Bill Ackman’s Billionaire Bet On Much Loved British Watch Brand Has Been Years In The Making

• Bill Ackman now holds 63% Bremont via his new Bremont trust in the long term.
• Bremont launched its new altitude collection at Watches & Wonders 2025.
• Ackman positions Bremont as the response of Great Britain to Swiss watchmaking.

It is not every day that you meet a billionaire at Watches & Wonders, but we were there in Geneva when we saw Bill Ackman. Yes, it's Bill Ackman. Pose for photos in a martin-baker ejection seat, asking questions, looking at the details. It turns out that the founder of Pershing Square was not only there to do window weapon. He was in town to support a new bold chapter of British watchmaking. And it was not shy to tell us how much he is really deep.

Ackman is now the majority owner and non -executive president of Bremont, the fiercely independent British brand founded by Nick and English giles. Not a brand affair. Not a capital of investment. A large-scale capital-C commitment. Thanks to its new long -term Bremont trust, Ackman controls 63% of the company. And it brings the same strategic firepower which made it a billionaire coverage fund manager.

A Bremont store in London started everything

But let's get back. The story does not start in Geneva. It started three years ago in London three years ago, when Ackman took place in front of the Bremont store and walked. What started as a spontaneous shopping trip ended with him buying several watches in gifts … and then asking who belonged to the company.

The store manager told him about the English brothers and their incredible floor. A fatal plane accident involving their father had led them to start a watch brand rooted in aviation, adventure and British engineering.

Ackman was hung. He sent a note to Nick and Giles, praising the watches and offering to invest. Shortly after, he was on a zoom with Nick English, learning that an inherited investor sought to leave. A few months later, Ackman was in it. First passively, then gradually acquire more equity, and last week, injecting a new series of growth capital to help Bremont on the scale.

So what's the part here? According to Ackman, it is partly the investment, partly passion, partly mission. “The British in fact created the watch industry,” he said. “Rolex, in particular, was a British company before moving to Switzerland, with many of the most important technical innovations and complications in the industry having been invented in England in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.”

Bill Ackman's billion pounds passion

Ackman wants to bring British watchmaking back, and he puts serious skin in the game. After supporting the English brothers, he helped recruit Davide Cerrato As a new CEO of Bremont in 2023.

If the name sounds a bell, it is because Cerrato is the guy who resurrected Tudor and created the Black Bay. He has since revised Bremont's design language, materials and Bremont pricing strategy. This includes the introduction in 904L steel, the same quality used by Rolex, the upgrading of movements, the tightening of collections and the Bremont brand change around three key categories: land (Terra Nova), sea (supermarine) and air (altitude).

The latter, altitude, has just fallen in Geneva. Bremont used 2025 watches and wonders to launch the new collection focused on aviation, inspired by their long -standing partnership with Martin Baker. At the same time, it came from the complications of heavy goods vehicles: two new references at jumping time, a whirlwind of 12 pieces and a perpetual calendar of 50 pieces. For a company formerly known mainly for pilot watches, it is a serious flex.

But these are not only a question of watches. It is a question of vision. Ackman says he is one of the only real hobbies he has outside of tennis. But if you have followed his investment career, you know that it is not a hobby energy. It is: “I'm going to build something big, energy”. It does not continue the short -term dividends or a flashy stock market. He plays the long game. British heritage. Vertical integration. Rarity. Narrative.

Bremont is made in Britain

Currently, Bremont manufactures approximately 10,000 watches per year. It is tiny compared to 1.2 million Rolex or even 70,000 from Patek Philippe. But this rarity is by design. The watches are developed, assembled and maintained in the wing, a sprawling HQ of 35,000 square feet in Henley-On-Thames with space to grow. Bremont also has serious military identification titles, having designed watches for more than 500 elite squads through the forces of the United Kingdom, the United States and the Allies.

And yes, there is also a marketing game here. Ackman began to document Bremont's trip to X (formerly Twitter), offering Drive to Survive Style Updates on the Brand progress. Inevitable victories and reverse. The atmosphere is transparent, educational and perhaps just a little ironic. He even promises free Bremont watches to users who submit useful comments or commercial ideas.

It is not every day that a billionaire decides to restart an entire national industry for pleasure. But that's exactly what it looks like. A bet on British watchmaking, on the narration and the idea that not everyone wants to wear the same Rolex Daytona as their accountant.

Will it work? This is the question of the billion pounds. But if the history of Bill Ackman are something to pass, intelligent money is definitely looking at.