In the latest of our watch videos, we focus on the English siblings bringing fine watchmaking back to the UK.

We’re inundated with disruptive businesses these days. We’re told every industry under the sun is ripe for disruption, the implication being that the establishment has sat on its laurels too long and that the way things are done could be bettered – if only somebody could be bothered to think about it.

More often than not, that’s true. As we’re not in an irony vacuum, let’s not forget MR PORTER is the prime luxury retail disrupter, the concept merely a brainwave only a decade ago. And so here we all are. For my part, earlier this year, I launched an upmarket men’s magazine into the freemium space. Six months in, The Jackal is going along nicely, albeit early days. Disruption works. Disruption is good.

Applying the same basic theory to watches, we find a good case study. The traditional watch industry was heavily disrupted in the 1970s when the universalisation of quartz all but killed it. Forty years later, it’s in fine health, making the most innovative, reliable and accurate mechanical watches we’ve ever seen. Sound argument has it that without the disruption of quartz, today’s mechanical watches wouldn’t be nearly as good as they are.

Disruption is coming again in the form of smartwatches, the latest of which was unveiled by Apple this month. But despite the blip of the past few years (Swiss watch exports declined steadily between 2014 and earlier this year – caused by all sorts of macro economic factors), the industry seems to be riding out the storm. In July, Switzerland reported a third consecutive month of growth. The world still loves mechanical watches, even though they can’t speak emoji.

I can’t quite make up my mind therefore whether luxury watchmaker Bremont is a disruptive brand, or not. If it is, it’s because it’s British rather than Swiss, and is intent on returning mechanical watch manufacturing to Britain, an industry that died 50-odd years ago. That’s ruffling a few Helvetian feathers, and no mistake.

But at the same time, Bremont is in many ways traditional, making watches in the old-school mould, using parallel technologies to houses that have been in the game for generations. OK, so the process it uses to harden its steel cases to seven times the level of ordinary stainless steel is a product of modern science, but the delicate regulating organ inside those cases owes a great deal to 17th-century horology.

Either way, disruptor or no, the company that was named after a French pilot and founded 15 years ago by a pair of maverick aviation nuts and brothers, Messrs Nick and Giles English, has given British watchmaking renewed vigour and relevance.

Today, Bremont has boutiques in London, New York and Hong Kong, produces a collection of identifiable watches for pilots, divers and drivers, lists dozens of adventurers and elite military units among its customers, and counts some of the world’s largest organisations, such as Boeing, Jaguar and the America’s Cup, among its partners. Others have followed in its wake and aped parts of its model, although none has realised its success. Bremont has no right to be considered in the same breath as brands that have been making watches for centuries. And yet, it very nearly is.

Much of that is down to the brothers themselves. There can be few purer examples of how the British characteristics of charm, self-deprecation and ruthless competitiveness can combine in one person or, in this case, in two. They have won large swathes of customers as much through sheer force of personality as through the quality of their watches. As I write these words, the pair are driving a vintage Porsche 911 (Mr Giles English) and vintage Jaguar E-Type (Mr Nick English) across the US. Of course they are.

That’s not to say the English brothers have pulled the wool over our eyes. They haven’t. Bremont watches are top performers that marry unforgiving functionality with mature aesthetics, as this edit and short film show.

Bremont launched onto the market a decade ago with a collection that included the ALT1-P pilot’s chronograph. This year, it has reissued its signature aviator watch as the ALT1-P2, a similar beast, save for the removal of the inner rotating bezel and its accompanying crown, and for a slightly dressier dynamic. It’s chronometer-certified for accuracy, features Bremont’s robust three-piece Trip-Tick case and is water-resistant to 100m.

As a rule, pilot’s watches are functional, practical objects. They’re designed for the tight and often hostile environment of a cockpit. Bremont does a fine line in such designs, but has recognised that sometimes we want a pilot’s watch with a dressier, more versatile aesthetic. The 40mm Airco Mach 2 has that, pitting a polished case and numerals against a case design that still echoes Bremont’s aviation roots.

Bremont was the official timer of the 35th edition of the America’s Cup, which took place earlier this year, and it has designed a collection of watches to celebrate the event. It includes the AC-R-II America’s Cup Regatta chronograph, a sailing-inspired watch whose dominant feature is a 15-minute countdown function at 12 o’clock. It’s the ideal device for skippers who want to time the moment they cross the startline to perfection.

Bremont is most famous for its pilot’s watches, but it has been making diving watches for some time, too. Its most recent is the Supermarine Type 300 range, a series of smaller, 40mm designs that tie in with the current trend for more modestly proportioned watches. In place, still, are those essential diver’s tools, including a uni-directional rotating bezel with a scratch-resistant ceramic insert for timing dives, and water resistance to 300m.

The Bremont-Jaguar love-in began with a dashboard clock in the C-X75 concept car seven years ago and continues with a series of wristwatches, all inspired by the dashboard of the Jaguar E-Type. The MKII features a chronograph, but it’s the watch’s 270-degree dial layout and the red zone on the rev counter-inspired small seconds indicator that most closely mirror the iconic 1960s sportscar’s instrument panel.

Shop the full Bremont collection here