While a substantial portion of the allure of Swiss—and even German—watchmaking lies in its storied heritage and tradition, some of the best British watch brands have achieved such acclaim through their ability to deviate from the norm. That’s not to say the nation doesn’t have a storied watchmaking history, with Great Britain to thank for several horological milestones, including the development of the lever escapement by Thomas Mudge in 1755 and the inventions of the marine chronometer by John Harrison in 1759. Likewise, the 18th century saw watchmaker George Graham flourish under the tutelage of master clockmaker Thomas Tompion. He in turn went on to serve as a mentor to both Mudge and Harrison.
Much like the master tailors of Savile Row and shoemakers of Northampton, the British watchmaking industry was renowned for its emphasis on traditional methods and impeccable craftsmanship. Unfortunately, it was that very same attention to detail that served as its Achilles’ heel; while the Swiss and American watchmaking industries were quick to readily embrace contemporary innovation and mass-production, the British watchmaking industry remained staunch in its commitment to traditional techniques and use of highly skilled (and expensive) craftsmen. While this resulted in British watches being of superior quality, they were also bulkier, more expensive, and slower to produce than their European and American counterparts, leading to a sharp decline in the nation’s watchmaking in the 19th century. However, the Brits have left an indelible mark on the watchmaking industry as a whole; one which the best British watch brands of today are honouring, albeit with their own (welcome) idiosyncratic spin.
The best British watch brands in 2024
Herewith, the best British watch brands to, well, watch.
1. Bremont
Bremont’s relative infancy belies its reputation, with the British watch brand having not only become the largest watch producer in the British Isles but also cemented itself as a key player amongst the big boys (read: the Swiss) in the pilot’s watch realm since its inception in 2002. Founded by brothers Nick and Giles English, Bremont is known for its purpose-built tool watches, with its highly robust dive and pilot’s watches taking a form follows function approach. Dedicated to bringing British watchmaking to the masses, Bremont recently debuted its own in-house movement and set up new digs in an expansive facility at The Wing, Henley-on-Thames. Its partnership with Martin-Baker, leading British manufacturer of ejection seats, sees its collaborative MB line put through its paces; including being strapped to the wrist of a mannequin and shot out of a plane. The brand is currently helmed by Davide Cerrato, formerly of Tudor where he was responsible for introducing the Black Bay line.
Established in: 2002
Founders: Nick and Giles English
Best for: pilot’s watches, dive watches
Notable models: MBII, Supermarine S302
2. anOrdain
Glaswegian brand anOrdain is known for its mechanical timepieces with beautiful enamel dials, with each timepiece released in limited runs and selling out almost immediately. Founded by Eninburgh-based architect Lewis Heath, the anOrdain employs a diverse team of designers, creatives, enamellists, and engineers; many of them women (still a rarity in watchmaking despite the day and age). Employing a relatively simple design language, anOrdain timepieces let the intricate enamel work shine through, with the brand unafraid to experiment with vibrant colours and statement-making finishes (think fumé and organic textures). Due to the handcrafted nature of each watch, the brand operates using a waitlist allocation system.
Established in: 2015
Founder: Lewis Heath
Best for: enamel dials
Notable models: Model 1
3. Pinion
Oxfordshire-based watch brand Pinion designs classically styled timepieces in small quantities using both contemporary automatic and new-old-stock hand-wound movements. Blurring the lines between dress and tool watches, Pinion designs are almost stoic, with their classic dials at home in solidly constructed stainless steel or bronze cases. Notably, the brand designed a bespoke timepiece (a black dial, bronze case version of its Axis II model) for British actor Hugh Grant’s character in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen.
Established in: 2013
Founder: Piers Berry
Best for: daily drivers
Notable models: Axis II
4. Christopher Ward
Christopher Ward has become the poster boy for microbrand success stories — British or otherwise. Launched by three friends in 2004, it came at a time when an online-only direct-to-consumer model was thought of as both ridiculous and revolutionary. One of the few microbrands that’s slowly but surely establishing itself as fit to play with the horological big wigs, the expansive Christopher Ward range spans everything from dress watches to divers, as well as the all-important stainless steel integrated bracelet offering. For an unbeatable value proposition, look to the Christopher Ward C1 Moonphase; with an aventurine dial and generous moonphase display, it punches well above its price point.
