Bremont Brings Watchmaking Apprenticeships Back to Britain

Bremont Brings Watchmaking Apprenticeships Back to Britain

In 1800, half of the world's watches—approximately 200,000 pieces annually—were produced on British shores by British watchmakers. Today, UK watchmaking is experiencing a renaissance, led by Bremont's ambitious apprenticeship program and manufacturing expansion.

The Decline and Revival of British Watchmaking

The British watch industry suffered greatly during the 20th century. Two world wars redirected skilled labor to the armaments industry, and the Quartz Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s devastated remaining manufacturers like Smith's. By the late 20th century, British watchmaking had virtually disappeared as an industrial-scale operation.

However, independent watchmakers like George Daniels kept the flame alive. Daniels, considered one of the greatest watchmakers of the 20th century, created the revolutionary co-axial movement and mentored Roger Smith, who continues producing handcrafted watches on the Isle of Man.

Bremont's Apprenticeship Revolution

Since its founding in 2002, Bremont has been "wholly passionate about bringing 'industrial scale' mechanical watchmaking back to British shores." The brand's approach centers on training new watchmakers through a structured apprenticeship scheme:

• Henley-on-Thames Workshop: Where apprentices learn assembly, servicing, and development of mechanical watches
• Silverstone Manufacturing Facility: Where watch cases and movement parts are manufactured using advanced CNC technology

Cross-Industry Skills Transfer

Bremont's apprenticeship model draws from adjacent industries. The brand's Silverstone location provided access to Formula 1 engineers, CNC machinists, and CAD designers with transferable skills. "Machining components for sniper rifles is a good training ground for the skills we require," noted Bremont co-founder Nick English.

This innovative approach demonstrates how watchmaking apprenticeships can benefit from existing technical expertise in other precision manufacturing sectors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long does Bremont's apprenticeship program take?
A: While specific durations vary, Bremont's progressive training approach allows apprentices to develop skills in watch assembly, servicing, and eventually manufacturing over several years.

Q: Does Bremont manufacture complete movements in the UK?
A: Not yet—Bremont describes this as "a difficult and long journey." Currently, cases and selected movement parts are manufactured domestically, with complete movement production as a future goal.

Q: What makes Bremont's approach unique?
A: Bremont is currently the only watch brand manufacturing cases and selected parts in the UK at any significant scale, representing a unique investment in domestic horological manufacturing.

Sources: aBlogtoWatch, Bremont. Discover more about British watchmaking heritage.