Just outside London, near British watchmaker Bremont’s state-of-the-art new facility The Wing, a handful of young actors on a shooting party represent the brand’s future aspirations
Deep in the woods of High Wycombe, 12 men who represent the cream of young British acting talent, including Sope Dirusu (Gangs Of London), Ben Hardy (Bohemian Rhapsody) and Hope Ikpoku Jr (Top Boy), are blasting shotguns into the air. What, you may ask, could possibly go wrong? Thankfully, we’re here on a clay pigeon shoot hosted by brothers Nick and Giles English, who, in addition to being experienced shooters, are also the founders of the British watch brand Bremont. The “Young Guns” event, which also encompassed a tour of Bremont’s new manufacturing facility, The Wing, in nearby Henley-on-Thames, is part of an effort by the brothers to expand and deepen the relationships that young British stars have with Bremont.

By watch industry standards, it was a surprisingly diverse and intimate affair. It’s amazing what blasting shotguns will do for the camaraderie of a group of strangers who come from all walks of life. For younger guests of the event, such as 19-year-old Hope Ikpoku Jr from Hackney, London, “Young Guns” was their first taste of country life. So, what’s the deal? “Well, I think as a whole, the luxury watch sector is not particularly diverse,” says Giles English, cofounder of Bremont. “We’re middle class, we grew up on a farm and our interests are that way, so it’s easy to be pigeonholed.”

While Bremont has been built on a foundation of “early adopters” – highly engaged watch enthusiasts and aviators such as Hollywood legend Harrison Ford, who owns several Bremont watches, including the ALT1-P – English is aware that the brand needs to broaden its appeal. “We’re very conscious as a brand that we need to push that diversity more, so that it reflects our workforce, which has always been diverse: multicultural, age-wise and a 50/50 split between men and women. There’s been a natural flow in that direction, anyway.”

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