Established in: 2004
Founders: Christopher Ward, Mike France, and Peter Ellis
Best for: dive watches, dress watches, sports watches
Notable models: C65 Dune, C1 Moonphase, C63 Sealander
5. Fears
The Fears story is one that dates back to the 19th century, when Edwin Fear founded the brand in Bristol in 1846 and operated until 1976. His great-great-great-grandson Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, a former apprentice watchmaker at Rolex, (re)founded the brand in 2016, reimagining what Fears timepieces would look like if the business never shut down. Today, Fears watches are distinguished by their cushion case shape and colourful styling. Fears has collaborated with fellow British watch brands Christopher Ward and Garrick; the former on a striking jumping hour watch and the later on a small batch of refined hand-finished timepieces.
Established in: 2016 (originally founded in 1846)
Founder: Nicholas Bowman-Scargill (originally founded by Edwin Fear)
Best for: daily drivers
Notable models: Brunswick
6. Farer
Deriving its name from ‘Seafarer’ and ‘Wayfarer’, British watch brand Farer suffuses sporty and adventurous styles with a healthy dose of colour and fun. Designed in Britain and manufactured in Switzerland, Farer puts a quintessentially British spin on 1960s and ‘70s designs, resulting in timepieces that stand out from the sea of ‘homage’ watches on the market today. While Farer’s first few watches used quartz movements, today the brand equips its timepieces with mechanical movements from Sellita and La Joux-Perret. Look to the brand’s GMT, World Timer, and Durham watches, which each offer a unique take on the category.
Established in: 2015
Founders: Stuart Finlayson, Jono Holt, Ben Lewin, and Paul Sweetenham
Best for: sports watches, dive watches, pilot’s watches, GMT watches, daily drivers
Notable models: Burbridge Moonphase, Durham, Lander IV GMT, Roché World Timer
7. Paulin
Design-led brand Paulin takes a modernist design approach to its timepieces, each of which is infused with colour and boasts a playful sensibility. The Glaswegian watch brand was founded by the Paulin sisters—Eleanor, Charlotte, and Elizabeth Paulin—who are the great-granddaughters of George Henry Paulin, a British sculptor known for his iconic war memorials that can be found across the UK. Fun fact: co-founder Charlotte is married to the founder of fellow Glaswegian watch brand anOrdain, which recently acquired the Paulin brand (and released a collaborative timepiece to mark the occasion). In addition to offering both quartz and mechanical timepieces, Paulin also creates striking clocks that employ the same funky approach to design. The brand is transparent in its production processes, with the origin of each component clearly laid out on the Paulin website.
Established in: 2013
Founder: Eleanor, Charlotte, and Elizabeth Paulin
Best for: fun watches
Notable models: Modul C, Neo B
8. Roger W. Smith
Despite their six-figure price tags, Roger W. Smith watches boast a waitlist that make acquiring a Rolex Submariner seem like a walk in the park. A former apprentice to the legendary George Daniels, Smith and his team hand-make each watch from scratch, resulting in just 10-12 timepieces made a year. Among his admirers is Ed Sheeran, who commissioned a pair of watches for himself and his wife Cherry.
Established in: 2001
Founder: Roger W. Smith
Best for: dress watches, complicated watches
Notable models: Series 1, Series 4
9. Studio Underd0g
Taking a decidedly unserious approach to watchmaking, Studio Underd0g was founded by product designer Richard Benc in 2020 with the goal of making a timepiece antithetical to the often stuffy nature of the horological industry. Studio Underd0g watches aren’t designed to be someone’s only watch, more rather an accoutrement to an already healthy watch collection, with both the brand’s pricing (from £500) and design style reflecting that. The British watch brand produces mechanical chronographs with a colourful twist, with the food themed Series 1—comprising Mint Ch0c Chip, Desert Sky, Watermel0n, and Go0fy Panda—swiftly selling out. The sophomore release, a field watch with a Pink Lem0nade dial, has proved equally as popular.
