Graham London (formerly The British Masters S.A. and Les Monts S.A.) is a Swiss watch manufacturer known for restarting iconic British brands, Graham and Arnold & Son.
The company was founded in 1995 as Les Monts S.A. by Eric Loth, Pierre-André Finazzi, and Ernst Thomke, formerly of SMH. They were joined by Max Imgruth, who launched the Swatch brand in the United States, and Jean-Pierre Jaquet.
The idea behind the concept of The British Masters was to recollect the tradition of the great British watchmakers, namely George Graham (1673-1751) and John Arnold (1736-1799). The first collection of “Graham” and “Arnold & Son” was brought on the market in 1998.
Jaquet was arrested and lost control of his firm in 2003, though it continues to supply Arnold & Son and Graham after being renamed La Joux-Perret. Finazzi left to re-start Ellicott in 2008.
In 2001, the company was renamed The British Masters S.A. after William Asprey joined as investor, chairman, and British distributor. The company re-launched two famous British horological brands, Arnold & Son and Graham. The British Masters also owns rights to the British names, Thomas Tompion, Daniel Quare, Thomas Mudge, and Thomas Earnshaw.
In May 2010, The British Masters sold Arnold & Son to movement supplier La Joux-Perret, focusing on the Graham brand and renaming the company Graham London.