entities: to offer watches with a distinctive style at very affordable prices…
As its name suggests, Spinnaker draws its inspiration from the maritime world, with models that are not afraid to take the plunge. Its iconic Dumas model is thus waterproof up to 3000 meters and offers a vintage look straight from the 1970s, with its octagonal case. With its Piccard model, the brand even promises the most seasoned divers the ability to reach depths of 500m.
In all cases, Spinnaker manages to offer a varied and very consistent collection, with a good balance between style and robustness, all at an attractive price (around 500€).
Christopher Ward
We conclude this selection with another brand that sits between Britain and Switzerland, with a brand that is increasingly talked about. Christopher Ward indeed won the Petite Aiguille award at the GPHG 2023 for his very beautiful C1 Bel Canto watch.
If the label Swiss made does indeed appear (rightly so) on the dial, Christopher Ward proudly presents itself as a London brand, with collections dedicated to men. From the neo-vintage military watch to the 600-meter waterproof diver’s watch, through to the elegant moon phase or the more sporty chrono, there is something for everyone. But always with real quality, embodied by the Calibre SH21, the first movement developed by a British brand in 50 years!
As we said in the introduction of this article: English watchmaking is in full revival. The legacy of Arnold & Son is brilliantly perpetuated today, with very diverse brands, capable of offering very offbeat and contemporary models and others much more timeless. We could have added other names to this (pretty) list including Bamford and its prestigious collaborations, Graham (born in England but now based in Switzerland), Garrick, Pinion and many independent brands. In short, there would be plenty to write a volume 2 of this article!