In August last year, a 1930 Gipsy Moth biplane piloted by Giles English, and carrying an 11 year-old family friend, crashed into a Northamptonshire field. It was only thanks to the flying skills of Giles that both he and the young boy survived the emergency landing, although he broke his back in the accident.
In a year of exceptional success for Bremont Watch Company, co-founded by Giles and his brother Nick, it is the fight back from this accident that gives Nick the greatest pride. Above all else, he was inspired by, “seeing my brother recover from breaking his back last year in a plane crash,” Nick says.
The biggest news from the Henley-based watch company was the announcement of an agreement with the world’s biggest aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, to become its exclusive watch partner. “I had been working on this deal for over three years, it will make a big difference to our US business and is a great partner to have,” says Nick.
Bremont also won a prestigious HSBC Global Connections award in recognition of the company’s business achievements. “After all these years someone totally independent looked at us as a business and said ‘you have built something wonderful here’. Before that we have just got recognition for our products. We need a great business to continue our investment in UK infrastructure,” Nick explains.
“Each success has been a team effort and if everyone feels part of the growth then you can feel the buzz. We have a great team who really feel part of something,” he adds.
