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On The Clock: British Watch Brands To Know Now

1 year ago

Home-grown watches that tick all the boxes

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On The Clock: British Watch Brands To Know Now

It’s not just Switzerland that has the monopoly on fine watch making. British watch brands have gone from strength to strength in recent years, from style-led accessible options to some of the finest horological innovations around. These fine British watches are the ones you want seen on your wrist.

The Best of British Style – Fashion, Beauty, Brands & More

The Best British Watch Brands

Vertex

Best For: Premium British Design

Although Swiss-made, Vertex watches are completely British in design. The watchmaker was founded in 1916 by Claude Lyons, and went on to produce watches for the British Military in WW1 and WW2. Today, Vertex brings its rich heritage to new designs.

vertex-watches.com

Marloe

Best For: Thoughtful Design

Marloe takes its time when it comes to crafting the perfect mechanical watch – and the results are well worth waiting for. Think classic, traditional designs at accessible price points.

marloewatchcompany.com

Farer

Best For: A Spirit Of Adventure

Part of a new generation of British watchmakers, Farer was launched in 2015 with the goal to create watches that could stand the test of time. Built for every adventure – whether land, sea or air – these are watches to take everywhere.

farer.com

Roger W Smith

Best For: Limited Edition Designs

This British independent watchmaker specialises in hand-crafted designs in limited edition collections, made in Smith’s studio on the Isle of Man.

rwsmithwatches.com

Robert Loomes

Best For: Watches With History

Robert Loomes can date its watchmaking history back to the 1650s, where Thomas Loomes ran London’s largest firm of clock and watchmakers. Now designed and manufactured in Stamford, each watch is made by a small team of skilled craftspeople.

robertloomes.co.uk

Christopher Ward

Best For: British Design & Swiss Quality

Christopher Ward shows its passion for watchmaking in everything it does, from overseeing every step of the process of creating a timepiece to pushing the boat out with new designs.

christopherward.com

Bamford London

Best For: Eye-Catching Colours & Accessible Price Points

British watchmaker Bamford was founded in 2004 by George Bamford, and initially became famous for customising Rolex watches. The brand has since grown to offer its own line of watches, although customisation is still a popular service.

bamfordlondon.com

Bremont

Best For: Award-Winning British Luxury

Since it was founded by brothers Nick and Giles English back in 2002, Bremont has come on leaps and bounds, spearheading the return of British watchmaking to these shores. Its timepieces are designed and made in its state-of-art HQ in Henley.

bremont.com

William Wood Watches

Best For: The ‘Feel Good’ Factor

All William Wood Watches are made from upcycled firefighting materials sourced from around the UK, and a percentage of each sale is donated to The Fire Fighters Charity.

williamwoodwatches.com

Elliot Brown

Best For: A Macho Timepiece

Designed in Dorset to be robust, durable and functional, Elliot Brown Watches has worked to create timepieces for the armed forces and groups within the security and intelligence fields. Every watch is rigorously tested, shock resistant, has total water protection, and is crafted from with weapons-grade materials.

elliotbrownwatches.com

anOrdain

Best For: Waitlisted Designs

Based in Glasgow’s historic Templeton Building, anOrdain’s team of 15 designers and makers craft exquisite watches using Swiss-made movements and handmade enamel dials. As everything is assembled in house, production is limited so every anOrdain model carries a waiting list.

anordain.com

Struthers

Best for: Heritage Craftsmanship

This brand was founded in 2012 by husband-and-wife team Craig and Rebecca Struthers, who have been recognised for their work towards the preservation of the traditional art and science of watchmaking. Vastly skilled and experienced (Rebecca became the first watchmaker in British history to earn a PhD in horology in 2017), they make bespoke hand-crafted watches on commission, a process that takes 12-18 months.

Struthers The Kingsley Watch, from £48,000. strutherswatchmakers.co.uk

Main image: Bremont H1 group watches