Sean Brickell, Founder of Edward Christopher Watches.
Sean Brickell, Founder of Edward Christopher Watches.

Exclusive: BTN talks with Seán Brickell about his premium & luxury watch brand

6 min


Edward Christopher announces profit donation to help children

It’s a mission statement which’ll raise the hopes of disadvantaged children and families around the world.

British premium & luxury watch brand, Edward Christopher, is running a mission to donate 10% of its profits to help child victims of bullying and abuse and to help disadvantaged young people with little to no prospect of employment.

‘As someone who’s endured tough British boarding schools from the age of eight, to working as a mentor to teenagers guilty of serious crimes, I know how much still needs to be done to help children and young people who find themselves in challenging and destructive situations,’ says its founder, Seán Edward Brickell.

Sean recollects his time working with young criminals whose range of convictions included GBH and armed robbery.

Mentoring included time in the great outdoors where young people’s lives were changed through a combination of being close to nature and completing challenges.

These were designed to boost their self-confidence, self-esteem and to give them a more realistically positive outlook on how much better their lives could be.

‘There was one young fellow who was 15 or 16 who came across as arrogant and dismissive and proud and prickly.’

‘We were in the Lake District doing a series of outdoor challenges that required a mixture of courage, co-ordination and communication between the mentor and the mentee.’

A high ropes’ course that changed the lives of two people

‘One particular exercise was on a high ropes course. We were about 30ft up in the air forming an A-shape with our bodies on two different horizonal ropes that were getting further and further apart.’

‘And we had to keep hold of each other, by holding each other hands, and keeping our increasingly stretched shape, to get as far as we could. It took strength and courage.’

‘He was completely committed to the exercise. Utterly focused. Putting his trust in me completely. And he was repeating everything I said, whether it was one of my gentle instructions or my more emphatically encouragement statements.’

‘He appeared to became a different young man. And we got three times further than anyone else!’

‘It was actually an error of mine that meant we didn’t get to the end. But he was so overjoyed that we achieved what we did. He achieved what he did but he was so committed to the exercise.’

‘When we returned to the ground he jumped for joy and gave me a hug, and yet this had been someone who had been so macho before the exercise started. He pretended he wasn’t scared – but he was.’

‘He left the camp a different person and started a career in music. I found that profoundly moving. It was an experience which had been positive for him rather than something which was negative or destructive.’

It was a life changing moment for a young man. Someone who chose a different (and better) pathway.

It was also a life changing moment for Seán who sees his company’s commitment to donating to charity as being a crucial part of his business plan and ethos.  

‘As I get older I want to make more of a genuine contribution to society and those who need support, encouragement and protection.’

‘I always wanted to be a father, not because of societal or familial expectations. But the closest I got was a late miscarriage. So you make the best of the situation you find yourself in. I have three gorgeous nephews and am very involved in their lives.’

‘And so, by my business donating a noticeable amount of our profits to charities helping children and young people in need, this is my way of being a father figure to as many young people who need one as possible.’

The former award-winning journalist and broadcaster also holds a number of awards for entrepreneurship. Sean explains Edward Christopher watches are ‘for sophisticated people with kind hearts.’

‘Esquire magazine’s Influencer of the Year, Jeetendr Sehdev, asked to wear the rose red version of our Manta at Sir Elton John’s Oscars party this year, which he duly did, and at other celebrity events, because he’s fallen in love with the watch and the colour narrative.’

‘This business has been inspired by two key things: a lifelong love of watches and a desire to create and leave a charitable legacy by helping future generations of children and young people in need.’

It’s believed the 10% donation rate of its profits is higher than any other watch brand globally. Charities receiving the monies will include the award-winning anti-bullying charity Kidscape, along with The Prince’s Trust and Prince’s Trust International.

The latter organisation was set up by HM King Charles III. It’s work helps young people worldwide facing the greatest adversity by supporting them to build the confidence and skills to live, learn and earn.

‘Inspired by two brave and modest men’

Seán explains the name is ‘inspired by two brave and modest British men, Edward and Christopher, who each saved a child’s life…which, for one of them, cost him his life.’

In fact, his middle name was bestowed upon him in memory of his great uncle Edward. He survived the horrors of the First World War but, tragically, died after he returned from the Western Front. He dived into a freezing river to save a drowning boy.

Prior to conflict, he had experienced good health. But his experiences of conflict had left him with a weakened immune system. His time in the river saw him succumb to  influenza which subsequently resulted in his death.

‘The fact that I’m named after him is something I am very proud of – and always have been. He had endured four years of the First World War and survived. He was a talented writer and poet. He had a quiet old school courage which I always admire.’

Sean’s great uncle: Edward Eager. Image kindly provided by Sean Brickell.

The company’s first product is the fully custom made Manta, a 40mm dive watch for everyday use. It’s being sold worldwide and comes in a range of strong colours to suit people’s varying clothing, moods and occasions.

Edward Christopher’s twofold mission is to build the most beautiful coloured everyday premium & luxury watches at affordable prices – and for a beautiful purpose.

Inspired by the distinctively beguiling beauty of the Manta Ray, the Manta highlights include guilloché colour-coded dials, a Swiss self-winding mechanical movement, an unusual internal bidirectional rotating bezel, two colour-coded crowns and colour-coded quick-release straps.