Nick English

Nick English

Nick English is the co-founder of the British luxury watchmaker Bremont, and a sought-after keynote speaker whose story combines entrepreneurship, resilience, and a determined revival of British manufacturing excellence.

Told early on that building a serious mechanical watch brand in Britain, without centuries of legacy behind I was unrealistic, Nick and his brother Giles set out to prove otherwise. Over two decades, they built Bremont from a small start-up workshop into one of the leading modern mechanical watch brands in the world, an internationally recognised name associated with aviation, exploration, and engineering precision.

Competing in a sector long dominated by established Swiss luxury houses, Bremont carved out a distinctive global position through technical credibility, British manufacturing, and powerful storytelling. Today the brand is sold worldwide, operates its own boutiques, and is worn by a wide spectrum of high-profile figures from film, aviation, exploration, and the military. Its partnerships have included organisations such as Williams F1, Boeing and the UK Ministry of Defence, placing the company at the intersection of luxury engineering and national industrial capability.

Nick speaks passionately about Britain’s historic role in horology, once the world leader, and the subsequent collapse of the industry in the interwar years. Central to his talks is Bremont’s role in the modern reinvigoration of British watchmaking: re-establishing precision component manufacturing in the UK, investing in infrastructure, and helping train a new generation of watchmakers and engineers.

Bremont’s growth was not driven by imitation, but by differentiation. The company developed in-house engineering capabilities, producing components to micron tolerances, and built a brand rooted in adventure, aviation and mechanical integrity. It is this fusion of engineering depth and narrative authenticity that Nick identifies as the company’s defining competitive advantage.

Beyond business, Nick lives the spirit of the brand. An accomplished pilot of historic wartime aircraft, he rides motorbikes across remote terrain, restores classic cars in his workshop, and values time with his wife Catherine and their three children in Oxfordshire.

Background

Born and raised in Cambridge, Nick graduated with a First-Class degree in Geography from the University of Manchester. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers before moving into corporate finance in the City of London.

Nick and Giles grew up immersed in engineering and restoration, working alongside their father, Euan, in a workshop filled with aircraft, cars, boats and clocks. Aviation became a shared passion, and Nick flew historic aircraft from a young age, later flying with the RAF as an undergraduate.

In 1995, tragedy struck when a vintage aircraft crash during display practice claimed their father’s life and left Nick critically injured, having sustained over 30 fractures. After weeks in intensive care and a long recovery, the experience profoundly shaped the brothers’ outlook. They left corporate careers soon after to

focus on restoring and maintaining historic aircraft, a period that reinforced both their technical skills and their resolve.

With characteristic entrepreneurial drive, the brothers founded Virtue Broadcasting Plc in 1999, a pioneer in secure digital media distribution at the dawn of the streaming era. The company listed in 2001 and was later sold, providing the platform to pursue their next ambition.

In 2002, driven by a shared passion for mechanical engineering and horology, they began developing what would become The Bremont Watch Company. After five years of design, testing, and refinement, Bremont launched in 2007 with chronometer-rated timepieces and a distinctly British identity.

Under Nick and Giles’ leadership, Bremont evolved into a globally recognised luxury watch brand known for technical innovation, aviation heritage, and precision engineering. The company built advanced manufacturing capability in Britain, expanded internationally, opened flagship boutiques, and earned numerous industry awards, establishing itself as a rare modern success story in high-end mechanical watchmaking.

In 2022, Nick and Giles sold Bremont to American activist investor Bill Ackman, while continuing their commitment to British craftsmanship through the acquisition of the historic luxury writing brand Yard O Led in 2023. They remain active investors and brand builders, focused on preserving and growing heritage manufacturing businesses.