Elite Traveler November-December 2015

DISCOVER

elite traveler NOV/DEC 2015 ISSUE 6 40

Watches

We love… Bremont's limited edition Wright Flyer celebrating its aviation links From $28,000

HERITAGE REVIVAL The British are well known for a love of heritage, but also for claiming to have invented the world. When it comes to watches, there is some truth in such claims. Even Rolex, that most Swiss brand, was founded in London. As Mike France, co-founder of Christopher Ward, one of the UK’s new generation of watch brands says: “Three quarters of important watchmaking developments were born in this country.” The industry has been in decline for decades but recent years have seen a revival. At the forefront of this new generation is skilled artisan, Roger Smith (pictured right). A disciple of legendary watchmaker George Daniels, Smith’s company makes most of the 160 components in each watch by hand, turning out 10 pieces a year. Prices for the RW Smith Series 2 start at $135,000. Another contender is Giles Ellis, founder of the Schofield Watch Company, who has that restless intensity of the classic British amateur engineer but who is deadly serious about watches. The company was, Ellis admits, founded on “passionate enthusiasm”. It draws on the British coast for inspiration, with watches named after lighthouses. Most striking are watches made using a new type of carbon fiber (called Morta) for the case, developed with a British Formula 1 team. "Traditional carbon fiber is rubbish for watch cases, but Morta is about strength rather than being lightweight,” says Ellis. The Blacklamp Carbon starts at $15,500. Pinion was also founded by a designer-turned- watchmaker. Its signature is a series of “new vintage” watches. The Revival 1969 ($7,800) is built around a vintage movement manufactured in 1969, but never assembled. But the biggest name in UK watches is Bremont. Last year, following a long association with aviation, it released the limited edition Bremont Wright Flyer (from $28,000) with the Wright Family Foundation, featuring an in-house movement. The British revival is, it seems, about to take off. rwsmithwatches.com, pinionwatches.com, schofieldwatchcompany.com, bremont.com

From top: Giles Ellis, founder of the Schofield

Watch Company; Schofield Watch

Company Blacklamp Carbon; Pinion Revival 1969; RW Smith Series 2

Words: Richard Cree