Status watch brands are showcasing a stellar list of ambassadors in their current campaigns, including Ryan Gosling for TAG Heuer, Bradley Cooper for Louis Vuitton’s Tambour timepiece, Gisele Bündchen for IWC and Jennifer Lawrence for Longines. In October, British-based Bremont announced its newest face, Mark Strong, in conjunction with the release of the brand’s Supernova, an integrated bracelet watch. The London-born actor known for his roles in 1917 and Kingsman: The Secret Service (which featured Bremont timepieces) spoke exclusively with THR about his love of watches and his new gig.
What’s your earliest memory of a watch that turned you into a fan?
COURTESY OF BRAND
I’ve loved watches ever since I was a kid and got my first electronic watch [a digital Casiotron], which seems very Space Age when you consider it today. The look of a beautiful watch face, the accuracy of a quality timepiece and the fact that you wear it on your wrist as a visible piece of jewelry, which is something that I [otherwise] don’t wear at all, is the reason I love watches.
Before you got to know Bremont through Kingsman, which style of watches caught your eye?
I was always aware of watches that were from the so-called famous brands, the ones that are ubiquitous, expensive and difficult to get ahold of. My taste was pretty varied: My main interest was in elegance and quality, though I liked diving watches and sports watches as well, so if a watch face looked interesting and classic, that was probably to my taste. Nothing too big or clunky or busy.
Courtesy of Bremont
How has working with Bremont turned you into more of a watch nerd?
I was fascinated to visit the Bremont manufacture, [known as] “The Wing,” in Henley-on-Thames, and see the machinery that had been invented and adapted by Bremont to make their watches and the fact that almost every single piece is engineered in that factory. The accuracy and delicacy with which parts are created and assembled was something I was really interested in, and I didn’t realize I would be until I visited The Wing and spoke to [Bremont co-founders] Nick and Giles English.
What’s the watch you’re reaching for most these days?
My favorite at the moment is the Bremont Longitude, which has some of the original Flamsteed Meridian Line from the Greenwich Observatory built into it and features new Bremont engineering, all made in the U.K. It’s just a beautiful thing to wear and has a wonderful feature: a red dot appears in the power reserve window and fills up as the watch is fully wound, to mimic the red ball at the top of the Greenwich Observatory.
How might the British origins of the brand resonate for you?
It feels good knowing I’m wearing a watch that was made in Britain. Knowing that it was engineered, crafted and created in the U.K. makes me feel very proud.
Courtesy of Bremont
A version of this story first appeared in the Nov. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
