William Wood Valiant Collection 41mm Mens Watch Red

Jonny Garrett founded William Wood Watches in 2017 and named it after his grandfather, a firefighter who served twenty-five years with the Newcastle and Gateshead Fire Brigade at Pilgrim Street on Blue Watch. In June 1966 he and three colleagues were awarded a Certificate of Merit for rescuing five children from a house fire.

The materials carry the story rather than merely referencing it. The crown, and on the chronographs the pushers, are cast from a melted-down British brass firefighter's helmet of the 1920s. Straps are made from decommissioned fire hose used in real fires, in the colours of the services they came from — London Fire Brigade through to Sacramento.

The detailing runs deeper than most themed brands attempt. The Valiant diver takes its seconds track from the chequered markings on the side of a fire engine and its seconds hand from a vintage fire bell. The Triumph chronograph uses fire-engine dashboard dials and gauge hands, behind a caseback reading In Case Of Fire Break Glass. The Fire Exit model animates a running man across the day wheel.

Movements are Swiss, mostly Sellita SW220 and SW510. A donation from every sale goes to firefighting charities, among them The Fire Fighters Charity, the London Fire Brigade and the FDNY Foundation.