Established in: 2020
Founder: Richard Benc
Best for: colourful watches
Notable models: Pink Lem0nade, Watermel0n
10. William Wood
William Wood takes its name from founder’ Jonny Garrett’s late grandfather, a decorated 25-year veteran of the British Fire Service. The brand aims to honour wood and the legacy of firefighters worldwide, with William Wood utilising upcycled fire hose for its smoke-scented straps and incorporating melted down British brass firefighter’s helmets for its crowns and cases. That said, William Wood watches don’t read as blatant ‘themed’ pieces, with each standing on its own laurels. While the British watch brand’s range spans dive, field, and dress watches, we’re particularly partial to its colourful bronze divers.
Established in: 2016
Founder: Jonny Garrett
Best for: dive watches, field watches
Notable models: Valiant, Bronze, Fearless
11. Arnold & Son
Although Arnold & Son is technically a Swiss manufacture, its roots are British. The brand is named after John Arnold, a Briton responsible for producing the smallest repeating watch ever made for King George III and known for its innovative work on marine chronometers. While the Arnold & Son manufacture is based in the spiritual home of watchmaking in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the brand continues to pay homage to its inspiration and takes a decidedly British approach in both its aesthetic and movements, evident in the three-dimensional architecture of the latter. Thanks to their unique design cues, each Arnold & Son timepiece is easily identifiable as such, with highlights including the Time Pyramid and Globetrotter.
Established in: 1995 (originally in 1764)
Founder: John Arnold
Owner: Graham London
Best for: complicated watches
Notable models: Time Pyramid, Luna Magna
12. Struthers
Between them, veritable renaissance couple Rebecca and Craig Struthers have studied and are qualified in watchmaking, goldsmithing, silversmithing, fine art, gemmology and history of design. Struthers began its life as a restoration operation for vintage and antique watches (a service they continue to provide), before the duo turned their attention to developing their own timepieces. Each Struthers watch is made bespoke upon commission and features design codes that draw from vintage styles as well as old-world hand-wound movements. The brand recently released its flagship watch, powered by Struthers’ first in-house movement that was inspired by the slow 2.25Hz beat rate of a late 19th-century English pocket watch. Named Project 248, it has a stunning champlevé enamel dial made by the anOrdain team that sees the metal numerals sunken into the enamel rather than applied over it.
Established in: 2012
Founder: Craig and Rebecca Struthers
Best for: dress watches, vintage-style
Notable models: Project 248, The Kelso, The Kingsley
13. Speake-Marin
Despite being based in Neuchatel, Switzerland, Speak-Marin was founded by English master watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin following a tenure at Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi SA. launching with time-only watches, Speak-Marin now counts jumping hours, perpetual calendars, tourbillons, and minute repeaters among its range. Highlights include the brand’s Haute Horlogerie and Cabinet des Mystères collections.
Established in: 2002
Founder: Peter Speake-Marin
Best for: skeletonised watches, sports watches
Notable models: Ripples, Openworked
14. Garrick
Inspired by the golden age of English clockmaking, Garrick watches exude old world charm. Founded by David Brailsford and Simon Michlmayr in 2014, Garrick eschews mass production in favour of a meticulous hand-crafted approach that sees the British watch brand produce just 50 watches annually. While Garrick makes use of Swiss made movements, it produces many of its own movement parts and has previously collaborated with movement designer Andreas Strehler to create its own hand-wound movement which can be found in the brand’s more premium timepieces. Working out of a dedicated facility in Norfolk, even entry-level Garrick watches feature a high level of hand finishing, including guilloché dials and modified movements.
Established in: 2014
Founders: David Brailsford and Simon Michlmayr
Best for: dress watches
Notable models: Series 4, Series 2
Other watch brands by country
Join us as we venture out of Switzerland to find the best watch brands in countries often overlooked.
- The 12 Best Japanese Watch Brands To Know
- The Best Chinese Watch Brands Are Changing Perceptions Of ‘Made In China’
- Don’t Sleep On These German Watch Brands
Enjoyed this article? Why not check out our Ultimate Guide To Watches here; covering everything from the anatomy of a watch to watch styles and complications.
Words by T. Angel
