Why did you choose to link Bremont Watches to the world of aviation?
I grew surrounded by aviation; my father was an aeronautical engineer and had a business restoring old aircraft. He taught us to fly before we could drive and it became a big part of our lives. A watch is something that you really do use when your flying and we had always loved classical aviation watches, both simple and clear to read and very British in its understated design. It was obvious route and one we knew when we came to designing our first watches.
Are Bremont watches designed made and built at your watch making facility in Henley on Thames, South Oxfordshire?
Yes we have a custom built facility in Henley for watch making and we are now the first British watch company to be producing watches in the UK for over 40 yrs.
What are the brands benefits of being a British made brand?
There are over 750 Swiss watch brands and we are the only watch branding building our watches in England yet we have the most amazing history of watch making. We were the powerhouse of the watch industry any of the great inventions were all developed in the UK (Rolex was founded here). Being British makes us different
Can you please give us an overview of your Basel World 2013 expected releases?
At Basel we have 4 key releases, the B2 a GMT Chronograph that we created with the B2 Stealth Squadron, the U2 Blue a blue dial and case version of the U2, a ALT1-C Rose Gold which is a beautiful classic looking gold watch and our limited edition Codebreaker watch. The Codebreaker is a watch that we have developed with Bletchley Park the place where 9000 of the brightest people cracked the Enigma code in WWII. Do be able to do this they also had to develop the first computer.
How long does it take to design and test each new Bremont watch collection before its revealed?
If it is just a dial colour change then it is a short time but for us it is rarely that, normally for us it is a two year development cycle for a new watch.
What is your favorite Bremont watch and why?
I love them all as I know how much effort that we have put into every watch we have produced. I do however wear quite often an ALT1-P pilot one of the first prototypes that we ever produced.
Bremont has been making men’s watches only, are there any upcoming projects to follow the trend and introduce Bremont women’s watches?
We are prominently a man’s brand but we did release a 37mm Solo watch last year that has been very popular with the ladies it is a lovely classical automatic watch.
Where are Bremont watches available in the Middle East? What is your retail strategy in the Middle East?
We are very positive about the Middle East and are looking to really focus on it. We have launched with the Rivoli Group in the UAE and will shortly be announcing retailers in other Middle Eastern countries.
Are there any plans to open stand alone boutiques in London or Geneva soon?
We launched our own stand alone boutique in London last year which has been a considerable success and we are opening up a boutique in Hong Kong this year. As we are not a Swiss brand Geneva will be low on our lit.
What is our biggest market so far?
Both the UK and the US we are very strong in, the fact that we are making for over 50 military squadrons really helps our growth in the US market.
How many watches do you make a year?
We will make about 5000 watches this year
Is there any project to increase the quantity?
Yes we hope to grow our numbers but watch making is never a quick game it takes time to find the watch makers and grow production.