1. ALT1-WT, $6,250, Bremont, 855-273-6668; 2. Bremont U-2, $5,450, mrporter.com; 3. Bremont ALT1-C Classic, $5,900, mrporter.com; 4. Solo 37 SI, $3,950, Bremont, 855-273-6668 Marko Metzinger for The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

THE PEOPLE BEHIND many high-end watch brands are wary of the Internet. Having spent decades and millions of dollars building brick-and-mortar retail networks, they're often loath to undermine that investment by selling on the Web, which some still see as a bargain basement.

Bremont co-owners and brothers Giles, left, and Nick English Bremont

Such concerns have not deterred Nick and Giles English, whose aviation watch brand, Bremont, is still in its relative infancy. The brothers, 42 and 39 respectively, recently partnered with menswear e-commerce site Mr Porter, which will introduce Bremont to a much wider audience—1.5 million unique monthly visitors in 170 countries—next week.

The story behind Bremont is so dramatic, one would be forgiven for thinking it's a work of marketing fiction. It begins about 30 years ago in the genteel Oxfordshire town of Henley-on-Thames, where the siblings' father, an aeronautical engineer, taught them to fly planes at an early age. In 1995, Nick joined his father for a flight in a vintage two-seater fighter plane. The plane crashed, killing the elder Mr. English and leaving a barely alive Nick facing a long road to recovery.

The tragic accident transformed the brothers' lives. Both left lucrative jobs in finance to search for something more fulfilling. Their father had often bought old clocks and watches that Nick and Giles happily disassembled and reassembled in the family garage. Recalling those mechanical adventures, the brothers decided in 2002 to start a watch brand. After five years of research and testing, Bremont's first watch hit the market. The company name is yet another dramatic tale. In the late '90s, while flying over France, the brothers were forced by inclement weather to land in a farmer's field. The hospitable farmer's name: Antoine Bremont.

Fittingly, Bremont watches also come with stories. The MBII ($5,200) was developed in collaboration with Martin-Baker, a British company that supplies ejection seats to 93 of the world's air forces. The MBII, housed in a distinctive orange case, can withstand the sort of shocks that result when an ejection seat blasts from a jet cockpit.

Meanwhile, the ALT1-B2 ($6,395) is closely modeled on the watch Bremont manufactures for B2 Stealth bomber crews. And the dial of the U-2 ($5,300 or $5,450, depending on the case)—developed with the U-2 Spy Plane Squadron in California but available to non-spies as well—features glowing numerals and hands. Its movement is tested to minus-40 degrees Celsius. (Many of the spy planes' missions are undertaken in low light and in freezing, high-altitude temperatures.)


All of Bremont's designs share sophisticated and utilitarian good looks. "It's a watch you can wear in the boardroom, up Mount Everest or 500 meters down in the water if you want to," said Nick.

As a new brand with limited resources, Bremont has not yet developed a large retail network. Its designs (now almost entirely made in the U.K.) are sold exclusively through the Bremont boutique in London's Mayfair neighborhood and a handful of retailers around the world. Mr Porter, which had carried only inexpensive watches and was ready to take their timepieces to the next level, made an ideal partner. "Bremont has a great story that we know our customers will talk about," said Mr Porter buying director Toby Bateman. The Englishes, who only produce about 7,000 watches each year, found Mr Porter's luxury ambitions appealing. "With [the site], we don't see the discounting issues that some watch brands are worried about with an online retailer," said Nick.

As the business grows, drama continues to court the brothers. A month ago, Giles English was injured while piloting a vintage aircraft that crashed a mile from his destination. Thankfully, he and his passenger are expected to make a full recovery.