English brand’s oh-so-English new HQ
It’s not just a beautiful shop, it’s a tipping point.” That was the verdict of one connoisseur I spoke to at the opening this week of the first ever boutique by the British watch company, Bremont. A decade on from the moment brothers Nick and Giles English had the barmy idea of founding a luxury watch brand in a country whose industry for such things had ceased to exist decades before, Bremont has not only proved an unlikely and forthright success, but is in the process of shifting up gears.
A week ago saw the launch of the Bremont Victory, a superior piece of complicated, classical horology that contains tiny amounts of wood from Lord Nelson’s ship, HMS Victory. It was unveiled aboard the ship itself, in conjunction with the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth, and marks a step up for the brand in terms of pure, untrammeled luxury and craftsmanship. Meanwhile, the new boutique on South Audley street is a stylish world of gentlemanly pursuits: it includes a suave bar and library area, burnished pieces of military and sporting paraphernalia and even a Triumph motorcycle, as well as vitrines containing Bremont’s formidable watches.
Wedged neatly between Harry’s Bar and the George Club on South Audley Street (just off the end of Mount Street), it could itself become something of a stopping-off point for sophisticated folk in the area. Expect a generous welcome from the brothers English if you’re passing. 29 South Audley St, W1K 2PE
www.bremont.com