The Brits are back

Swiss-based (but Brit-inspired)brand Graham was born in 1995, taking its name from the ‘father of the chronograph', George Graham.

Silverstone Stowe GMT; £6,544 approx

Dismayed by the lack of British timepieces passing through his repair shop, Robert Loomes set about making watches with every part sourced and made in England.

The Robin; £5,530

Although made in Germany, Schofield's quirky touches are properly British and already have a cult following. This one is based on early UK lighthouse design.

Signalman GMT PR; £2,958

British brand Burberry has dabbled in watches before, but this October we'll see a new, grown-up collection designed by Christopher Bailey.

Power Reserve Automatic; £2,775

Apprentice to the late George Daniels (possibly the greatest watchmaker ever), Roger Smith's watches involve so many man-hours, only 10 can be made each year.

Series 2, red gold; £102,000

Royal watchmaker Simon Benney, having created one-off silver pieces, is now using steel plus Swiss movements to keep prices down.

Geosportster Chronograph; from £475

English watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin knows his stuff - he studied at the highly respected Swiss watchmaking school WOSTEP before setting up his own workshop in 2000. Today his watches are some of the most desirable in the world. This is the 2012 incarnation of his Serpent Calendar. It comes with a steel or red gold case, and, unlike most calendar watches that display the date in a little window, it has a separate dial and snaky hand for the day of the month.

Serpent Calendar; from £8,454 approx

In 2007, British brothers Nick and Giles English began manufacturing pilots' watches in a small workshop in Bienne, Switzerland. Fast-forward to 2012, and their company, Bremont, has 45 models with 70 stockists in 13 countries, its own boutique in London and plans to open a new workshop in Henley-on-Thames by the end of 2012.

ALT1-WT World Timer; £3,995